58 



THE ORANGE, 



two trees. Then you know the whole or- 

 chard will shortly be in the same condi- 

 tion, and it is time to begin another irri- 

 gation. Although the orange is a hardy 

 tree, and, when watered, quickly revives 

 from a most distressed condition, it is 

 better that this check to its grouth "be 

 avoided altogether by keeping it constant- 

 ly fresh and vigorous. 



VARIOUS METHODS OF IRRIGATION. 

 There are many different ways of irriga- 

 ting trees, each one adapted to its locality 

 and circumstances. 



THE OLD WAY FLOODING. On the 

 most level lands of the valley water is 

 run in ditches or zanjas and turned into 

 the orchard, flooding the entire surface. 

 This method of running water in open 

 ditches implies three things: 1st An 

 abundance of water; 2d nearly level land; 

 3d a tolerably compact soil, so that the 

 water is carried in the ditch without too 

 great wastage. After the irrigation the 

 entire surface should be cultivated. 



THE BASIN METHOD. A more modern 

 and better system consists in turning the 

 water into baisins made about the trees. 

 The baisin may be round or square, and 

 consists of a ridge or dyke thrown up to 

 retain the water about the trees until it 

 seeps away. Latterly a plow has been in- 

 vented for throwing up these ridges, and 

 a man and a team can make with it a 

 hundred baisins a day. The size of the 

 basin increases with the age of the tree, 

 the plan usually followed being to make 

 it as broad as the overhanging top. When 

 the trees are full-grown these baisins are 

 generally made contiguous, so that nearly 

 the entire surface of the ground is flooded. 



IRRIGATING IN FURROWS. Another 

 plan is to run two or three furrows along 

 each side of a row of trees, and graduate 

 the supply of water so that it will fill all 

 the furrows without overflowing. In this 

 manner the water is allowed to run from 

 six to twelve hours, and by seepage the 

 ground is thoroughly moistened along the 

 entire row. If the head of water is suffi- 

 cient, a number of rows may be watered 

 simultaneously, the supply for each being 

 diverted from the main stream. The 

 arrangement for this purpose is a flume 

 running along the highest side of the or- 

 chard. From this flume the irrigating 



furrows lead out at right angles, and the 

 water is supplied to them through auger- 

 holes in the side of the flume. 



SUB-IRRIGATION. A few years ago some 

 Los Angeles gentlemen patented a system 

 of sub-irrigation, and it has been intro- 

 duced to a slight extent. It consists of a 

 series of concrete pipes laid in the ground 

 deep enough to escape the cultivator, and 

 through them water is conveyed and ap- 

 plied directly to the roots of every tree 

 in an orchard. An ingenuous machine 

 worked by hand makes and lays the pipe 

 simultaneously, turning it out (pardon 

 the simile) very much as a butcher turns 

 out bologna sausages with his stuffer. 

 The pipe is thus made continuous, and 

 there are no joints to bother either in the 

 making or the leaking afterward. A plug 

 of established size allows a little of the 

 water to exude beneath each tree, and it 

 gradually seeps through the soil, fur- 

 nishing a reliable supply, and that ap- 

 plied where it will do the most good. Of 

 course quite a complicated system of 

 pipes is required, with a main running 

 from the water supply and laterals ex- 

 tending along each row of trees or between 

 each two rows. There is also a piece of 

 pipe set vertically over each irrigating 

 orifice, extending to the surface^like a 

 miniature well. This receives the water 

 as discharged allowing it gradually to 

 soak away, and at the same time prevents 

 the earth from baking over the orifice and 

 closing it up. The only mechanical ob- 

 jection I have to the system is its compli- 

 cation and the likelihood of its getting 

 out of order. There is also danger of de- 

 stroying the vertical pipes or wells in 

 cultivation. A still more serious objec- 

 tion is the great cost, which amounts to 

 something like fifty or sixty dollars an 

 acre. This system has been in use for 

 some years in a number of places in 

 Southern California, and has generally 

 given satisfaction. There is by this meth- 

 od a great saving in the labor of irrigating 

 as well as in working the ground. The 

 water being applied beneath the surface, 

 does the tree the utmost possible good 

 and at the same time does not start the 

 weeds or cause the ground to bake. The 

 invention is as meritorious as it is ingen- 

 ious. 



