THE WISE USE OE WATER. 



Except for grass and grain crops ~vater should not be used by 

 looding, and it certainly should not be in the preparation of the 

 ground for the planting of either of them. 



There are certain crops upon which the water may be used with 

 impunity so far as touching the plant is concerned. Some of the 

 stronger of the garden vegetables will not be injured by any use of 

 water, while others will certainly be. if the water is allowed to touch, 

 the stem of the plant. As a matter of safety let no water touch any 

 plant or the bark of any tree or shrub. Under the best circumstances 

 it does no good, and is certainly liable to do injury. 



It should be remembered too, that running water upon the sur- 

 face of hard baked land, or of rain washed land, under a hot sun, will 

 be attended with almost as rapid evaporation as it would be if poured 

 upon the top of a hot stove, nor is its effect advantageous to the sur- 

 face of the soil when so applied. If, on the other hand, the surface 

 be broken so as to apply the water to the cool under soil, the absorp- 

 tion is much more rapid and more thorough, and then, with the pul- 

 verized surface soil, no matter how dry, thrown back upon it, will 

 serve to retain it there many times longer than it will if applied 

 broadcast. 



In watering alfalfa, if the water is applied about a week before 

 cutting while the ground is shaded, and consequently cool, and es 

 pecially if it is applied at night, the grass will be in much better con^ 

 dition for cutting and will start more promptly after cutting by far 

 than to wait until after it is cut before watering. Then, if as soon as 

 the hay can be cleared from the ground, a harrow be run over the 

 surface to break the surface while it is soft, and there be another ap- 

 plication of water, say two or three weeks after the previous one, it 

 will certainly make a very great difference in tho yield of the crop. 

 One watering intermediate between this and the watering at cutting, 

 will invariably insure a good crop of hay. 



The most useful tools that can be used is the disc cultivator. With 

 these, land in reasonably fair condition can be thrown into ridges 

 about four feet apart, either rounding ridges or sharp ones. In pre- 

 paring land, best results come from throwing the ridges as high as 

 possible, or at least leaving the dead furrows between as deep as possi- 

 ble and apply the water in these furrows. Run furrows all the way across 

 the block, where the slope of the ground permits, running the furrow 

 as full as possible until it has nearly reached the lower end, and there 



