64 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



is growing is the surety of a good product, unless the land is naturally 

 moist, and then the plant should be kept clean of weeds. 



Irrigating Almonds. 



7 lost about 40% of my young almond trees this year on account 

 of drouth, but now have a good well and pumping plant so that I can 

 irrigate the trees next year. My advisers say that if the almond trees 

 are irrigated the trees will not become as deeply rooted as they would 

 if the top of the ground were kept dry, forcing the roots to go down- 

 ward for moisture. 



Irrigation of almond trees on a deep, free soil such as should be se- 

 lected for the almond, will not produce undesirable surface rooting, if 

 the irrigation water is applied in considerable amounts so as to secure 

 deep penetration rather than frequent light applications which would 

 confine the moisture to the upper layers of the soil. Rational irrigation 

 is good both for young trees and old and irrigation water is desirable 

 always in case rainfall should be inadequate. There is no need to be 

 worried about it; if the soil does not have moisture enough, irrigate and 

 be glad that you have the water. 



Blasting a Well Bottom. 



I have been advised that by using dynamite in the bottom of the 

 well, so as to blast out quite a basin and then sand pump out all possible, 

 that it will make a much better well. 



There is grave danger of destroying the well by blasting and gen- 

 erally no well driller will dynamite a well unless the owner assumes all 

 responsibility. A well should not be dynamited where the water bearing 

 strata are ordinary water-gravel and sand. If such a condition exists, 

 to develop an open-bottom well, end the well in the water-bearing stratum 

 itself and do not pass through this and land in the clay. If the well 

 ends in the water strata, develop the well with a centrifugal pump and 

 have a well with a large cavity or reservoir at the bottom. There is, how- 

 ever, a certain amount of danger in the gravel and sand flowing too fast 

 and sanding the well. If all the water will be obtained from a stratum 

 of shale only, and the well does not supply sufficient water after test, 

 then try dynamite, but this is for a shale or a sandstone stratum only. 

 E. P. McMurtry. 



Increasing Output of Wells. 



7 have a 10-inch zvell, cased 100 feet deep. Good water gravel was 

 encountered at 34 feet 4 inches, at 65 feet 8 inches, at 90 feet 3 inches, 

 and at 106 feet 3 inches or more. The best wells in the valley yield 

 only 400 gallons per minute, and I want more. I am advised to sink a 

 dug well, say 5 feet by 6 to include the two upper strata of gravel and, 

 if found necessary, mine a tunnel at right angles to the vein of water 

 gravel, so as to get all the water. 



