Overhead sprinkling system for making “artificial rain.’”’ The entire length of pipe is easily turned to any part of the arc by means of the lever at end 
Landscape 
Irrigation, Watering, Sprinkling — rrercuer STEELE, ‘nies 
A REVIEW OF THE MAIN ADVANTAGE POINTS OF THE VARIOUS ARTIFICIAL SYSTEMS OF SUPPLYING WATER 
TO THE GARDEN AND GROUNDS—FACTORS THAT DECIDE THE 
very unreliable source of water 
supply. Instead of praying for 
showers in time of drought, let garden- 
ers praise God for galvanized iron pipe. 
With it they are comparatively inde- 
pendent. 
“Watering the garden” is a familiar 
process; yet how few have looked be- 
neath the surface of the universal 
problem. Literally speaking, how few 
have looked beneath the surface of the 
ground, after giving the plants their 
bath, to see how deep the water has 
gone. Yet depth of penetration is of 
fundamental importance. In giving ad- 
vice about irrigation, the first rule is to 
prepare the physical character of the 
soil so that it will deeply absorb water 
and hold it long, yet not long enough to 
become stagnant, nor in such quantities 
as to be waterlogged. This means sub- 
soiling and providing drainage; humus 
in quantity; sand in heavy clay or vice 
versa. With so much done, proceed 
with cheery confidence that your water 
bill will not be near so high as your 
neighbor’s and your results will be bet- 
ter. Proceed you must, however. Plants 
would not live in ideal soil without 
water. A large part of all plant sub- 
stance is water. Scientists tell us that 
plants absorb food only in aqueous so- 
lution. 
There are three methods of watering: 
EAVEN may be an attractive 
H place of residence, but it is a 
The first is to manufacture a fake, mi- 
nutely localized, shower of rain; the 
second is to pour water over the ground 
as the Nile overflows its banks; the 
third, is to give the garden a hypoder- 
mic injection through underground 
pipes. 
The last method is more sensible 
than it sounds. In books it is called 
subirrigation. Lines of drain tile are 
laid under the garden beds and at in- 
tervals filled with water. This water 
percolates through the soil, rising and 
spreading about to meet the plant roots. 
The law of gravity may largely be defied 
by a drop of water, once it gets under- 
ground. It is an added advantage of 
this system that the same pipes can be 
used to remove excess moisture at cer- 
tain wet seasons of the year. When 
laying the pipes remember that they 
must be near the surface to get re- 
sults—eight inches is best though one 
foot is more convenient as being below 
the depth of a light spading. The lines 
of tile must not be more than four feet 
apart. 
’ Subirrigation is an excellent lazy 
man’s method of watering. But there 
are several outs about it. It requires a 
good deal of water; pipes must prob- 
ably be relaid each time the beds are 
trenched; the joints are apt to get 
clogged with roots; and the distribution 
of water is uneven. On the other hand 
it makes a dry soil wetter and a wet soil 
297 
CHOICE FOR A GIVEN CASE 
drier; it requires little head of water; 
air, entering the pipes, serves thor- 
oughly to aérate and improve the physi- 
cal character of the soil; and lastly, the 
water does not cake the soil surface. 
Surface flooding is of paramount im- 
portance in the cultivated regions of the 
semi-arid West. As yet it has been but 
little used in Eastern gardens. Indeed 
itis doubtful if it ever will be much em- 
ployed in flower beds, though where cut 
flowers and vegetables are grown in 
straight lines and furrows it has possi- 
bilities. For Simon pure irrigation, 
series of ditches are dug around and 
often across gardens and lawns. At 
intervals they are filled with water 
which is distributed in streamlets to be 
dipped out; or broad sluggish floods 
pour over the whole area. This scheme 
has many advantages. In the first place 
the distribution of water in proper 
amounts can be scientifically controlled. 
With a little experience, one soon knows 
just when the garden needs one or three 
inches of water and immediately the 
means is at hand to provide it. The 
gardener soon learns that it is better 
to water thoroughly once a week or fort- 
night than in daily driblets. The cost 
of installation is low and very little 
pressure is needed in the water supply. 
Stream or pond water can be used. It 
is simple, if tricky, to operate. There 
are no parts to clog. With a copious 
supply of water it may be well to use 
