468 FUNDAMENTALS OF AGRICULTURE. 



where truck shall be grown, the nature of the crops 

 and the profitableness of the undertaking. 



Irrigation is playing an important part in the de- 

 velopment of the truck industry. The majority of 

 truck crops are not able to withstand any prolonged 

 drought, and when they do, their quality is so im- 

 paired as to render them practically worthless. Ir- 

 rigation, therefore, often results in the saving of the 

 crop, and in many instances appreciably increases the 

 profits. If the drought is general, the supply is 

 greatly reduced and prices correspondingly increased. 



Systems of Irrigation. The two principal systems 

 of irrigation employed are the furrow and .overhead. 

 In the furrow system the water is applied in the fur- 

 rows between the rows of vegetables. In the over- 

 head system, the plants are sprinkled from a system of 

 perforated pipes which are supported on posts high 

 enough to permit horse or man to pass under them 

 with ease when cultivating. This latter system ap- 

 proaches nature's method of watering plants and is 

 becoming popular where very intensive culture is 

 practiced. 



Begin on a Small Scale. When the trucker has 

 chosen a favorable spot he must study the culture of 

 the various crops he wishes to raise. If he has been 

 a general farmer he will naturally look to the more 

 staple truck crops in beginning. For these he will 

 have most of the necessary equipment, and he should 

 begin on a small scale until he masters the details in 

 the management of a certain crop or crops, when he 

 will be in a position to enlarge operations. 



Diversification should be practiced in truck farm- 

 ing as well as in general farming. By raising several 

 crops which mature at different seasons, the trucker 

 will be able to give his hired hands continuous labor. 

 He will be in a position to devote more attention to 

 each crop, and, as a rule, under such management all 

 of his crops will not fail, or bring poor returns, no 

 matter how bad the season may be. Suppose the 



