IRRIGATION IN THE EAST 1/3 



furrow along the north side of the row, throwing the 

 soil away from the plants, then turn on a gentle stream 

 that will just nicely soak around the plants. After it 

 is well wet in, run the plow the reverse way, throwing 

 the soil back against the plants. If the soil becomes 

 too wet, it is thrown back as soon as dry enough. The 

 main point is to have a gentle stream. A fast one will 

 overflow the furrow and run too fast and simply set 

 the surface. This leaves the roots to grow near the 

 surface and the plants show the effect of a hot sun. A 

 slow stream soaks down, and I have often saturated 

 the ground under the plant while the surface is yet dry. 



Another advantage of this system of irrigation is 

 the ease with which it is done. I can start in the water 

 on one side of the garden and go to work on the other, 

 only stopping occasionally to change the water from 

 one row to another. T watered the row of early cab- 

 bage more than the others, and had them mature and 

 out of the way in time for a crop of celery, while the 

 last heads in the adjoining rows were not matured until 

 a month after the celery was set out. The greatest 

 advantage of irrigation is that you can get the water 

 when it is needed, and do not have to wait for rain. 

 Moles caused a great deal of annoyance, for many times 

 I have found the water running down a mole hill 

 instead of following along a row of plants. By using 

 a blunt stick about one and one-half inches in diameter 

 to punch down the earth the hole will soon be 

 blocked up. 



" Water, Soluble Fertilisers and Irrigation make 

 a team that will work in dry weather," concludes F. W. 

 Kilbourne, New Brunswick, New Jersey, thirteenth 

 regular prize winner, whose garden of one and three- 

 fourths acres paid him seven hundred and fifteen dol- 

 lars and fifty-three cents at a cost of eighty dollars and 



