90 



ARID AGRICULTURE. 



furrows the two-way plow will be found of ad- 

 vantage. This implement is a double plow 

 which swings on a pivot and can be changed 

 at the end of each furrow so the land may be 

 plowed from one side to the other without leav- 

 ing any ridges and with the least amount of turn- 

 ing and tramping of soil by the team. We rec- 

 ommend the use of the four or eight-horse leveler 

 which may be run over the ground both ways 

 after every plowing. Such leveling of the soil 

 saves much work in the distribution of water. 



AMOUNT OP 



WATER 



REQUIRED 



On new land where the sub-soil is almost in- 

 variably dry, much water will be needed the first 

 two seasons to moisten this sub-soil or fill it with 

 the capillary or film moisture, which surrounds 

 the soil particles. Much of this moisture will bo 

 held from year to year and it will not be neces- 

 sary to apply such large amounts in irrigation. 

 The total amount of water to give the best results 

 on different soils and different crops, varies 

 greatly. On light sandy bottom soils with gravel 

 underneath, farmers sometimes use from six to 

 eight feet deep of water during the season. A 

 flood irrigation cannot be made with less than 

 four to six inches at a single application. Usu- 

 ally a thorough flood irrigation will require from 

 nine to eleven inches deep of water over the sur- 

 face. This does not mean that enough water 

 must run on to the land to stand to this depth, 

 but that the amount soaked into the soil or run 



