252 IRRIGATION FARMING 



by Columbus, the native people had large irrigation 

 systems. The first irrigation in this country in modern 

 times was done by the people of Utah in 1847, when 

 the water of City Creek was used to irrigate the gardens 

 near Great Salt Lake. At the present time several 

 millions of acres in the United States are farmed by 

 irrigation, and great irrigation works are being con- 

 structed for the reclamation of more land. 



In Japan, raising crops by irrigation has been prac- 

 ticed many years, although the annual rainfall amounts 

 to as much as forty inches. In parts of our own coun- 

 try, where the rainfall is thirty-five or forty inches, 

 some farmers are adopting irrigation to supplement 

 the rainfall. In the intensive growing of fruits and 

 vegetables in market gardens, an irrigation system may 

 often save the crops in dry seasons. 



QUESTIONS 



1. What is irrigation ? 



2. In what sections of our country is irrigation carried on 

 extensively ? 



3. What other countries practice irrigation? 



4. What are the main parts of an irrigation system? 



5. By what methods is water distributed to the crops? 



REFERENCES 



Farmers' Bulletins : 138, Irrigation in field and garden ; 158, 

 How to build small irrigation ditches ; 263, Practical informa- 

 tion for beginners in irrigation ; 392, Irrigation of sugar beets ; 

 399, Irrigation of grain ; 404, Irrigation of orchards. 



