84 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



I think the heavy type of soil, other things being equal, will 

 produce better crops than light soil. 



A Member. Do you prefer ground that is underdrained or 

 naturally drained? 



Mr. Garrahan. Either one. As a rule, you'll have more 

 trouble with lack of drainage on your heavy type of soil than 

 than with your lighter ones. I have had it before now on our 

 celery ground, where we had tiled drainage. I have had water 

 come down over the top right through the drain. I think when 

 we first started to use that Skinner system we developed a good 

 deal of blight by a little too much watering. I remember I was 

 in Boston at the time we had the National Convention there, 

 and I noticed this, that the fields of celery with the Skinner 

 irrigation had more blight than the ones that had no irrigation 

 at all. 



A Member. Do you use Skinner in the daytime, at night or 

 any time? 



Mr. Garrahan. Any time, but I prefer the evening or night. 

 You get twice as much water on at night as you do in the day- 

 time with the wind blowing; a good deal of moisture is taken off 

 by the air. 



A Member. You haven't seen any damage from day water- 

 ing, have you? 



Mr. Garrahan. Only just loss of water. I couldn't say I 

 have ever seen any damage done with day watering, yet I 

 always prefer it at night. It doesn't look sensible to me to 

 water right out in the blazing hot sun. 



A Member. What do you use for a covering for most of 

 your early celery? 



Mr. Garrahan. Boards. 



A Member. Boards altogether — no paper? 



Mr. Garrahan. No paper. 



A Member. What do you use to keep the boards in 

 place? 



Mr. Garrahan. Wire. We use No. 8 or No. 9 galvanized 

 wire, and it takes two of those clamps to hold up a board. 



A Member. What do you get for lumber — spruce? 



Mr. Garrahan. Most of our lumber is hemlock, but the last 



