392 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



breaking them up thoroughly, bringing 

 much of the saturated earth to the surface, 

 as we used to do; as soon as possible of- 

 ten within twenty-four hours we cover 

 the furrows instead of breaking them up. 

 We do this with a single 12-inch upright 

 plank, dragged lengthwise with the fur- 

 rows. We attach the plank to the shanks 

 of an old two-horse walking furrower. 

 This fills the furrows from their shoulders 

 and leaves a slight coat of pulverized earth 

 on the rest of the surface. The object is 

 to stop the pumping of moisture from the 

 saturated bottoms of furrows as soon as 

 possible. Others doubtless have, or will 

 desire, better methods of doing this. For 

 cultivating, several years we used the 

 Planet Junior, with the widest shovels for 

 the purpose of moving the hard earth at 

 the bottom, which is more easily done 

 than with the narrow shovels. But the 

 objection to bringing so much of the 

 damp earth to the surface had impressed 

 itself upon me, till this season I was per- 

 suaded to try the Killfeler cultivator, with 

 its large number of shovel-pointed teeth, 

 which thoroughly stirs all the ground 

 without exposing the wet earth. There 

 are serious objections to this implement, 

 but I must confess to being greatly inter- 

 ested in the results from it. Using it 

 thoroughly once after each irrigation, 

 when the ground is in best condition, after 

 the furrows are covered, then keepin-g the 

 surface well loosened with a fine-tooth 

 harrow, we have been able, so far as we 

 can determine, to hold the moisture better 

 than we have ever succeeded in doing be- 

 fore, and find no sign of any permanent 

 hard layers forming, to retard irrigation. 



I must not be misunderstood as claiming 

 these methods the best for the purpose, 

 nor as recommending the implements 

 mentioned. 



I want to say in conclusion, that more 

 and more I find myself examining results 

 first instead of putting so much stress up- 

 on theories and methods as formerly, and 

 believe that the individual experiences 

 brought out in these institutes and in our 



clubs have the most practical value. But 

 I am sure that this value is trifling and 

 transient compared with what it might be 

 made to be with combined experiences of 

 many upon the same subject, with minute, 

 systematic and authentic records, continu- 

 ing through a series of years. Should I 

 be allowed a single suggestion to the man- 

 agers of our institutes and clubs, it would 

 be that during the coming year a special 

 effort^ should be made to devise some bet- 

 ter means of securing such authentic rec- 

 ords of extended, actual experiments and 

 observations, and encouraging their con- 

 tinuance, in orchard and farm work. 



THE GRAZING LANDS. 



The proposition to allow the western 

 states and territories the control of the 

 public lands situated within their borders, 

 with the privilege of leasing them to stock- 

 men and expending the revenue derived 

 for state improvements, is not a new one. 

 It is, however, equitable, and would vastly 

 benefit the states availing themselves of 

 the privilege, and it finds very general 

 favor and endorsement among men who 

 have given the conditions in the West any 

 serious thought. 



''The policy of leasing the grazing lands 

 of the West by the states," Secretary Wil- 

 son of the Department of Agriculture said, 

 "cannot but operate very benefically to 

 those states, and would eliminate much of 

 the trouble which the West is now having 

 over the range question. Let the title to 

 the land remain in the federal government 

 by all means, but give the states the use 

 of the lands i. e., the money which would 

 be derived from their rental. Most of the 

 western states have comparatively small 

 settled areas, and these must bear the bur- 

 den of caring for the remainder of the 

 state which is government property. It 

 would be a very dangerous move to give 

 the land itself to the states, because before 

 long there would then be neither state nor 

 government land; but if it is simply a 

 question of the state disposing of the an- 

 nual income from rentals, a proper system 



