THE GENESEE FARMER. 



T8T 



IRRIGATION FOR PEAR TREES, STRAWBERRIES, &C. 



Ik the agricultural department of the Genesee Farmer 

 this month, we have spoken of the great advantages to 

 be derived* from irrigating grass lands. The subject of 

 irrigation is one of such vast importance in our dry, hot 

 climate, that we need not apologize for again calling 

 attention to the results which have attended its use in 

 this country. 



We find in the Boston Cultivator a communication from 

 Artemas Newell, Esq., of Needham, Mass., embodied in 

 the Report of the Norfolk County Agricultural Society, 

 for 1861, giving the results of irrigation on grass lands, 

 fruit trees, &c, under circumstances where to the casual 

 observer a supply of water would be difficult to obtain. 

 Mr. N. says : 



"That part of my land which I judged might be im- 

 proved as to its general productiveness, by both drainage 

 and irrigation, lies between the public road on the south 

 and a pond on its northern boundary. A portion of the 

 land, perhaps eight or ten acres, is a dry, gravelly loam, 

 surrounded on every side by low meadow or peat bog, the 

 water formerly standing or running some tour or five feet 

 below the level of the highest part of the land to be irri- 

 gated; consequently it seemed impracticable to use the 

 water for that purpose. . The center or highest part of 

 the land was cultivated and three or four acres planted 

 with pear trees, between the rows of which were planted 

 strawberries and currants, and in some instances pota- 

 toes, carrots, and other roots. The other portion of the 

 high land was devoted to grass or grain. The pear trees 

 were planted in rows nine feet apart each way, giving 81 

 square feet to each tree, and 537 trees to an acre. Between 

 the rows of trees, beds were prepared for strawberries 

 by back furrowing very deep to the center, leaving beds 

 just three feet wide, with a hollow between each bed and 

 row of trees for the water to run in when needed. In the 

 center, between the trees in the rows, a currant bush is 

 planted, thus giving as many of these as there are of the 

 trees. 



"In commencing the work, I first ascertained by levels 

 whether I could drain the upper end of the lot, which is 

 a deep peat bog — the surface of the mud and water there 

 being apparently much below the surface of the dry land. 

 It was found practicable to drain it considerably by dig- 

 ging through the high part of the land for a distance of 

 600 or 800 feet towards the pond on the north, but impos- 

 sible to carry the water to those higher portions where 

 irrigation was most required. To obviate that difficulty 

 I caused the bog or basin at the head to be made deeper 

 and larger, by removing large quantities of muck, which 

 was used for compost, and this excavation opened numer- 

 ous additional springs. Then the water was secured by 

 damming up all the old drains leading from the pond so 

 formed, by which means the water rose to a sufficient 

 height to carry it quite above the highest and driest part 

 of the field. 



"I describe these preliminary proceedings with some 

 particularity as to the details, because they embrace the 

 most important part of the process. Without those ex- 

 aminations, I should hardly have known from which end 

 of my field the water would run, although the fall was 

 bundant when it was made available. Judging from my 



own somewhat limited experience and observation in 

 these matters, I think that even a superficial examina- 

 tion, by the aid only of a common level, will show that 

 there are many farms in our country where irrigation 

 can be successfully practised, with trifling expense com- 

 pared with the benefit, though the owners now look on. 

 the object as impracticable for such localities. There are 

 few farms that have not some facilities for irrigation, if 

 they are sought for and made available. In some cases 

 the sources whence water may be obtained are not on the 

 land most requiring it, but by a small amount of labor a 

 head may be raised where a supply is found in swamps 

 or ponds, and by channels it may be conveyed to the 

 places where it is wanted. It is not unusual to see water 

 carried for miles along the sides of mountains and hills 

 for the purpose of irrigation, in countries where the ben- 

 efits of the process are duly appreciated. Here, we often 

 see a brisk stream of pure water running through a dry 

 pasture in a crooked channel. In many cases, if proper 

 attention were given, it could, without much expense, be 

 dammed, and carried along the head of the descent and 

 spread over the whole or a greater portion of the pasture 

 during several of the spring and fall months, and, per- 

 haps, by opening the springs, a supply might be obtained 

 that would continue through the summer. 



"My plan for distributing the water, is to convey it 

 from the reservoir to the upper end of the pear-tree lot, 

 where it falls into an artificial channel or ditch, which, 

 extends across the lot at the ends of all the rows of trees,. 

 strawberries, &c. To that side of the ditch next the 

 ends of the rows, is fitted a two-inch plank ten or twelve 

 inches wide, set edgewise, and through the plank, at in- 

 tervals of four feet and a half, corresponding with the 

 distance of the rows from each other, a round drain-pipe 

 of an inch bore is inserted, with a cork to each, by which 

 the whole or any portion of them may be closed when 

 desired. Each row of trees, strawberries, &c, is thus 

 supplied with an equal quantity of water. When the 

 water has run down the whole length of the rows, it 

 falls into a similar ditch as that at the upper end, and is 

 from thence distributed over the grass field below, or let 

 into a reservoir in which is put strong manure for the- 

 purpose of making liquid manure, which is distributed in 

 rivulets over the mowing land — a method of spreading 

 manure which is found to be of great advantage and re- 

 quiring little labor. 



" That part of the water which is not taken into the 

 head pipes as it passes, (and this is much the largest 

 part,) falls into a channel which conducts it to another 

 pear-tree lot, arranged with strawberry beds, where a 

 part of it is turned through channels between the rows, 

 as before described, and a part runs into an artificial fish 

 pond, the outflow of which is conducted to a small work- 

 shop in the garden, and by means of an over-shot wheel, 

 six feet in diameter, turns grindstones, works a turning 

 lathe, circular saw, hay-cutting machine, corn-sheller, 

 pump, Ac, &c. 



" In regard to some of the effects of irrigation, I con- 

 sider the hay crop more than doubled by water alone, 

 without the application of liquid or other manure. 



"The pear trees, which are mostly on quinae stocks, 

 were imported from France, part of them planted in the 



