Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-06-24
The Garden In Dry Weather.

The want or rain is very severely
felt in some places, vegetables and
flowers are beginning to look wiited
and sickly, and precaution should be
taken to prevent further damages
When water, Of suitable tempera-
ture, is properly applied, plants OF
every kind may be kept in fine state
Of vigor and freshness even in seasons
Of drought. but very cold water
G sometimes does more harm than good.
as free application causes the growth
Of plants to cease and the leaves to
fade and drop off. If water is cold
and hard, it should DC exposed to the
sun for few days or have as much
warm water and wood ashes added
as will remedy the defects. The
time Of applying water makes a great
difference in its effect upon plants !;
the best time is the evening after
sunset, and the worst, at noon when
,be rays of the san fall ON nearly
every part Of the plant and cause
great evaporation.
When water is applied to the soil
in large quantities. crust forms on
the surface which prevents the en-
trance of air and dew, and proves
injurious to the health OF the plants.
The crust that forms after heavy rain
OF artificial watering, should be pull
verizei in the morning while the dew
is on. Stirring the soil while the
surface is slightly wet, and the soil
umder the surface dry. has beneficial
effect on plants--as the cool air and
damp soil are brought into contact
with the roots. Many experienced
gardeners are in the habit Of hoeing
or raking the soil between the lows
Of vegetables, ETC., in tie morning
while the dew is on This has been
found very beneficial to plants in dry
weather. Well-pulverized soil,
slightly compressed, retains moisture
md resists heat much better than
coarse, lumpy soil; and this is the
reason why working the soil between
the drills of root crops or the rows
of vegetables has such a beneficial
effect,
The practice of continually water
ing plants of any kind in the open
ground, is not desirable, as it prevents
the roots from penetrating deep into
the soil in search of moisture. Plants
that depend for moisture on artificial
watering, form surface roots to re
eeive the water, and do not send
down their roots deep into the sub
soil. If the artificial watering is with
held for a few days, they wilt, and
do not recover their sigor until they
have made a new arrangement for
obtaining the moisture be sending
down roots and dumping 1t up from
the subsoil. A moderate quantity OF
water given in the evening on fine
mellow soil will have better effect
than a much larger quantity applied
during the day to stiff, ulnpy soil.
In watering plants in the open ground
or in tubs, pots, or boxes, the soil
should be stirred and sottened, if il is
not already mellow and lr;able.
A liquid manure tank will be found
exceedingly valuable to the garden in
dry weather, rs it furnishes means Of
giving water and manure at the same
time. A large cask sunk in the
ground and covered securely to per
vent the entrance of rain water, will
answer, if regularly constructed
tank cannot be provided. Into this
all manurial liquids from the house,
&C., should be conveyed by pipes.
g ,ano. SCOT, plaster, superphosphate,
etc. may be added in suitable guam
titles, according 30 circumstances,
and when the liquid has fermented
and is "ripc." In application It
should be pumped OFT OF the tank in
to large sprinkler having a rose
sufficiently large to prevent obstrnc
ton from the thick liquid. None but
those who have applied liquid ma
nure to vegetables and rlants OF var
ious kinds, are aware of its extraor-
binary etteotsupon vegetation, espoci
ally m trv; lot weather
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