THE IKKIGATION AGE. 



429 



IRRIGATION AND THE GARDEN. 



By Prof. W. J. Elliott, 



Superintendent of Agriculture, Department Natural 

 Resources, C. P. R. 



Irrigation to many localities is a veritable boon, and 

 yet irrigation may have its harmful as well as its benefi- 

 cial influences, when handled carelessly or when handled 

 by one who does not understand its use. 



A month or two ago I saw a man irrigating his gar- 

 den, and he had run so much water on to the soil that he 

 sank to his knees as he puddled around to direct the 

 water with his shovel. That was not irrigation; it was 

 folly. He was evidently going upon the theory that if a 

 little water was good a lot was better. The result was 



vegetable is not properly matured, and, hence, has not 

 the market value. 



Irrigation is common sense; we might ask ourselves 

 what is proper irrigation, and the reply might be, the ap- 

 plication of water artificially, and where necessary, in 

 such quantities as to produce a fair yield of properly ma- 

 tured produce. So that proper irrigation comes to be 

 the common sense application of water to growing plants. 

 The point is not how much water can I use, but how 

 little can I use to attain the desired results. And right 

 here is where we find a great difficulty with many water 

 users. If the water is in the ditch, they cannot bear to 

 see it going past, but will run it on the land, with little 

 regard for the amount necessary. 



A point, all competent irrigators agree upon, is that 

 one should rather under irrigate than over irrigate. 



How Much Water to Apply. 



There is no fixed rule for the application of water to 

 any crop. One locality may demand a certain amount, 

 while another locality may require an entirely different 



STRAWBERRIES IN THE TWIN FALLS' COUNTRY, IDAHO. 



The Berry Season Just Closed lias STipwn Conclusively that These Irrigated Berries May be Shipped with Liberal Profit to the Grower to 

 Eastern and Southern Cities, Beginning With the Close of the Season for Southern Berries. 



disastrous, for the heavy flooding of his land was having 

 four very serious evil effects upon the growth of his crops: 



1. He was lowering the temperature of the soil and 

 hence retarding the growth. 



2. He was excluding air, which is an absolutely 

 essential requisite to plant growth. 



3. The lowering of temperature and excluding of air 

 has a serious effect in lessening the production of solu- 

 ble plant food. 



4. The combination of these above points hinders 

 ripening, frequently to such 'an extent that the grain or 



amount. This amount is influenced largely by three 

 things. 



1. The amount of evaporation. 



2. The character of the soil. 



.'!. The character of the produce grown. 



For insfance, the northern part of Alberta, about Ed- 

 monton, gets about the same rainfall as certain areas 

 in Texas, and where the Edmonton district requires no 

 irrigation, Texas requires a great deal. The main reason 

 for this is the excessive evaporation due to the intense 

 heat. A heavy rain may fall and. in a short time, the 

 soil may be as dry as ever, and all due to evaporation. 



