"What do people do who have gardens where it doesn't rain as often as it
does here, Daddy?" asked Mab.
"Well in very dry countries, such as some parts of ours near the places
called deserts," said Mr. Blake, "men build large dams, and hold the water
back in big ponds or lakes so it will last from one rainy season to
another. The water is let run from the lake through little ditches, or
pipes, so that the thirsty plants may drink. This is called the irrigation
method, for to irrigate means to wet, soak or moisten with water. Each
farmer or gardener is allowed to buy as much water as he needs, opening
little gates at the ends of the main ditches or sluices, and letting the
water run over his dry ground, in which he has dug furrows to lead the
water where he most needs it.
"And sometimes, when there is too little water to use much of it this way,
the gardeners do what they call intensive cultivation. Those are big
words, but they mean that the man just hoes his ground every day around
his plants, instead of perhaps once a week.
"You know there is moisture in the air, and at night dew falls. This wets
the ground a little, and by digging and turning over the earth around the
roots of his plants, the gardener makes it very fine so it holds the
moisture longer.
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