THE NEW AGRICULTURE. 83 



extracts will be found on future pages of our book. Following in 

 the footsteps of progressive experiences beginning, for aught we 

 know, when the deluge in which irrigation was made so general 

 as to drive Noah and his family to seek refuge in the Ark, the 

 author of the volume referred to, " Irrigation for the Farm, Gar- 

 den and Orchard," confines himself to the subject of applying the 

 waters to the surface of lands, merest mention being made of 

 underground or subterranean methods. Had we the satisfaction 

 of knowing that the farmers and gardeners, the fathers, mothers, 

 sons and daughters of America generally, taking an interest in 

 that most delightful of all pursuits, the one of growing grasses, 

 grains, fruits, flowers, trees and plants in their varied forms, had 

 read Mr. Stewart's book we should omit much of quotation herein- 

 after made. It is so meritorious a work that we db not hesitate to 

 pronounce it an invaluable adjunct to our own, and would advise 

 every reader of " Our New Agriculture," to couple therewith the 

 study of Mr. Stewart's "Irrigation for the Farm, Garden and 

 Orchard." "We now give the article in full from the Chautauquan, 

 \inder the caption of " The Circulation of Water on the Land." 



" Although air is continually evaporating water from the surface 

 of the earth, and continually restoring it again by condensation, 

 yet, on the whole and in the course of years, there seems to be no 

 sensible gain or loss of water in our seas, lakes, and rivers; so 

 that the two processes of evaporation and condensation balance 

 each other, 



" It is evident, however, that the moisture precipitated at any 

 moment from the air is not at once evaporated again. The disap- 

 pearance of the water is due in part to evaporation, but only in 

 part, A great deal of it goes out of sight in other ways. 



" The rain which falls upon the sea, is the largest part of the 

 whole rainfall of the globe, because the surface of the sea is about 



