FIRST PRIZE ESSAY. 7 



hollows. Ploud water, if very muddy, should be applied to prin- 

 cipally those fields that have the greatest amount of slope. On 

 fields of about the right gentle slope this deposit of fine mud does 

 not so readily take place as on quite level ground and hollows. By 

 running the most muddy of flocd water into a drain, where it is 

 brought to a comparative rest for a few hours, it will have precipi- 

 tated quite 50 per cent, cf the fine silt held in suspension, and will 

 be quite safe to use even en dead level ground. No harm at all, in 

 fact every good, will result to lucerne that has been irrigated with 

 the most muddy of flood water, if the surface cf the soil is harrow- 

 ed or scarified thoroughly immediately the surface is dry enough 

 to admit of this operation. We strongly recommend the frequent 

 flooding of lucerne fields during the winter months where w r ater is 

 available. If lucerne is freely irrigated during the winter months 

 the moisture strikes down deep in the soil, and the crop will give a 

 very much greater yield during the ensuing summer than if no win- 

 ter irrigation had been given it. On gcod deep alluvial soil, lucerne 

 fields that have been freely irrigated during the winter months will 

 continue to yield good growth of green fcdder even right up to 

 midsummer (Christmas time) without any irrigation during the 

 spring or e'arly summer, however dry it may be. There is no point 

 of mere importance in laying down permanent lucerne fields than 

 that of seeing that all the furrows are in sound working order. As 

 a lucerne field is valuable in proportion to the frequency with 

 which water is ! applied. to it, the loss of valuable time and water 

 arising from the bursting or flooding over of badly constructed 

 furrows seriously reduces the yield of fodder from such a field in a 

 given time: 'Distributing and regulating gates should be substan- 

 tially erected at every point, where the laterals branch off from the 

 mains. The great object, especially in the case of flood water, is 

 to make the greatest possible use of the water every hour that it 

 runs, since it does not continue to run long. 



IRRIGATION. 



The best way to ensure this is to construct large main furrows 

 (fully six feet wide) from the weir in the river, to carry as large a 

 quantity in as short a time as possible, and see that all the furrows 

 are in thorough repair for rapidly and economically distributing 

 this large stream while it lasts. If the furrows are small, and not 

 in- proper repair, it is waste of time attempting to make any real 

 use of flocd water. It is a mistake to suppc.se that only perennial 

 streams, strong springs, or large dams will ensi re profit in lucerne 

 growing. For instance, one of the most valuable of the very valu- 

 able Oudtshoorn lucerne farms depends almost entirely upon flood 

 water for irrigating the lucerne. During the recent severe drought 

 at Oudtshoorn the water furrows on this farm never had a drop of 

 water in them for six months ! There are also some veiy valuable 

 lucerne farms we know of in the Graaff-Remet district which 



