1 8 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



ticiilturist can plant with almost a certainty of gather- 

 ing a crop. Untimely frosts, insecfls, and fungous 

 diseases are often to be contended with, but it is a great 

 consolation to feel sure that drouth cannot prevent 

 the starting of trees, plants, and seeds in springtime, 

 or cut short a growing crop. Neither are floods likely 

 to overflow, except on low bottoms, and these are not 

 the best places for the most profitable orchards. One 

 field or a small portion of it can be watered without 

 the rest being deluged or even sprinkled, if desired. 



It is the writer's desire at this time to direcft the 

 attention of horticulturists and farmers generally in the 

 ' ' rain belt ' ' to the benefits to be derived from an arti- 

 ficial supply of water to their crops. Some may scout 

 the idea and say it is not pracfticable — that it will not 

 pay to go to so much expense for the little use to be 

 made of the water ; but in all seriousness it may be 

 said that it will pay, and there are many places east of 

 the arid regions where irrigation is now considered by 

 those who have long tried it as almost indispensable. 

 There is scarcely an acre of ground under cultivation 

 in North America that would not produce more and 

 better crops if there were at hand an abundant water- 

 supply. There are seasons now and then in which the 

 rains come just right and irrigation might not be 

 needed even once, but they are rare. Usually there are 

 several dry spells during each year that cause serious 

 injury to the crops, and were irrigation possible all 

 harm from this source might be prevented. A very 

 little water at the right time would make all the differ- 

 ence with the crop and turn into success what other- 

 wise would have been a partial or total failure. The 



