304 



THE IRKIGATION AGE. 



of lumber, but a serviceable box can be 

 made out of old packing boxes. 



Some of the advantages of this method 

 over ordinary furrow irrigation are: A 

 constant head over the inlets of each 

 set of tubes while the surplus passes 

 down the field ditch; the opportunity to 

 use one or all or any combination of 

 checks at the same time, as it is pos- 

 sible to regulate the head and conse- 

 quently the discharge by raising or low- 

 ering the flashboard; and the automatic 

 character of the water distribution while 

 irrigating. 



No fixed rule can be given as to the 

 proper spacing of the furrows or the 

 time water should run in each. In 

 heavy retentive soils the furrows may 

 be 2 to 2.5 inches deep and only 16 

 inches apart, while in more open soils 

 the furrows may be 48 inches apart. 



The amount of water which should 

 flow in each furrow depends on the 

 character of the soil and the slope. It 

 is a common practice in the Yakima 

 Valley to space the furrows 18 to 24 

 inches apart when the seeding is done, 

 but as the plants grow their roots soon 

 penetrate several feet into the soil and 

 alternate furrows are then abandoned. 

 If the tract contains 10, 20 or 30 acres 

 the furrows run all the way across, if 



the slope will allow it. Water is frequently run a quarter 

 of a mile in the small furrows. In furrows 660 to 1,320 

 feet long in sandy loam, the water has to be kept running 

 continuously for about two days, and consequently there 

 is usually much waste due to deep percolation. In distrib- 



Fig. 21. Building a supply ditch. 



uting water in furrows it is a good plan to follow the prac- 

 tice of the irrigators of the orange belt in Southern 

 California, who turn into each furrow, until the furrows 

 are wet, three or four times as much water as will be per- 

 mitted to remain, and then reduce the flow. 



MAKING MORE POTATOES. 



For a good many years the general farmer has con- 

 tented himself with occasionally going over his potato 

 plants with a bucket and a stick in an attempt to eradicate 

 entirely the destructive potato beetle or "bug." In a way, 

 this has answered the purpose, since the plants were saved 

 from being entirely consumed by the hordes of insect pests 

 that continually swarmed up from nowhere, but of course 

 it was impossible to rid each plant of all the bugs that 

 infested it. Some of the eggs were sure to remain and 

 hatch. 



Then there were the many varied plant diseases to 

 which the tubers were subjected and a few years ago no 

 methods were available to effectually control them, since 

 no systematic study had been given to this branch of agri- 

 culture. 



Realizing that more scientific methods should be 

 adopted to successfully combat these different pests, the 

 New York Experiment Station at Geneva made some 

 very interesting and careful experiments in recent years, 

 the results of which have lately been published in bulletin 

 form. 



Their research revealed that frequent sprayings during 

 the dry seasons of the year effected much better plant 

 conditions and a proportionately 'increased potato crop. 

 Volunteer experiments carried out by interested farmers 

 under the written directions of the Station gave very inter- 

 esting results. 



Out of eleven volunteer experiments, there was shown 

 an average gain per acre, due to spraying, of 66J4 bushels. 

 The average net cost of spraying per acre was 84 cents 

 and the average price of potatoes at digging time was 

 60 cents per bushel. A little mental arithmetic makes it 

 self-evident that it pays to spray. 



The observations made in these experiments have con- 

 vinced all the researchers that it is unwise to neglect 

 spraying in dry seasons. Even when there is no blight, 

 five or six sprayings should be made during the season. 

 In dry weather the wounding of the leaves by bugs, flea 

 beetles and other insects is more injurious than in wet 

 weather. Unless regular spraying is practiced, the appli- 

 cation of poison for bugs is likely to be neglected. Flea 

 beetles flourish best in dry weather, and it is an estab- 



Mrchine Used- to Spray Potatoes. 



lished fact that thorough spraying at the proper time will 

 materially lessen the damage done by flea beetles. If flea 

 beetles are not, at least partially, checked by spraying it is 

 positive proof that the work has not been done properly. 

 There seems to be very little danger that the work of 

 potato spraying will be overdone, and the maximum profit 

 cannot be realized unless the work is done most thor- 

 oughly. 



(Continued on page 319.) 



