230 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



to work the fiber out of it. A ditch can bemade lead- 

 ing to a bed in which to place the straw so as to turn 

 on water, and when at the right stage the water may 

 be drawn off and the fiber worked at the will of the 

 grower. The climate is such that the fiber can be air- 

 dried in the open. 



Hemp. — Irrigation very much improves this crop 

 as it does flax. The land is laid off into beds three 

 feet wide, with spaces of a foot between each plat. The 

 seed is sown on these beds after the entire field has re- 

 ceived a good preparatory soaking. The spaces be- 

 tween the beds are reserved for cultivating and irrigat- 

 ing. After the seed has germinated a good irrigation 

 is given through the furrows, and the water is best 

 applied when run slowly, so that it will seep through 

 the beds from each side. Every ten days the field 

 should be irrigated until within a fortnight of the flow- 

 ering period, when watering should cease. If irri- 

 gated during the flowering the pistillate flowers are 

 weakened in fertilization and there will be a decreased 

 seed crop. As soon as the pollen has been shed the 

 stamina te stalks should be pulled out, so as to give 

 more room for the ripening of the seed. It is quite 

 necessary through all hemp culture to keep the soil 

 well moistened, but not so saturated as to be classed as 

 too wet. 



Cotton. — But few crops need so little water as 

 does cotton, the only essential point being to keep the 

 soil in a moist condition. Plow high ridges or beds 

 four and one-half feet wide, much the same as for 

 hemp, but provide the irrigating furrow lengthwise in 

 the middle, using a small shovel-plow for this purpose. 



