414 IRRIGATION PRACTICE 



there than in the West to claim water for agricultural 

 purposes. Consequently irrigation in the humid regions, 

 at least in the beginning, must be more of individual 

 effort and less of community action. Independent, small 

 plants must be established, which, in time, may lead to 

 cooperation. Meanwhile, many natural waters may be 

 impounded; springs may be enlarged, water may be lifted 

 by the stream current from the rivers, windmills and other 

 engines may be made to lift water from wells, and artesian 

 waters may be developed. Since underground water is 

 more available under humid conditions than under arid 

 conditions, the pumping plant may become a chief de- 

 pendence on the irrigated farms of the East. Such pump- 

 ing plants need be in operation only at the very time that 

 water is needed for the farms. 



247. Water-conservation methods. In the humid 

 regions, the farmer has depended on the rainfall and has 

 given little attention to cultural methods for conserving 

 water. Beyond question, humid agriculture would be 

 greatly improved if the farmers should adopt the simple 

 methods of dry-farming for storing and retaining the 

 water that falls upon the soil, by proper plowing, surface 

 tillage and other methods. This, alone, would eliminate 

 many of the droughts that trouble the humid regions. 

 Irrigation, then, would need to be called less frequently 

 into service. Before the droughts of the world shall 

 finally cease to vex man, it is necessary for both dry- 

 farming and irrigation methods to be adopted in the 

 humid regions of the world. 



248. Value of sewage water. Sewage irrigation, while 

 not necessarily practised under a high rainfall, is closely 

 associated with irrigation in humid regions for the reason 

 that most of the larger cities, boasting the largest quan- 



