LESSONS Flto.M THE CliKAT DRorflHT OF 1898. 
135 
It may be said that it is all very well to be told that a certain summer 
like that of last year was a singularly dry one in most parts of England, 
and that dry summers are by no means infrequent ; but what we really 
want is a few practical hints as to how best those dry periods may be 
tided over. I am afraid that I have little that is new to impart in this 
connection, but a brief resume of the methods that I have found of most 
service when contending against dry weather in my own garden may, 
I trust, prove useful, if only as a reminder of what should be done under 
such circumstances. 
In the first place it may be well to consider what natural sources of 
moisture we have to depend upon during a long drought. They reduce 
themselves for all practical purposes to two : — 
1. The scanty supplies of rain and dew under such conditions. 
2. The moisture already stored up in the soil itself. 
Trenching. — ^ Forethought, as is well known, is one of the greatest 
essentials in successful gardening, and nowhere will this be found of 
more value that when trying to defend our gardens from the injurious 
effects of a long period of dry weather — one of their most dangerous and 
most frequent enemies. Hence it is that it is invariably found that on 
ground that has previously been well trenched plants suffer far less during 
a drought than on a similar soil which has not been deeply worked. This 
deep working of the ground, it will be found, not only renders the lower 
soil more capable of holding moisture, but also allows the roots of plants 
to descend deeper in search of it. 
Manuring. — Another valuable aid to the retention of moisture in the 
soil in dry seasons is the addition of a liberal dressing of farmyard or 
other animal manure when the ground is being prepared for the reception 
of any crop. Half-rotten garden refuse, although of less manurial value, 
I have found still more helpful in its powers of keeping moisture in the 
soil, as it decays in the ground less rapidly. 
Let our next lesson then be this : Deep working of the soil, together 
with the addition of animal and vegetable manure, serves more perhaps 
than any other means to collect and retain moisture in garden ground. 
Hoeing. — The trenching previously recommended tends to keep the 
moisture in the soil instead of allowing it to pass downwards beneath the 
range of the roots of plants, while frequent hoeing of the surface, or 
loosening it to the depth of, say, a couple of inches, prevents this moisture 
rising to the surface and evaporating. 
Mulching. — The previous operations of trenching, manuring, and 
hoeing having been carried out, the next precaution is that known as 
mulching — covering the surface of the ground with half-rotten animal 
manure, leaves, cocoa-nut fibre, spent tan, or other similar materials. 
AU these are serviceable for the purpose, but in my opinion the first - 
named, half-rotten manure, is the best. The action of mulching, properly 
applied, is threefold : (1) it checks evaporation ; (2) it keeps the surface 
soil open, and (3) at the same time equalises the temperature and 
moisture of the ground beneath it. Fresh manure is not to be recom- 
mended, as after rain it runs together and prevents the admission of 
light and air. For the same reason no mulching should be more than 
about 3 inches thick. If loosened with a fork after each heavy rain it will 
