76 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



with the quality far superior. The fruit from the irri- 

 gated plants would sell at the highest price, when those 

 from the nonirrigated plants might go at a low figure. 



"The increase of 4^ baskets of peppers, to say nothing 

 concerning the great superiority of the whole crop over 

 that of the nonirrigated belts, cost for the water 24^ 

 cents (24.46), which in round numbers is 5 cents (5.14) a 

 basket. 



"The total weight of celery was 465^ pounds, 329^ 

 pounds being produced in the irrigated and 136 pounds 

 in the nonirrigated rows. In round numbers this is two 

 and one-half (2.40, to be exact) times as much celery 

 upon the irrigated as upon the nonirrigated land. How- 

 ever, these figures do not indicate the full difference of 

 market value, for the irrigated celery was of good size 

 and quality, readily salable at a fair price, while the non- 

 irrigated rows yielded a crop that was worth less than the 

 cost of production. After the plants were prepared for 

 market by removing the worthless outside leaves and the 

 roots, it was shown that the loss from the irrigated was 

 28.57 per cent, while from the nonirrigated it was 40 per 

 cent, which is a much greater loss for the smaller plants 

 than for the larger. 



"The difference between the marketable products of 

 the two rows is in round numbers three to one ; but when 

 the selling price is considered, the difference is not far 

 from eight to one in favor of irrigation." 



The late W. W. Rawson, a highly successful and ex- 

 tensive market gardener of Boston, practiced irrigation 

 many years ago, and was an earnest advocate of artificial 

 watering. He said ("Success in Market Gardening," Raw- 

 son, p. 27) : "We cannot believe there is even an acre of 

 growing crop which, in a dry time, would not be bene- 

 fited by such a watering to an amount much more than 

 the cost; though many people shrink from the expense 

 involved, and are skeptical about getting full return from 



