THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



115 



pole number two, any variation will mean that another 

 level point must be selected, or that there must be some 

 grading or digging. 



The second level point having been established, 

 proceed with the third pole in the same manner, com-' 

 paring it with the second pole, carefully noting the 

 figures on paper, and so continue until the work is , 

 completed. Laterals may be run in the same manner, 

 and the entire parcel of land gone over, the results in 

 figures showing the slope or lay of the land for every 

 purpose. This leveling, if carefully and completely 

 done, will show numerous grades, or slopes in the same 

 parcel or tract of land, and the knowledge of this is 

 extremely valuable; in fact, necessary for irrigation 

 purposes, whether ditching or flooding. It is often 

 a very intricate matter to irrigate every portion of a 

 given field uniformly, and failure to do so always re- 

 sults in lack of uniformity in any crop sought to be 

 grown upon it, there being too much water on some 

 parts and not enough on others. It will be under- 

 stood that the waste of water and the loss in crop must 

 exceed by far the expense of leveling the land in every 

 direction. The chapter on irrigation will give details 

 of flowing water on irregular surfaces, and reference 

 to the synoptical index will point out comprehensive 

 illustrations. 



Before concluding this portion of the chapter on 

 "Laying Out of Land," it is proper to add by way of 

 information, that on July 28, 1866, the Congress of 

 the United States legalized what is known as the "met- 

 ric" or French system of measurements, and provided 

 that "It shall be recognized in the construction of con- 

 tracts * * * * as establishing in terms of the 

 weights and measures now in use in the United States, 

 the equivalents of the weights and measures in com- 

 mon use." 



That portion of the "French" system relating to 

 land measurement is given here, in case any farmer 

 should fancy it in preference to the "English" sys- 

 tem, which has always been used: 



Pounds. Pounds. Pounds. 

 1 side of a square mile. 320 640 900 



1 rod in length 1 2 .1 



100 rods in length 100 200 300 



100 feet in length 6 1/16 12 1/8 18 3/16 



This metrical, or decimal, system is not in com- 

 mon, everyday use; on the contrary, it is rarely found 

 except in Government reports. 



The matter of fencing should not be omitted in 

 this place, and so estimated quantities in the conven- 

 ient barbed wire fencing are here given. The table 

 gives an estimate of the number of pounds of barbed 

 wire required to fence the space or distance mentioned, 

 with one, two or three lines of wire, based upon each 

 pound of wire measuring one rod (16% feet) : 



METHODS OF PLANTING. 



It must not be supposed that this part of the pres- 

 ent chapter will exhaust the subject of methods of 

 planting. The subject, is too large and important to 

 be treated in one place, and it is therefore distributed 

 in other chapters to follow. But it is all important to 

 consider the nature of the plant which it is purposed to 

 grow, and plant the seed in such manner that it will 

 have room to grow and develop its seed or fruit. If 

 the previous chapters have been carefully read the 

 reader will remember that great stress was laid upon 

 the fact that all plants are great feeders, and that 



they are so by instinct, and to attempt to compel them 

 to abstain from their proper food, or limit their food 

 supply on the ground of economy or indifference, or 

 upon the supposition that they will grow anyhow, is 

 to reduce the product of that plant proportionately. It 

 is always a losing plan to restrict the food of plants, 

 for that means stunting their growth. 



Now, whether the seed be sown broadcast, planted: 

 in drills, or the young plant transplanted, care must be, 

 taken that the roots have space to spread, or reach 

 out for the required food. If they have not then they 

 rob each other and fail to produce as desired. Plants 

 are cannibalistic in their customs and must not be 

 humored in the slightest degree. 



There is a curious fact about the growth of plants 

 which may not be out of place here, inasmuch as it 

 will prove an addition to the reader's information con- 

 cerning the peculiarities of the plant kingdom : Ex- 

 periment has demonstrated that the smallest seeds,, 

 even, say the mustard or radish, sown in an absolutely 

 sterile soil will produce plants in which all the organs 

 are developed, but their weight after months does not 

 amount to much more than that of the original seed. 

 The plants remain delicate, and appear reduced or; 

 dwarfed in all dimensions. They may, however, grow, 

 flower and even bear seed, which only requires a fer-'; 

 tile soil to produce again a plant of natural size. 



In planting without providing room for the plant, 

 to feed, or sowing, or planting too many of its fellows 

 in too close proximity, the soil is rendered sterile by ; 

 over-consumption, and the plants starve or fail to pro- 

 duce adequate crops. This well known fact, together 

 with the application of the experiment above cited, will 

 explain why, in rows of plants, there are spots where 

 the plants do not grow to perfection so far as producing 

 is concerned. They grow, it is true, but they are 

 dwarfs. 



There is another thing to be considered also in this 

 connection, which is that plants are not all robust or 

 healthy in the same degree. One may be so situated as 

 to its environments as to be able to develop more 

 quickly than its neighbors, in which case it will "crowd 

 out" its neighbors, or absorb their food, which means 

 the same thing. Just as when two humans sleep, in 

 the same bed, the healthy and vigorous one will absorb 

 the vitality of the weaker one, a well attested' circum- 

 stance in medical annals. . 



Experience has demonstrated beyond controversy 

 that there is as much of a plant under ground as above 

 it, whether that plant be a tree or a cabbage, and 

 hence it is not difficult to gauge the proper distances 

 in planting, if perfection of growth be the desideratum. 

 Few, however, pay the slightest attention to this fact, 

 and hesitate to "prick out" the superfluous plants in 

 the radish or lettuce, bed, and the consequence is they 

 wonder why their neighbor grows such fine cabbages 

 when they have the same soil and bestow the same care 

 upon them. They do not give them the same care; the 

 neighbor is economical, for he thins out his rows and 

 gives the remaining plants room to grow. This means 

 quality as well as perfection. 



A Chinese gardener will grow vegetables so close 

 together that they will touch, and anyone watching him 

 will suppose that the thinning out process is not essen- 

 tial. But it is in his case as well as in all other cases, 

 the only difference being, the Chinaman knowing very 

 well that his plants will not grow if crowded together, 

 and that thev must be thinned out. But he knows the 



