A NEW IDEA 



13 



the drains, while the soil was not even moist for some distance 

 below the surface. In our soil it was a hard matter to deter- 

 mine what was the limit for beneficial results. The tiles being 

 out of sight, it was difficult to tell whether they were distribut- 

 ing the water evenly ; also there could be no doubt as to the 

 extravagance of this method with water. 



A NEW IDEA 



Realizing the defects of the above system and the demands 

 for a still more practical one, we studied the existing conditions 



Fig. 4. The Method of Irrigating on a Large Scale in the West. 



with the idea of improvement. The objection to surface irri- 

 gation, then, is waste of water in evaporation, some horticul- 

 turists claiming that in very hot weather five sixths goes off" in 

 the air; therefore, in order to get benefit of one sixth, we must 

 apply five times as much more. Whether this is true or not, 

 we do know that a great quantity of water is necessarily lost 

 by this method. 



