35 cae 
remedied by the watering-can. The trouble 
lies back of such surface treatment and can only 
be cured by getting at the cause. The soil 
should be so prepared by tillage that it will 
catch and hold enough water to supply the 
plants with the moisture they need even through 
hot, dry spells. Plants draw their nourish- 
ment through their roots to their stems and 
leaves, and you need only examine the fine 
roots and rootlets of any plant to realize for 
yourself that such nourishment could not be 
taken in in a solid form. Plants are constantly 
drawing this moisture from the soil and as 
constantly giving it off into the air through their 
leaves. If you will watch any plant during a 
drought, you will see the leaves begin to shrivel 
before the stems or branches show signs of 
suffering. This is Nature’s effort to sustain the 
life of the plant as long as possible. The shrivel- 
ling of the leaves prevents the escape of the 
little moisture the plant can draw, and retains 
it longer within the plant’s system. 
Deep plowing, the breaking up of the sub- 
soil, the addition of decaying vegetable matter 
or humus, fertilizing with stable manure, and 
the raising of crops that can be frequently 
tilled, all help to add moisture to the soil. 
If you do these and the dry spell does strike 
