THE IRRIGATION AGE 



189 



One surco equals 9 inches. Hence a buey of water is equivalent to 

 about 456 inches California measurement. One surco, in 24 hours 

 flow, will irrigate one and one-half acres of land. The flooding sys- 

 tem is generally used by native Mexicans in irrigating; they are very 



good irrigators but are 

 too wasteful with their 

 water. More cultivation 

 and less irrigating would 

 produce much better re- 

 sults, but they will never 

 change their methods 

 here. 



Mexico offers today, 

 with her genial climate, 

 her millions of acres of 

 rich soils, of undeveloped 

 .lands, a great field for 

 the capitalist to build 

 storage reservoirs along 

 the many streams, im- 

 pounding the enormous 

 amount of waste water 

 which is supplied during 

 the wet season, and that 

 which runs off unused in 

 the winter months, taking 

 these waters to the new 



LA VIRGINIA-FOUR YEAR OLD ORANGE TREE. 



lands that have lain dormant for centuries for the lack of sufficient 

 moisture to be productive. 



Many fruits and plants of Mexico are indigenous, others were 

 brought from Spain 

 and other European 

 countries by the pa- 

 dres, years ago, but 

 when planted in their 

 proper place in Mexi- 

 co, the quality was at 

 once admitted to be of 

 the best and when 

 the horticulture of 

 Mexico shall have been 

 brought up to the 

 standard and science 

 of France, United 

 States, Italy and other 



LA VIRGINIA SCENE IN PATIO. 



