i So 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



be invented. Possibly an implement consisting of a 

 large number of revolving knives could be made, so 

 that in passing over the surface of the field it shall 

 chop up the soil and subsoil for two feet in such a 

 manner as to render the percolation of the rainfall 

 down to the depth at which the ground has been 

 stirred very easy and perfect." 



The above words, spoken by J. Sterling Morton, 

 have received quite marked attention throughout the 

 country, and various have been the criticisms of the 

 agricultural press thereon. 



Most of us have heard the story of an old man sit- 

 ting on a fence watching a plowman turn under the 

 sod, and asking the farmer if it was not wonderful 

 how men knew better than God what was the best 

 soil for the surface of a field. Others may recollect 

 the following newspaper cutting which went the 

 rounds about Dec., 1891: 



" Subsoil plowing with dynamite is one of the new 

 methods in the south, and is said to be equal to the 

 process of trenching used by market gardeners to 

 loosen the earth to a depth of two or three feet, and 

 allow the absorption of a good deal of water for sus- 

 taining vegetation during a drought. The inventor 

 drills holes two or three feet deep and five feet apart, 

 making 1,600 to the acre. In each he puts an explos- 

 ive, and, after tamping, discharges it, the whole 

 number being connected with a wire leading to a bat- 

 tery. In a recent experiment the explosive used was 

 one-fourth of a small sized dynamite cartridge, with 

 about an ounce of Judson powder. The surface of 

 the ground appeared to be lifted two or three feet, a 

 few small clods being thrown up to the height of a 

 house. It was broken to the depth of 30 inches at 

 the points of explosion, and sidewise for a part of the 

 distance between the holes.' 1 



So far as the original or oriental plow is concerned, 

 farmer visitors to the Columbian Exposition will re- 

 member how well the exhibits showed the evolution 

 of the modern plow, and the many great improve- 

 ments on the same down to the great gang plow of 

 California, the mighty steam plow, and the novel and 

 wondrous electric plow. 



Nevertheless, the Hon. Secretary of Agriculture 

 calls attention to one of the worst features of the ma- 

 chine, and one of vast importance in the arid region 

 the conservation of soil moisture. 



It is a question, however, if the tool our Secretary 

 is anxiously waiting and looking for is not already 

 with us. I refer to the various spading and rotary 

 disk harrows. 



The writer recalls the substances of a conversation 

 with Prof. W. A. Henry, of the Wisconsin Experi- 

 ment Station, on the subject. The opinion was haz- 

 arded that we plow our land too much, and that in 

 many instances the rotary disk harrows could be used 

 to much better advantage than the plow. 



Amount of Water Necessary. Bulletin 39 of 

 the Utah Agricultural College Kxperiment Station 

 treats of farm and orchard irrigation. It reports 

 results of a number of irrigation experiments, most of 

 them covering a period of five years. The first ex- 

 periment, which is discussed by A. A. Mills, is the 

 amount of water to use for the different crops, and 

 is summarized as follows : 



1. On clay soil the maximum yield of both wheat 

 and straw was obtained by saturating the soil, ap- 



proximately, two feet deep at each irrigation, or 

 covering the ground with 26.82 inches of water dur- 

 ing the season. 



2. On this soil there was a decrease of crop 

 where either a more or less amount of water was 

 used. 



3. This maximum yield was secured by the use of 

 26.82 acre-inches, which is equivalent to a cubic foot 

 per sec. for 27 hours, nearly. 



4. Though the water that drained from the soil 

 through excessive irrigation was richer in fertilizing 

 material than when applied, the total amount of this 

 material added is more than that extracted. 



5. On clay soil containing more sand the yield of 

 grain (wheat) increased as the water increased up to 

 40 inches, while the maximum yield of straw was 

 produced with 16 inches of water. 



6. On clay soil containing little sand timothy gave 

 mixed results, though where the maximum amount 

 of water (41.3 inches) was used, the yield was the 

 greatest. 



7. On clay soil containing more sand the first 

 crop of clover increased steadily and rapidly from 

 the use of 4.2 inches of water up to 12.9 inches. The 

 application of 5.2 inches more of water decreased the 

 crop nearly one-half. 



Scientific Diet. Bulletin No. 23 is the outT 

 come of a study on human dietaries by Prof. Atwa- 

 ter, evidently with the intention of laying the founda- 

 tion of an accurate basis of human nutrition. 



It is generally agreed that man gives more thought 

 and care to the scientific feeding of domestic animals 

 than to his own nutrition. Successful dairymen, cat- 

 tle raisers and feeders give their stock "a balanced 

 ration,'' while we continue to afflict ourselves with 

 foods too often dear in their first cost, unsuitableness 

 for purpose intended, and in their consequences dys- 

 pepsia and all its horrors. 



The following extract from the bulletin illustrates 

 its animus, being the words of Sir Henry Thompson, 

 a noted English physician, and authority on the sub- 

 ject: "I have come to the conclusion that more than 

 half the disease which embitters the middle and lat- 

 ter part of life is due to avoidable errors in diet, 

 ***** an d th a t more mischief in the form of 

 actual disease, of impaired vigor, and of shortened 

 life, accrues to civilized man ***** j n jr n _ 

 gland and throughout central Europe from erroneous 

 habits of eating than from the habitual use of alco- 

 holic drink, considerable as I know that evil to be." 



The economic side of the question is brought out 

 and these hard times, high prices of meat, etc. will 

 be duly appreciated. 



The results of this investigation confirms the state- 

 ments of hygienists that our diet is one-sided, and 

 that we eat too much non-nitrogenous foods (fat and 

 carbohydrates) and too little nitrogenous foods (called 

 protein by Mulder, who supposed it was formed first 

 in the vegetable, before being appropriated by ani- 

 mals) the elements going to make up muscle and 

 tissue. 



A portion of our agricultural press seem to belittle 

 the importance of this bulletin; but health is of as 

 much importance to our farmers as wealth. Very 

 few persons expect to drink clean water if taken 

 from a dirty vessel, and if our bodies are diseased is 

 it logical to suppose that our mental vigor (respond- 



