HOUSE AND GARDEN 
July, 1912 
a week or so of too dry weather. What 
would you consider it worth to you to be 
able to command just such a rain at will; 
to have it whenever you wanted it and as 
much or as little as you desire, with no 
work in connection with applying it ex¬ 
cept to turn a small lever occasionally, 
which would not interfere even with your 
hoeing or weeding? But it is just such a 
control of the moisture problem that the 
new overhead watering system places with¬ 
in your reach. The apparatus is not ex¬ 
pensive — in fact, its entire cost will be 
more than saved in one dry season. And 
it is adapted to the smallest garden as well 
as to the large fruit orchard or truck farm. 
The only thing necessary is a supply of 
water at a pressure of from twenty to 
fifty pounds, which the majority of home 
gardeners have on tap. The “system” con¬ 
sists of a number of horizontal pipes, 
placed usually about six feet above the 
ground and so joined to the main or feed 
adequately protected and the brush may 
be allowed to remain in place until the 
plants are well started. Indeed, in the 
case of flowers like poppies, which often 
succumb to a strong wind, the brush may 
be allowed to remain during the blooming 
season. It will keep the plants upright at 
all times and when the flowers unfold, will 
be practically hidden from sight by the 
foliage. Gardeners who have had their 
poppies blown or tramped down in the 
past should try this plan. 
Still another way of using brush is 
recommended by a well-known practical 
gardener. The trailing nasturtium is 
planted in a circle around a pile of brush 
arranged in tent fashion. The vines grow 
to an apex and quickly hide the brush en¬ 
tirely from view. When covered with 
blossoms, this richly colored floral tent is 
most attractive. 
An excellent low hedge or screen may 
be made in a short time by planting climb¬ 
ing nasturtiums rather thickly and train¬ 
ing the vines on a row of brush. If the 
ground is made very rich a thick mat of 
foliage will be produced, although at the 
expense of blossoms. This is one of the 
best ways to grow a garden screen very 
quickly. 
Modern Irrigation 
One of the most far-reaching and im¬ 
portant changes in garden matters that re¬ 
cent years have witnessed is a revolution 
in the method of applying water to soils 
suffering from dry weather. It is nothing 
but a new system of watering, but with so 
many distinct advantages over any of the 
old methods that it seems like an entirely 
new discovery, and an exceedingly valu¬ 
able one, at that. 
Without any doubt the lack of sufficient 
moisture during the growing season to 
mature maximum crops causes more po¬ 
tential crop loss than all the diseases and 
insects we have put together. From your 
own experience you know the effect of a 
soaking gentle rain on your garden after 
Better results as well as increased ease of cultivation will be secured if the lettuce rows are 
thinned out about as shown in this photograph 
Do not make the mistake of leaving your lettuce plants so thick that they crowd each other un¬ 
duly, for this will retard their development 
line that they can be revolved without 
leaking. The overhead pipes are put up 
about fifty feet apart, and nozzles of a 
special form are put in every four feet 
apart. The water is forced out through 
these in a fine spray, and as the pipe line 
is revolved from one side to the other, 
every inch of the soil is covered. No 
plants are broken or spattered with mud 
the whole garden, or a few rows only if 
the rows are' planted in the same direction 
as the. pipe lines, rpay.be watered with no 
time ©ri ihe:operatovV part except to turn 
on the valves at the end of each line and 
occasionally to revolve the lines. Two 
hundred feet of one-half-iheh, pipe, fifty 
nozzles and two special valve unions, with 
wooden qr pipe pa^ts for supports would 
furnish a g’ax'den loo feet square. The 
cost, outside ’the piping, would be about 
seven dollars "arid fifty cents. Garden in¬ 
surance, in these days when the garden 
has to be made a very real part of the 
housekeeper’s budget, is well worth the 
interest on the investment; as already 
stated, practical irrigation may easily 
double the crops in a dry season. 
Make Improvements Now 
July, when work in the garden is not so 
rushing and the late afternoons are light 
enough to work in almost as long as one 
pleases, should give us special oppor¬ 
tunities for making improvements of a 
permanent character. What place has not 
room, for instance, for some secluded 
nook that could be fixed up with a few 
dollars’ worth of lumber and the spare 
hours of a week or so ? Some simple 
framework, with a couple of seats inside 
it, which another year would find covered 
with some hardy climbing vine or one of 
the wonderful new climbing roses, such as 
Silver Moon or Tausendschon. Or is 
there no place in your garden where an 
arch or a trellis which you would im¬ 
mensely enjoy making, would lend a touch 
of completeness and gracefulness to the 
plan of the place ? 
