WINTER IRRIGATION. 467 



It has been found by nearly all observant irrigators 

 of the great plains that winter irrigation, thoroughly 

 done, serves very well the double process of fertilizing 

 and moistening. Captain Perry, of Kansas, says that 

 after ten years of extensive experience in irrigation he 

 has had the best average results by thoroughly satu- 

 rating the soil to a depth of two or three feet during 

 fall or winter or very early spring, then cultivating 

 crops on this land without subsequent irrigation. C. 

 B. Huffman, of Enterprise, Kansas, has found that 

 land thoroughly irrigated and well cultivated during 

 winter, and afterward sown in wheat, produced surpris- 

 ingly well without any irrigation after the wheat was 

 sown, while similar land that had not been irrigated 

 gave a very poor yield. The general experience favors 

 winter irrigation. Not unlikely, future prac5tice in the 

 application of water will consist in thoroughly wetting 

 the soil during the winter and in such subsequent irri- 

 gation as may be found desirable to maintain maxi- 

 mum growth, the larger quantity of water being 

 applied in winter when evaporation is at a minimum. 



Orchards in Winter. — Throughout the irrigated 

 regions of the west it has been the prevailing pracftice 

 with orchardists to withhold water from trees during 

 September and October in order to let the new wood 

 ripen, then give one irrigation late in November, 

 with no other applications until after the buds blossom 

 in spring. The reasons for this method of treatment 

 were founded on the hypothesis that the trees did not 

 need water during the winter months when they were 

 dormant, and that by keeping off the water the fruit 

 buds could be retarded from blossoming too early in 



