84 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



that the nature of his products was such as to justify 

 the operation and yield a good profit. He gave 

 figures of the proceeds from his land as follows: 

 " This year I received a check for $25,000 for the fruit 

 product of 80 acres, divided thus: From 29 acres of 

 prunes, $11,800; from 6 acres of cherries, $3,200; and 

 the remainder from 45 acres of assorted fruits." 



This product of over $300 per acre for the entire 80 

 acres was made possible only by the use of irrigating 

 water, and must be regarded a good showing for a 

 year of remarkably low prices. Peaches brought but 

 one cent a pound in Mr. Booksin's orchards, and 

 prunes and other fruits were but little higher in price; 

 yet the water used at so great a cost enabled him to 

 realize a large revenue from his land. 



In a number of places systems of filling reservoirs 

 by means of pumps driven by electrical force devel- 

 oped by water power in the streams from which the 

 water is to be pumped are being instituted. Negotia- 

 tions are now pending for the establishment of a 

 plant as part of an irrigating system in Fresno 

 county, wherein it is expected to develop some seven 

 thousand horse-power of electrical force. A part of 

 this is to be applied to raising water for irrigating 

 purposes, and a part of it is for use by manufacturing 

 establishments. As showing in a small way what 

 maybe in time expected from the development of 

 electric force by falling water, it may be mentioned 

 that the power derived from a Pelton wheel placed in 

 a small stream in San Antonio canon near Ontario, 

 in Southern California, is carried to San Bernardino, 

 28 miles distant, and there used for street lighting 

 with great satisfaction. A 1,200 horse-power plant of 

 wheels is to be put into the Bear Valley water system 

 for light and power purposes at Redlands, Riverside 

 and other places nearly thirty miles away. 



It is believed by capable engineers that there are 

 many places in the mountain States where irrigation 

 systems of considerable magnitude may be installed 

 more cheaply by raising the water to reservoirs by 

 power derived from the stream itself than by the dam- 

 ming of the water course itself. Pumping, as a 

 means of securing irrigating water on an extensive 

 scale, however, is not likely to be largely resorted to 

 in the arid regions until special need thereof shall 

 have been shown 'by experience, or in exceptional 

 cases where a special product is to be grown at a 

 price insuring comparative safety for such an invest- 

 ment. The purpose of citing these examples is 

 merely to set forth the paramount and recognized ad- 

 vantages of irrigation. It certainly must be of the 

 highest importance if fruit growers in the Pacific 

 rain belt can afford to pump water for their orchards 

 by steam at a cost of $6.75 a cord for fuel. THE AGE 

 will devote considerable attention to irrigation by 

 pumping during the current year. 



PRESERVING SOIL-MOISTURE. 



In the regions which are practically rainless during 

 the season for growing certain crops it becomes im- 

 portant to know if any system of cultivation can 

 materially assist in retaining the natural moisture 

 of the soil for use by the growing crop. The answer 

 is decidedly in the affirmative. By careful and 

 thorough cultivation whereby the surface soil is finely 

 pulverized, the water naturally or otherwise in the 

 soil is largely prevented from evaporation, no matter 

 how 'hot the sun or how drying the wind. Evapora- 

 tion from any soil takes place only as the water is 

 brought to the surface by the forces of capillary 

 attraction; and whenever the capillarity is broken 

 up by shallow but thorough cultivation, evaporation 

 must cease in a corresponding degree, since the soil- 

 water fails to come to the surface of the ground. In 

 fact, the well pulverized layer of earth at the surface 

 serves as a mulch in retaining the moisture beneath 

 it. This should obviously not be too deep, since the 

 effect of continually stirring the soil would be to 

 expose to the sun and air a greater surface and hence 

 expedite evaporation. Shallow and frequent cul- 

 tivation therefore, not allowing the formation of new 

 capillary tubes by the gradual settling of the soil, is 

 manifestly the remedy against injury of cultivable 

 crops from the effects of long continued drouths. 

 So well are these principles understood in some parts 

 of the rainless belt that good crops of fruit and even 

 corn are raised without a drop of rainfall or of irri- 

 gating water during the period of their growth. It 

 should be said, however, that this result can scarcely 

 be attained except the soil be of a nature to retain 

 moisture, and except also it has been well soaked by 

 the rains of the previous winter season. 



Those advantages of thorough cultivation are strik- 

 ingly illustrated among the orange orchards of South- 

 ern California. As a general rule the orange tree 

 requires a large amount of moisture, and when each 

 gallon of irrigating water applied to an orchard must 

 be paid for, the quantity of water used cuts a figure in 

 the year's expenses. It is found, therefore, by ample 

 experience that by a system of careful cultivation of 

 orchards as above suggested, a considerable saving in 

 water tax may be effected, while the resulting crop 

 has been still further benefited by this extra cultiva- 

 tion received. It may therefore be regarded as a 

 safe practice to cultivate crops thoroughly and often 

 during periods of drouth; and this rule holds as good 

 for Ohio as for Arizona. As before stated, however, 

 the culture should not be deep, and the finer the sur- 

 face soil is pulverized the better, and if the top layer 

 of soil be as dry as powder and as fine it will serve 

 the purpose of a mulch all the better and give sur- 

 prising results. 



