46 ORANGE CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



When the land is sufficiently dried out, I take one horse and a 

 plow, fill in the water furrows, and plow all the land that has 

 been wet. I then smooth down with a leveler, or rubber, and 

 the land will remain in good order for a long time. I do not 

 know that this mode of irrigation is better than any other ; but 

 after many experiments in the different modes of irrigating an 

 orchard, I prefer it to any other I have yet tried." 



The author's remarks: "The subject under discussion is of 

 more than ordinary importance. The area of arable land in 

 this district is almost unlimited, amounting to millions of acres 

 of first-class agricultural and orchard lands. 



"The question of water for irrigation is the only one to be 

 solved in order to settle and plant these lands. Some may claim 

 that orchards can be successfully grown without irrigation, but 

 I am decidedly of the opinion that he who undertakes to plant 

 and raise an orchard without water on our dry and best fruit 

 lands will ultimately fail. Thorough and systematic pulveriz- 

 ing of the soil will, of course, assist to retain moisture, and it 

 will lessen the amount of irrigation to a considerable degree. 



"I take the position that when a practical and economical sys- 

 tem of irrigation shall have been adopted, and the water now 

 developed, and what can be developed, shall be put into prac- 

 tical use, we shall have an ample supply to enable us to culti- 

 vate orchards on all the arable lands of the district. It is 

 apparent, then, that the question of an ample supply of water, 

 distributed by an intelligent system of irrigation, lies at the very 

 foundation of our prosperity as an agricultural and horticultural 

 community. It is self-evident that the very best plant will 

 grow and be developed and matured out of the united expe- 

 rience of the practical application of the water at our command. 

 Theoretical plans amount to very little on this subject, as .they 

 do on most other practical subjects, as compared with the stern 

 facts arrived at by a practical application of the principles in- 

 volved. 



"We find a number of different plans of distribution. The old 

 and primitive general custom of this country, a custom pursued 

 by the Spanish residents, was to check off the land to be irri- 

 gated into sections or squares, the size of the sections being 



