IRUUIATION. 39 



Potiitoos, liito 11. F. lUisso First 1.00 



Onions • First 1.00 



Turnips • First 1.00 



Onions II L. r.Wltte Second 50 



fiihljuKe ■' Second 50 



<'ol lection potatoes II. L. Cr;inc Secend...' 50 



I'oliitoes I. K. Cuniniliis First 1.00 



Hubbiiril siiuiish E. M. Ch.indler Second 50 



Sweet potatoes T. K. ('iiiiiinins First 1.00 



LiiMii beans First 1.00 



.1. S. Hakris. 



IIONE^'. 



Comb Wni.Uric First 5.00 



Extracted .1. W. Murriiy Second 2.00 



E.xtracted H. L. F. Wltte First 3 00 



Comb E. K, Jaijues Second a. 00 



U. THKIL.MASN. 



IRRIGATION. 



Tile draiiiiiio-, yiibsoil plowing- and irrigatioti are three conditions 

 of good farniin*;- that the tillers of the soil in this state must learn 

 to appreciate. The benefits of their adoption have been so universal 

 that the intellif^ent cultivator imist acquaint himself with them. 

 When he has done so, he will not be slow to adopt them. The sub- 

 ject of irri^rjition is an old one, datin<r back li.OOO B. C. It is also a 

 lar<^e one; whole volumes havinof been written on it. The simple 

 fact is that 70 to Oii per cent, of a growing plant is n-uter, and that 

 the solid portion of it can enter into it only in a soluable state. 

 Hence, the first great need of all vegetation is water, the second is 

 wafer and the third is more water. If this is not supplied natur- 

 ally, it must be artificially. Nature has done her jjart well in Minne- 

 sota in that, about 70 per cent, of the total rainfall comes when most 

 needed, during the growing season from April to September. The 

 average precipitation during that time is twenty inches, fully 

 7f) per cent., or fifteen inches, of which runs off and is evaporated, 

 leaving only five inches available for plant life. You will see 

 that this amount is entirely too little, as twelve inches are required 

 to carry a full crop from germination to maturity. As some practi- 

 cal results of irrigation, the writer has seen five crops of alfafa 

 "under the ditcii" cut in one season, averaging two tons to a cutting: 

 thirlj-five bushels of wheat per acre from soil that had but one 

 thorough wetting and no fertilizer; while in Kngland si.xtytivi- 

 bushels per acre is a common yield from irrigated soil. 



Admitting the need of an artificial supply, the question arises, 

 how large a stream will answer A given purpose? A stream one 

 inch square flowing at the rate of four miles an hour will cover an 

 acre one inch deep in twenty-four hours. Kxpresseil in gallons, it 

 is 27,245. — Minnesota Weather and Croj) Review. 



