17 



beets, and onions were grown. Strawberries set out the last of Sep- 

 tember, 1902, grew so well under irrigation during the drought in the 

 spring of 1903 that hundreds of plants yielded one quart each, the 

 growth in many cases being so rank that some large berries ripened 

 under the foliage while still having the green color. 



Mr. Becker thinks he irrigated too frequently and by doing so 

 caused too rank a growth. Every berry that set was ripened, there 

 being no dried-up and spoiled fruit, as is common in this section. In 

 the case of onions and l)eets the value of irrigation was shown by the 

 fact that every plant produced a salable article. There is hardly a 

 year when it is not too dry for onions and beets for at least a short 

 time during the latter part of their growth. 



Onions and spinach have been planted this fall (1903) preparatory 

 to growing three crops next year and testing the full capacity of this 

 method of gardening with the help of irrigation. 



829— No. 148—04 2 



