IRRIGATION. 419 



acre well watered than to have ten plants or ten acres with a little 

 water sprinkled on the surface. 



The mode of applying water seems to be done in different ways 

 by different people. Some spray or sprinkle a little water on the sur- 

 face of the ground. Others remove some of the dry earth near the 

 base of the plants and then apply the water and as soon as it is well 

 soaked in return the earth, to prevent baking and evaporation. In 

 my judgment this is a very good way to do with vegetables. 



With strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and all small fruit 

 in general I have had the best success in making a little ditch along 

 the row with a hoe, applying the water to the ditch at the highest 

 point in the row and letting it run along the ditch (on clay soil) 

 from two to four hours. 



A word in regard to the proper time to begin to apply water. 

 Some hold to the idea of not letting the plants get dry, like the man 

 who said he never was hungry for the simple reason he always ate 

 before he got hungry. 



My experience is that strawberries if well mulched, and shrubby 

 fruit if well cultivated, will go along in good growing condition even 

 if there is no rain until about one week before the fruit begins to 

 ripen. Then give the ground a good soaking around the base of the 

 plants, after which keep the ground loosened up on the surface, and 

 in about ten days give them the second wetting, which will carry 

 them through to completion of fruiting or till rain begins to come. 

 I think if there was no later rain if one would cut out the fruiting 

 canes immediately, as soon as the fruit was picked, and keep up a 

 fine surface cultivation they would produce good canes for fruiting 

 the next season. 



As to irrigating trees, I have had a limited experience, but the 

 experience I have had brings me to the conclusion that fruit trees 

 should not be left till they are very dry and then give them a soak- 

 ing around the base of the tree only, as it is liable to cause a tree 

 heavily loaded with fruit to shed its fruit prematurely. In my 

 judgment a two year old should have a shallow ditch about one foot 

 wide two feet off from the base of the tree and apply the water to 

 the ditch. For trees ten years old or more I would suggest to make 

 the shallow ditch two to three feet wide and from four to six feet 

 from the base of the tree and fill it with water. The next day fill 

 the ditch with earth or some heavy mulch and let it remain from two 

 to .four days, then remove the covering and water again the same as 

 before and continue to water in this way until it rains. In irrigating 

 in no case would I put any water on the leaves or stalks of trees or 

 plants — simply apply water to the ground that comes in contact with 

 the roots. 



