I.KSSONS I'Ho.M rill'; (!lMv\r Dl^nCdirr OF 18!)S. 
187 
has boon found from oxpcricnct! thai it is impossible oihorwise tokeoptlio 
majority of the phmts in the garden in a satisl'at-tory condition. On good 
holding soils, if the ground has been well and deeply cultivated, and the 
hoe has been kept constantly going, a drought must, indeed, be prolonged 
for any except moisture-loving plants to receive any serious check. On 
shallow or less retentive soils, the more important crops in the kitchen 
garden, and all the tlower borders, should be nuilchcd with short litter : 
for, with all its drawbacks, a mulching is one of the most efficient means 
with which I am acquainted of combating a long continuance of dry 
weather. Even on the driest soils, where frequent watering has to be 
resorted to whenever a drought has set in in earnest, the greater the 
proportion of mulched surface in a garden the less the labour in 
watering, and the more satisfactory the result. Watering is one of 
those things which, unless done thoroughly, is likely to do more harm 
than good. Let a good soaking be given to a plant or border, or no 
water at all. The object should be to moisten the ground in the 
neighbourhood of the roots of plants, and, if possible, beneath them. 
It has often been said that watering with water much below the tem- 
perature of the soil is injurious ; but I cannot say that I have found this 
so in practice. It is thought to chill the ground. Twice during the 
recent hot weather I have driven two earth thermometers into the soil 
in the same bed to the depth of a foot with a view to test this point. 
One I treated like a flagging plant, and gave the ground immediately 
round it three gallons of water, the temperature of which had been 
lowered by means of ice much below that of the ground, while the other 
thermometer received no water at all, with the following results : — 
August 2G, 1899. — Temp, of soil at 1 ft. deep before watering 71-5 
Temp, of water CO-O 
Water 11^ deg. colder. 
Temp, of soil 20 minutes after saturating 
with water ...... 71*4, or i deg. colder. 
An hour afterwards ..... 71"6,or —deg. warmer. 
September 7.— Temp, of soil at 1 ft. deep before watering . 07-4 
Temp, of water ...... 55"0 
Water 12 1 deg. colder. 
Temp, of soil half an hour afterwards 67*3, or ^ deg. colder. 
., ,, an hour afterwards ..... 67*2 ,, f- „ ,, 
,, ,, three hours afterwards ..... ()6-8 „ j- ,, 
In the last experiment the temperature of the soil, as shown by the 
thermometer not watered, did not vary at all during the three hours. 
No doubt in all such cases the large mass of surrounding soil at a 
higher temperature warms the cold water as it enters the ground, or very 
shortly afterwards. It is the light waterings which do the harm, and 
chill the soil by the rapid manner in which the water evaporates from 
the surface. After every proper watering the soil should on the following- 
day be either hoed or lightly forked over, or it will soon require repeating. 
When once the first few inches of soil have become dry and powdery, it 
is often impossible, without much patience, to get the water into the 
ground. In such cases the only plan is to gradually moisten this layer 
of dry soil, then, allowing a sufficient interval to elapse, to loosen it with 
