IRRIGATION IN THE EASTERN 



STATES. 



S. S. BOYCE, TOTTEXVILLE, N. Y. 



The most important question confronting the farmer in the East- 

 ern States today, North or South is how to obtain a regular moisture 

 suppl3 T for his crops. The question of deep and thorough pulverization 

 of the soil is a settled one, that of an abundant supply of manure is also 

 comprehended, and fully so. 



All the requisites of successful agriculture are therefore at hand, 

 excepting that of regular moisture supply. Fertility, warmth and 

 moisture are the essentials, and the warmth nature alone supplies, 

 and the farmer selects a location where the desired degree of tempera- 

 ture is found. The amount of moisture can also be determined by the 

 normal rainfall and the selection of soils which naturally hold mois- 

 ture, but notwithstanding all the care of selection and of the furnish- 

 ing of an abundance of humus in the soil to hold moisture, no season 

 passes but the farmer loses 25 to 75 per cent, of the yield of his crops 

 by the spells of drouth. 



Turn where we may, and to any crop that is grown, to every re- 

 port of the results and the word "drouth"' dots the reports as cloud 

 shadows do a landscape. As an instance few crops require less than 

 150,000 gallons of water per acre to enable them to properly develop 

 to maturity. This requires a rainfall of half an inch each week 

 during a season of growth, but as not more than one-fifth of the rain- 

 falls can be used, the rainfall to be an ample supply must be ten inches 

 each month. This occurs at times and places, but not often, and well 

 it is that it does not for it is not regularly distributed through the 

 month as required. There should be an application of 14- inches per 

 week in April, 2 inches per week in May, 24 inches per week in June, 

 and 3 inches per week in July, to give the crop the best growing 

 condition. Instead of this there are times when there are not 2 inches 

 a month, not even 1 incb. For instance, the rainfall in South Car- 

 olina for the mouth of April, 1896, was but 1.31 inches. May 2.74, 

 while one half the State had less than 1 inch rainfall for April, '96. 

 One- half the State had less than 2 inches during the month of May, 

 '96. In June and July, "95, one-half this State had less than 3 inches 

 per month. In August, "96, one-half the State had less than 4 inches. 



At the same time, and to show that much larger rainfalls are not 



