FARM IRRIGATION 273 



make them less liable to winter injury and lessen 

 the need of irrigation in summer. Late fall irri- 

 gation is sometimes practised to prevent fall 

 blossoming and the drying of the tissues of the trees 

 in winter, especially when the rainfall is very scant. 

 Evergreen fruit trees require about 50 per cent, 

 more water than deciduous fruits on the same 

 soil. The only exception to this is the olive, 

 which needs about as much water as deciduous 

 fruits. 



Small Fruits. Raspberries, blackberries, grapes 

 and other small fruits are commonly irrigated by run- 

 ning a furrow each side of a row. Strawberries are so 

 shallow-rooted that they must be irrigated very 

 frequently; hence it is a common practice to lead 

 the water through broad furrows in alternate rows, 

 so that the fruit may be picked between every 

 other row. Depressed bed irrigation is also used 

 for small fruits. This is really a form of check 

 irrigation, only the levees are widened so that 

 water may be carried in shallow ditches along 

 their tops. 



Potatoes. The land should be deeply irrigated 

 before planting and no more water used than is 

 absolutely necessary until after the plants have 

 blossomed. If possible, carry the crop to this 

 point without irrigation. After the vines cover the 

 ground and tubers have begun to form it is ex- 

 ceedingly important that the ground should be 

 kept moist all the time so that me plants suffer no 

 check. It is best to lead water between every two 

 rows, unless water is scarce, when it may be led 

 down every other space, alternating with successive 

 irrigations. The hills should be ridged with a 

 double-winged cultivator so that they will not be 

 flooded. 



