THE ART OF IRRIGATION. 



117 



run muddy, never cut and never build 

 bars. But if the soil is close enough to 

 permit it, they are as much superior to all 

 other modes of applying water as a long 

 slow rain is to a cloudburst. In its present 

 perfection the system was first worked out 

 at Riverside, California, by people with 

 the means, the time and the inclination to 

 experiment. It has worked its way around 

 wherever it is possible to apply it, and its 

 value over all else on fine soil can be no 

 longer questioned. The only exception is 

 that before given, of alfalfa and some other 

 crops on a very large scale, where it is 

 simply a question of economy in handling 

 the water and not one of results. 



"Yes?" I replied. "We carry twice 

 that load on trees in California and pull 

 them through with ninety per cent of first 

 grade fruit on. ' ' 



He wheeled around on the seat and 

 stared at me from head to foot until the 

 horses almost ran into the ditch. 



' ' That' s correct,' ' drily remarked the ed- 

 itor of The Redlands Citrograph, one of 

 the oldest and most practical fruit growers 

 of Southern California, who sat beside 

 me. 



'' They are suffering for water. They 

 look leathery," I continued. 



He wheeled around with another look 

 that said as plainly as words: 



,'EKY TOOK FURROW IERIGATION. 



Amount of water about five times too great; uneven feed of water into different furrows. Such work washes off 

 , the fertilizers, loaches the natural fertility out of it and is in every way bad, because wholly unnecessary. 



How far people may drift from this 

 easy and effective work and lose money 

 without knowing it, is well illustrated by 

 the following: 



At Phoenix, Arizona, in June last, I was 

 shown an apricot orchard by the owner, 

 who was driving. As we came up to it I 

 could see fifty yards away that the fruit 

 was runty and tough. The soil, climate, 

 and all natural conditions were apparently 

 the very best for the highest perfection of 

 the apricot. 



" Those trees are too heavily loaded and 

 I haven't had time to shake any off," re- 

 marked the owner. 



" Why, what asylum have you just 

 broken loose from ? ' ' 



Then he added with a sneer. 



"They have had lots of water. " 



"They are suffering for water all the 

 same," remarked the editor. " There is no 

 mistaking the leathery look." Then he 

 got withered with a look of terrible con- 

 tempt. 



" That furrow on each side the trees had 

 about fifteen inches of water fired down it; 

 didn't it?" I asked. It showed plainly 

 what the answer would be. 



"About that," he replied. 



" And it ran muddy at once, and in this 



