16 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



ridges^ commonly called borders, thrown up with a plough, and about 

 30 feet apart. Between these two ridges the water being applied spreads 

 out into a broad shallow stream that flows the length of the field. 

 Waste ditches at the lower end of the field carry off the water that 

 flows from the ends of the lands. The first time a field is irrigated 

 after sowing, and to some extent at later irrigations, it is necessary to 

 impede the progress of the stream of water and cause it to spread over 

 the whole surface, where, on account of the slope of the land, it is 

 inclined to run in a narrow stream. This is done by throwing up across 

 its course earthen ridges. If these are properly made they will usually 

 cause the water to flow where it is desired during several subsequent 

 irrigations. 



Irrigation before Ploughing. 



Before ploughing unoccupied land it is commonly irrigated by 

 flooding. Experience at the farm shows, however, that a better way is 

 to run the water through furrows made 2 or 8 feet apart, the distance 

 apart depending on the nature of the soil and the length of the field. 

 The more slowly the soil takes water and the shorter the field the 

 nearer together the furrows need to be. At the farm these furrows are 

 made with an adjustable three-shovel furrower, by means of which the 

 land can be furrowed as rapidly as it can be ridged. Less water is 

 required by the furrow method, less labour is reqviired to handle the 

 water, and less is lost by evaporation. Moreover, the whole surface of 

 the soil does not become crusted over or baked as it dries, as does land 

 that is irrigated by flooding. In some cases land may be too hard to 

 furrow, and flooding is therefore necessary. 



Melons and Pumpkins. 



These are planted here from March to June (that is September to 

 December in Australia) along previously moistened furrows, made 

 about 6 to 8 feet apart. Water is run through the furrows, and about 

 two days later the seed is planted along one side, just above the water 

 line. During favorable weather no further irrigation is necessary 

 until after the young plants appear. But if the weather following 

 the planting be too cool for the germination of the seed, the soil about 

 them will often become too dry. In such a case an irrigation a week 

 or two after planting will be important. After the first irrigation the 

 furrow should be cultivated, and a fresh one made for subsequent 

 irrigations, which should occur about twice a month during the first two 

 months. Thereafter more frequent and more copious irrigations will 

 be desirable. 



While melons and pumpkins require a large number of irrigations 

 during their growth, the amount applied to the crops is not correspond- 

 ingly large. This is due to the distance between the rows and to the 

 fact that during the early part of their growth only the furrow along 

 which they are planted is moistened. Thus during the first half of 

 the life of the crop only a small portion of the soil is kept moist, and 

 at no part of its growth is all the surface commonly moistened. 



