Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-17

It was the first rain In nearby Mary
land for many, many weeks, one forgot
&ust how many, in the delight Of seeing
it at last.
Upon many occasions during the past
few months clouds had gathered, but
each time they had dissipated as quiet
ly as they had come.
This days clouds, however, seemed
different. Somehow one felt that there
would be rain, If not a great deal at
least enough to entitle it to gardeners
gratitude.
MARYLAND just-across-t the District line
has been a severe sufferer from the
drought.
Even the birds have given it up.
Whereas there were thousands of
songsters there during the Spring, just
before the rains ceased, today the bird
population of Chevy Chase, declared to
be the largest in the land, is depleted
to a tenth of its normal numbers.
Just what has happened to the birds
we do not know. Perhaps they have
died, but one hopes that they simply
have flown away to wetter chimes.
One could not blame them. The dried
grass and parched shrubs of the nearby
suburbs, especially after the water ban
was nut into effect, could have no at
traction for birds Things have been
looking UP since the section got Dis
trict water, but still everything looks
pretty dry.
There was a preliminary patter of
the customary big drops. Would they
become smaller?
The drops ceased.
Just another false alarm in the rain
line!
Mt +I,a ,1o,,ds xysra uatbari,,e, Iaay
lily to the southeast, from which good
/ rains, and sometimes big winds, come.
Surely this time there would be a
real rain. 1t did not seem possible
that a community could go perma-
nently without rain. Surely this time
something would happen
Even the sturdy locust trees, outlin-
ing their feathery tops against the
skies, needed real watering. 1t is al
most impossible to give a tree a drink
with a hose.
Authorities have announced that the
best way to do it is to take the nozzle
of and place the hose so the water will
trickle for at least three or four hours
around the base of the tree.
This means that the faucet must be
turned partly on, so that only trickle
Of water will flow. If the full force of
the water is on, most of the liquid will
run of. If the water is cut down, it
manages to soak into the soil.
Such, at least, is the theory We
tried it recently on some althea bushes,
which had successfully withstood a
transplanting in the middle Of the hot
spell.
We discovered that after an hour 8
watering according to this method the
soil was wet to the depth of IL feet,
whereas flower borders which had been
soaked with the full flow of the hose
(minus nozzle) showed a water pene-
tration only to the depth Of about 2
inches.
As the rain came down in Maryland
the children ran from their houses Ell
stood in 1t, as II it we're a rarity, in
deed, which, of course, it was. Here
was a rain at last which promised to
do some goodl
Even if it should last but half an
hour, it would be better than nothing.
Trees and bushes would be refreshed,
and washed clean, grass would receive
new life. Perhaps the grass would
benefit most of all.
Even those who have worked a great
deal with grass. and know It's surpris-
ing affinity for water, are always
amazed at the quick pickup which it