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VEGETABLE GARDENING 



IRRIGATION 



Irrigation is generally unnecessary in this (Minnesota) 

 section, since we raise fair and even abundant crops nearly 

 every year without its aid, but in almost any season there 

 are periods when if water could be applied to growing crops 

 it would improve them. It will seldom if ever pay to irri- 

 gate ordinary farm crops if it is necessary to pump the 

 water used. In order to have irrigation practical for farm 

 crops the water should be carried and distributed on the 

 land by the force of gravity. It may pay to pump water to 

 irrigate some garden crops if the conditions are favorable 

 and the work is done intelligently. In this section irriga- 

 tion should be used to supplement the rainfall, which 

 should ordinarily be kept from running off the surface of 

 the land by every possible precaution. 



Amount of Water Required for Irrigating Different 

 Crops. Sometimes a very small amount of water applied 

 at the right time will make the difference between a good 

 crop and a total failure, as, for instance, when dry weather 

 comes on just as the strawberry crop is almost ripe, when 



Fig. 2. One method of irrigating crops planted i 



