62 Journal of AgriciiUure, Victoria. [lo Jan., 1911. 



and parallel with the direction of flow of water. If the ground is very 

 flat, transverse checks may also be desirable. Not long since, a ca.se 

 occurred where a land-owner called in a qualified engineer to design 

 a scheme for grading and irrigating a considerable area preparatory to its 

 being laid down to lucerne. The work was well done with the one ex- 

 ception of locating the checks and, unfortunately, the error was not dis- 

 covered until the owner began to irrigate. The land possessed a moderate 

 slope and the checks were placed along the face of it and at right angles to 

 the flow of water. The sketch showing the ground in section will illus- 

 trate what happened. 



38. RESULT OF WRONG LOCATION OF CHECKS. 



The water was let in from the head ditch at A and when it reached 

 the check it simply filled up to its natural level as shown by the dotted 

 line, not only not doing an atom of good but super-saturating the sub- 

 merged land and drowning the lucerne. On slopes such as the.se, where 

 a body of water would travel fast, it is good practice to water slowly 

 with a small stream to .secure a good wetting. And to help to that end 

 the seed should, if possible, be drilled in at right angles to the flow. When 

 the plants are grown a little they offer a good check to the water and assist 

 very materially in insuring even distribution. To grade land well, or 

 even to grade it at all, has been the despair of many a farmer who other- 

 wise would have become a successful irrigationist, and it is to this fact 

 that much of the neglect to fully utilize our stored waters is to be attri- 

 buted. There are few jobs calculated to break a man's heart so quickly 

 as irrigating an ungraded or badly graded tract of land and, owing mainly 

 to want of facilities for learning the whole art of practical irrigation, 

 many desirable aspirants .shrink from incurring labour and expense, the 

 isuccess of which appears to them so doubtful. 



My advice to any individual contemplating the development of country 

 under irrigation is to place no reliance upon any man who may be com- 

 petent only to determine levels and lay out lines of channels, but prefer- 

 ably and even at greater expense to secure the services of some specialist 

 who has had the benefit of thorough practical experience. The initial 

 expense may l)e higher than most farmers care to face ; but, seeing that 

 a well -graded paddock will require no further expenditure for a number 

 of years and that its irrigation is rendered a comparatively easy task, there 

 should be no hesitation about .securing the best assistance available. 



{To be continued.) 



ORCHARD AND GARDEN NOTES. 



E. E. Pescott. Principal, School of Horticulture , Burnley. 



The Orchard. 



During the months of January and February the soil surface should 

 be kept in as loose and friable a condition as possible. The work will be 

 extremely easy this season, owing to the frequent r?ins that have occurred. 

 The surface must not be allowed to become hard or caked ; and, to prevent 



