2IO 



THE ART OF IRRIGATION. 



before will be as wet now. It also keeps the tree 

 growing in a flowerpot as much as the basin system 

 in its worst form, because it is impossible to make 

 the wetting spread very far from the center unless 

 the water is kept flowing a long time, in which case 

 the center is sure to become too wet. Even then you 

 could not wet the whole ground with anything like 

 uniformity. And if the soil is open below so as to 

 give the drainage that it should have most of the 

 water will run away below so that your water pipes 

 as well as water supply will have to be large. It also 

 tends to wet only that part of the soil that is cold 

 and sour and does not wet sufficiently the warm, rich, 

 top soil from which nearly all products draw the most 

 of their food when growing well. To obviate these 

 objections would take a plant far too expensive for 



any but the most valuable crops, and these generally 

 on a small scale. For such things as strawberries 

 which it is essential to keep free from dirt and where 

 an excess of water is not likely to do much harm it 

 might be used to advantage, although they can be 

 kept clean in surface irrigation by the use of a little 

 tan-bark, straw, gravel or similar stuff in the furrow 

 in which the water runs. 



Sub-irrigation is very attractive to the imagination, 

 and from time to time is certain to arise somewhere 

 as a new conception, but it has been thoroughly tried 

 in California, and no expense has been spared to 

 make it effective. For heavy work it is wrong in 

 principle, and has been generally abandoned, even 

 by its most enthusiastic patrons. 



SOME COMMENTS ON PROF. BLOUNT. 



BY CHAS. W. GREENE. 



1HAVE read with much interest an article in the 

 April number of THE IRRIGATION AGE by Prof. 

 A. E. Blount upon "Ideal Irrigation Methods in New 

 Mexico." 



I agree with most of his statements of fact and 

 with many of his conclusions, but I shall take issue 

 with him upon some minor points. Under the cap- 

 tion, " When to Apply Water," he states : " No crop 

 but tells us when it wants water. The grasses, clo- 

 vers and small grain have a language that cannot be 

 mistaken. Whenever their green color becomes 

 very dark and sickly, put on water." I undertake to 

 say that a cultivator who waits for that condition 

 before he puts on water will not be sure of getting a 

 good crop. It must be judged beforehand whether 

 the land is in good condition to receive the seed, and 

 from the time the seed is put in the ground there 

 never should be a moment when the crops should be 

 compelled to call for water. It ought to be supplied 

 to them, not in an overabundance, but with discrimi- 

 nation and foresight. In farming, as in all other 

 business, " foresight " is very far better than " hind- 

 sight," and the necessities of the crop should be un- 

 derstood beforehand and every contingency provided 

 against. 



Again, I should take issue with Mr. Blount as to his 

 method of irrigating an orchard. While it may be 

 entirely satisfactory and give good results while the 

 trees are young, such a plan as he suggests would, in 

 my opinion, fail to produce the largest growth or the 

 best results in products. There may be a disadvan- 

 tage in having weeds grow, but I should call it a lazy 

 man's method to leave the ground unirrigated and 

 necessarily uncultivated to avoid the growth of 

 weeds. I do not believe where water is confined to 

 an encircling ditch around the trees that the best re- 



sults can be obtained in orchard planting. It will 

 assuredly make a sort of pot system, and the growth 

 will be more or less restricted. No one can tell just 

 where the terminals of the roots are, and it is at the 

 extreme points of the fibrous roots that the moisture 

 is most needed. If, then, it is confined closely around 

 the trunk of the tree, it must be furnished in an 

 abundance there, which is not only unnecessary, but 

 injurious, while the fibrous roots at the extremity are 

 working their way into dry ground. 



I believe that the land should be thoroughly irri- 

 gated all over and that it should be as thoroughly 

 cultivated from the time the tree is planted until it 

 has reached its full growth and productiveness. The 

 land should be graded to a uniform plane and the 

 direction of the furrows should be fixed to secure an 

 even flow of water over the entire surface, and the 

 rows should be planted with a view to the distribu- 

 tion of the waters. If it can be watered two ways, 

 the one at right angles with the other, so much the 

 better. I fully believe in the furrow system of irri- 

 gating on all ground where it is practicable, and 

 especially in the orchard. There is not the slightest 

 objection, in my mind, to the raising of beans, peas, 

 Irish or sweet potatoes, or vines between the trees, 

 provided there is a sufficient supply of moisture fur- 

 nished for the wants of all the plants. I believe it 

 will benefit the growth of the tree rather than retard 

 it; and whether they are in rows or not, I should insist 

 that the ground be thoroughly cultivated, and that 

 it should be cultivated at least twice where it is 

 watered once. I agree with Mr. Blount that the 

 water should not touch the trunks of trees, nor should 

 it be allowed to touch the stem of any growing plant 

 if it can be avoided. 



