28 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



large proportion of the vast area between 

 the Missouri River and the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. Of this country, including South- 

 ern Nebraska and southward into Texas, 

 I said: "With deep plowing and deep and 

 early drilling of the seed, this is to be the 

 great winter wheat storehouse of the 

 nation. ' ' 



The crops of several succeeding years 

 confirmed this prediction, as the people 

 were favored with what are known as 

 "good years." Such seasons are to a cer- 

 tain extent detrimental to the permanent 

 prosperity of any new country, because 

 whatever is planted grows and thrives, 

 whether properly plowed and tilled or 

 not. The consequence is that farmers 

 cease to study their new conditions, and 

 ignore all suggestions looking to better 

 methods, or the introduction of new crops 

 suited to their new soil and climate. 



The practice of harrowing or drilling 

 winter wheat between corn rows is often 

 so sucessful that many said deep plow- 

 ing was unnecessary, and others who 

 plowed deep said this only loosened their 

 soil to a greater depth for the wind to 

 blow away, cutting off the wheat leaves, 

 and perhaps leaving the roots exposed to 

 wind, sun and frost. 



The theory which I would urge for trial 

 for it has never been tried to my knowl- 

 edge is based upon certain well-known 

 facts. Winter wheat which is protected 

 by corn stalks, high weeds, fences, hedges 

 or groves, often yields a fair crop, while 

 unprotected fields, under otherwise simi- 

 lar conditions yield little or nothing. 



What I urge for trial, not only in Kan- 

 sas but in all open countries where winds 

 blow, is as follows: 



Early in the fall plow deep and harrow 

 fine. Neither hard ground nor lumps and 

 clods furnish proper conditions for tender 

 plant growth. Into this seed bed drill or 

 harrow winter wheat, barley, oats or rye, 

 and with it, or immediately thereafter put 

 in one or* two bushels per acre of any 

 quick growing variety of Indian corn. The 

 latter will quickly outgrow the small grain 

 and if sown early enough will thoroughly 

 protect the crop. Being cut down by 

 frosts it cannot sprout again the follow- 

 ing spring, and it will mulch and save the 

 growing grain. Its broad smooth leaves 

 will present a surface to the wind, which 

 may be.compared in its effects to the pour- 

 ing of oil upon water in a storm at sea. 



If this theory is correct, its value can 

 hardly be estimated. In almost every por- 

 tion of the United States there is always 

 rain and sunshine enough in the fall of 

 the year to insure a growth of small grain 

 and of the corn, and the mulch of the lat- 

 ter will not only protect the grain but bene- 

 fit the soil, when plowed under the next 

 year. Just what amount of corn should 

 be sown can only be determined by experi- 

 ment, and it might be better to have a 

 dropper attached to the plow beam and 

 turn under the corn unless the plow runs 

 too deep. There is not much likelihood of 

 the plow covering the corn too deep; and 

 putting in the grain afterward, even if the 

 corn had come up, will help rather than 

 hinder its growth. 



WINDMILL CAPACITIES. 



A CAUTION BY H. V. HINCKLEY. 



DEFERRINGto the table on page 245 of 

 1\ the June AGE; I cannot allow such a 

 table to go out to prospective pump irriga- 

 tors without cautioning them on the follow- 

 ing points: The average wind velocity in 

 Western Kansas, for example, is eleven 

 miles an hour giving about one-half the 

 power of a fifteen mile wind. A success- 

 ful irrigator will need one foot of water in 

 60 or 90 days instead of in 300 days. In 

 other words, the areas given in column 

 "Amount of land covered," if divided by 

 ten, will be approximately the areas suc- 

 cessfully irrigable. Thus a fourteen foot 

 mill, lifting water 175 feet, will irrigate 

 2. 3 acres instead of 23 acres. The actual 

 results will depend upon the man, the lay- 

 out of the plant, succession of crops and 

 the like. It will be possible to double the 

 acreages given by my rule but the result 

 will oftenerfall under my figures. I speak 

 from the compiled experience of many 

 irrigators. 



ASHES AS A FERTILIZER. 



TJ ARDWOOD ashes make excellent fer- 

 1 A tilizing material, chiefly for the potash 

 which they contain. Such ashes also con- 

 tain lime, which is valuable on some soils, 

 but hardly necessary as yet in very many 

 fruit orchards. In buying ashes then, the 

 main question is that of the potash they 

 contain, and if the cost be more than that 

 of potash in some other form, there is lit- 

 tle or no profit in the purchase of ashes 



