50 MODERN STRAWBERRY GROWING 
carried on to a great extent in the growing 
and maturing of many crops. 
~ Some of the methods used by these various 
countries would be called crude by Americans, 
but we find even so that the systems were 
very practical under their conditions. 
What are some of the reasons why irri- 
gation is so important? 
1. Water gives more than half of the 
materials which make up the dry matter of 
plants. 
2. Water constitutes from 50 to go per 
cent. of the weight of plants in their green 
stage. 
3. Soil organisms depend for their normal 
activity on the correct amount of soil mois- 
tures; otherwise they do not work so fast. 
4. Root hairs only absorb moisture 
through the soil. In this moisture is dis- 
solved plant-food, therefore without mois- 
ture there is no absorption, resulting in lack 
of growth and death. 
5. With a lack of rain in the spring, fer- 
tilizer is of little avail, owing to being not 
dissolved; irrigation makes this fertilizer 
available. 
After these reasons are carefully taken into 
