163 Eleventh Annual Report. 



chards during winter, when irrigating water is comparatively 

 abundant during ordinary seasons, was repeated during the past 

 year. During autumn a "Timely Hint" was issued advising or- 

 ehardists to irrigate as thoroughly as possible during winter, ad- 

 vice that many followed, much to their advantage. 



Water was withheld from the small orchard (irrigated thor- 

 oughly the previous winter and only once the previous summer) 

 from June to December, 1899. During the latter month irrigation 

 was resumed, and continued until March, the last irrigation being 

 March 5. As soon as dry enough, the orchard was plowed each 

 way, harrowed thoroughly, and left for the summer. After each 

 of two April showers, it was cultivated to break up the crust that 

 formed over the surface. Though having passed through the 

 dryest hot period of which there is a record in the valley, the 

 trees are now (July) in the best of condition. The apricot trees 

 have made a young growth of three to six feet, and the peach 

 trees a growth of about four feet. The apricot trees all matured 

 a good crop of fruit, and many of the peach trees are unusually 

 heavily loaded. 



An adjacent vineyard was treated similarly, and with an irri- 

 gation June 5, has remained in prime condition and is bearing a 

 heavy crop of excellent fruit. 



Another peach and apricot orchard was sown to clover during 

 October, and from then until April was irrigated sufficiently to 

 keep the crop growing well. Samples of soil from each of the up- 

 per 33 feet, taken during April, showed that the soil had been 

 wet to as great depth as in the orchard in w r hich nothing had been 

 sown. The present (July) condition of the orchard, not having 

 been irrigated since April 6, corroborates the determinations made 

 from the soil samples. This proves that green-manuring and 

 winter irrigation may go hand in hand to excellent advantage. 



SUGAR BEETS. 



Experiments were conducted with sugar beets this year, 

 mainly for the purpose of testing methods of irrigation, other 

 points in their culture having been pretty well settled by previous 

 experiments. A sowing was made September 12 in a gravelly 



