286 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



the land instead of upon the land. To obtain the best 

 results from irrigating an orchard the furrows should 

 be very deep between the rows. This may be difficult 

 to do in a very dry time. One plan is to go through 

 with an ordinary plow and make a furrow in which to 

 run the water. Turn in a small stream and let it run 

 until the ground is somewhat soaked. A half day's 

 rain is very beneficial in such cases. Then take a 

 coulter plow, called by some a " bull tongue," attach 

 two horses to it and run it down to the beam. An 

 ordinary coulter is about eighteen inches long and two 

 horses can very easily pull it at the depth given. 

 Two furrows between the rows of trees so treated will 

 be about right, but in some soils one may answer. A 

 big stream can be run in such furrows without causing 

 the soil to wash. The second plowing can be done 

 while a small stream is running. A large subsoil 

 plow drawn by a heavier team would .serve the pur- 

 pose so much the better instead of running several 

 streams near the surface in each row space. Such a 

 trench as this will accommodate a g6od head of water, 

 and if this is allowed to run several hours the roots of the 

 trees will be sufficiently irrigated to last several weeks. 

 This plan seems to be gaining favor in later years. 



The Plowsole. — There is also found in nearly all 

 orchard soils, especially in irrigated distri<5ls, an arti- 

 ficial, shallow hard-pan produced by the repeated adlion 

 of steel tools in compacfling and smoothing the soil 

 particles when in moist condition, just as a mason's 

 trowel smooths and firms mortar to form plaster. 

 When the plowing and cultivation is of uniform depth, 

 this hard-pan becomes a permanent feature. Varying 



