294 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



always be cultivated and nothing but hoed crops 

 should be grown in the orchard. After the trees come 

 into bearing nothing should be grown, as they will 

 need all the substance. 



Cultivation should begin with the opening of 

 spring, and be kept up until the fruit is plucked. The 

 shortening in of all new growth, and cutting away of 

 all dead and injured wood, must be carefully attended 

 to. During the first year the irrigation should be 

 given in furrows along each side of the row, and some 

 growers even go so far as to make borders around the 

 trees, with earth piled against the trunks vSo as to pre- 

 vent contadl from water. The water is turned on only 

 as often as the condition of the vSoil demands. Great 

 injury is often resultant from indiscriminate use of 

 water in peach culture. In irrigated countries the 

 majority of orchardists will turn on the water when 

 the top-soil looks dry, whereas if they would but ex- 

 amine the earth at the roots they would find it damp 

 enough. During the second year it is the custom of 

 some growers to make one border between the rows, 

 and irrigate the entire intermediary space in this way. 

 This is done by one of the best peach growers in the 

 west. After a good soaking a thorough harrowing 

 and leveling down is given. The furrow would answer 

 just as well and would require less water. Mature 

 trees should be well watered from the time the fruit is 

 set until September ist, after which the irrigations are 

 withheld until December, when the trees are again 

 watered to go into winter quarters. On no account 

 should water be applied at or near the blooming period, 

 as the tendency would be to blast the prospec5ls of a 



