CHAPTER XXVIII. 

 IRRIGATION. 



399. Irrigation in the Humid States. In the truly arid 

 States the work of irrigating crops and fruits is imperatively 

 required. Hence the land brought under cultivation 

 depends on the amount of water available from streams, 

 wells, reservoirs, and other possible sources, and crops 

 often suffer in the critical period when the usual supply 

 falls short. In such extended districts the need of water 

 is fully understood, and there is little need of arguments 

 in favor of irrigation. 



The present purpose is to urge the great promise of 

 utilizing, at least in part, the immense volume of water 

 that runs to the sea in the so-called humid States, where 

 the midsummer rainfall is too often scanty for full crops 

 of vegetables, farm crops, and fruits. 



In the arid or nearly arid States and Territories a vast 

 amount of water is required to carry crops through the 

 season, as the period is long, the evaporation excessive on 

 account of the dry air, the loss by seepage in open ditch 

 is great, and quite generally the subsoil is sandy, involving 

 great loss of water in running it across the orchard, small 

 fruit plantation, or field. But in the humid States the 

 rainfall of spring and early summer is usually abundant 

 and only a brief period of watering is required as a rule. 



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