TALKS WITH PRACTICAL IRRIGATORS. 



81 



Fence Posts. Posts that are to be placed in a 

 clay soil which is liable to heave by the action of 

 frost will retain their original position longer if they 

 are set in dug holes instead of being driven. Unless 

 all the sharpened portion is placed below the action 

 of the frost, and even then, if at the time of freezing 

 the soil is soaked with water, the action of frost is lia- 

 ble to raise the post upward. However, as soon as 

 frost leaves the soil a few blows on top of the post 

 with a heavy maul will return it to its original depth, 

 which could not be so easily done if the post was 

 square at the bottom, as the earth would fall in the 

 cavity. On most soils sharpened posts are best, and 

 when of durable material like cedar, oak or chestnut, 

 and where the fencing material is wire, a post four 

 inches in diameter will last as long and be just as ser- 

 viceable as one six or more inches in diameter, and 

 the cost is usually less. 



Utah Agricultural Bulletin. Bulletin No. 

 29 of the Agricultural College of Utah has just come 

 to hand. It consists of a statement of the results of 

 a large number of experiments in irrigation, designed 

 to show the amount of water to be used in irrigation. 

 The summary of results is as follows: 



1. The plats saturated to the depth of \% feet 

 gave a better crop of grain than a greater or less 

 amount. 



2. For timothy, the plats saturated 2> feet deep 

 gave the best results. 



3. Soils remove most of the solids from water ap- 

 plied beyond soil saturation. 



4. The water that does escape from soils by leach- 

 ing is richer in the elements of fertility than before it 

 entered, the amount so escaping, however, being so 

 small that the total contains but a fraction of the 

 solids applied. 



5. Where water applied is small in amount, the 

 temperature grows higher and higher on decreasing 

 amounts. 



6. Water applied to our gravelly soils appears to 

 evaporate inside of twelve days. 



Profit in Potatoes. A farmer near the irrigating 

 canal in Butler county, Idaho, is making a success of 

 the potato crops. This year he has planted over 

 forty acres (double last season's area, on which he 

 made a profit of about $75 an acre). With moisture in 

 sufficient quantities this section is an excellent one 

 for all kinds of farming. 



The Sweet Potato Crop. The sweet potato is 

 one of the most valuable crops grown by the farmer, 

 either for market or home consumption. 



The value of sweet potatoes as a part of the ration 

 allowed cows has not received the attention it de- 



serves. They are one of the cheapest milk producers 

 farmers can grow, and cattle are very fond of them. 

 Potatoes for this purpose should be of the prolific 

 sorts, like the Brazilian Yam or Southern Queen. 

 Such as are intended for this purpose may be put up 

 in the fields in small hills containing eight or ten 

 bushels and will keep in excellent condition through 

 the winter. When opened the contents of a hill can 

 be moved at once to a bin in the barn for use. Plant 

 sweet potatoes for the cows and pigs. 



Sunflowers. Experiments have shown that the 

 common sunflower exhales twelve ounces of water in 

 twenty-four hours. Roots of all trees draw large 

 quantities of moisture from the soil, which is dis- 

 charged into the air through the leaves. It is esti- 

 mated that an oak tree with 700,000 leaves would give 

 off something like 700 tons of water during the five 

 months it carries its foliage. 



Rabbit Pest. Rabbits have been causing much 

 damage to the wheat on the irrigated lands west of 

 the slough in Fresno county. There is quite a heavy 

 crop of grain in that section, and the long-eared pests 

 have been mowing it down rapidly. Two drives 

 have been made and 3,000 of the animals killed. 

 These drives are to be continued at intervals. 



Lticorice is another plant that someone under the 

 ditch may like to experiment with, and, it may be 

 added, with a fine prospect of making a decided hit. 

 It takes three years to realize from a licorice plan- 

 tation, but one once started it is a permanent thing. 

 Cuttings of roots three to four inches long are used 

 for planting, the process being much the same as 

 with hop roots. The world's supply of licorice now 

 comes principally from Spain, but considerable is 

 produced in the south of England. 



The Louisiana cane sugar crop last season reached 

 about 226,000 tons, the heaviest crop ever grown in 

 the state. The beet sugar made in California last 

 season was 17,569 tons. Experiments will be made 

 with sugar cane in the valley of the Sacramento 

 river, Cal., the present season, and it is believed the 

 culture of cane may be found a profitable enterprise 

 in some of the rich valleys of that state. 



An electric mosquito bar has been invented by a 

 Frenchman. Just as the mosquito touches it the 

 insect receives a death shock. 



Ninety-two acres of beets were planted in the vi- 

 cinity of Chadron, Nebraska, and there are prospects 

 of a good crop. 



