IRRIGATION 35 



moisture insures larger yields, good quality and proper 

 maturity of the crop. It may mean the difference between 

 a full crop and practically no crop for the season. 



40. Methods of Irrigation. There are several methods 

 of applying water; the kind of gardening usually determines 

 the manner of supplying water artificially. Thus, water may 

 be applied with a hose, in the furrow, or with an overhead 

 sprinkler system. When the garden is extensive, the hose 

 method is neither very practicable nor satisfactory. If the 

 gardening be intensive and the rows are close together, the 

 furrow method is not practicable owing to the small amount 

 of room in which to handle the water between the growing 

 plants. The overhead sprinkler system is by far the best and 

 most natural method of supplying water. The water is 

 applied gently, and crops growing in rows close together 

 can be irrigated successfully in an extensive manner with 

 this method. The Skinner system, Fig. 13, is the best over- 

 head system to be had. It consists of overhead pipes that 

 are perforated and have small nozzles in the perforations. 

 The pipes may be turned completely around, thus dis- 

 tributing the water evenly in all directions from the pipe line. 



The amount of water to be applied at one time depends 

 upon the conditions of the soil, the weather, and the crop. 

 About an inch of water is the limit that should be applied 

 at one time. 



