104 GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 
An inexorable garden law is, Never sprinkle. What the 
earth craves is a thorough soaking, so that the moisture will 
sink down far below the roots. The time to water is early in 
the morning or in the evening, not in the blazing sun ; so 
goes the good old rule. An expert gardener, however, who 
is less bound by tradition, writes : " Water at any time that 
the plants need it, only water thoroughly. When I am told 
that watering under a noonday sun will burn up my plants, 
I answer that my plants will certainly burn up if I do not 
water them." This piece of advice is certainly comforting to 
the school gardener, who may live some distance away and 
who often finds it impossible to devote early morning or 
sunset hours to the work. The point, however, upon which 
everybody agrees seems to be that the wet surface must be 
promptly mulched with dry earth. 
The mulch so often spoken of should be spread not only 
over newly planted ground but around plants at all stages of 
their growth. It frequently happens that the mulch put at 
the base of young shrubs or trees consists of sawdust or coal 
ashes. . Weeds would certainly find cold comfort in a mulch 
like this. In truth, such materials are pretty nearly weed 
proof. Whatever the substance, however, the purpose is 
always to keep the soil in prime condition, ready for taking 
in moisture but not for parting with it. 
In connection with watering, a word may be said in favor 
of a plant tonic which gives excellent results and yet costs 
nothing. This is a liquid preparation of ordinary street ma- 
nure, which is put into a jar or tub and covered with boiling 
water ; after cooling, it is thinned to the color of tea and 
used freely for watering. Under this treatment, plants shoot 
up quickly and vigorously. 
Irrigation, as we know, is the wonderful means by which 
farm lands are made independent of rainfall by being supplied 
