remain near the surface where they find that they receive the 

 most water, instead of striking down deep, in search of the sub- 

 moisture which in most soils is to be found at some depth below 

 the surface. Any fool can understand that if the roots are near 

 the surface irrigation is needed much more frequently; but if 

 they strike deep, when water is applied and gets down to them 

 it evaporates much more slowly. We claim as a practical result 

 of the system of irrigation which we advocate that, if carried out 

 correctly one irrigation only every four weeks will be found 

 necessary in place of a weekly one, and instead of a man being 

 always present to look after the water, somebody to go once in 

 a while to see that it had not taken a mole hole instead of the 

 furrow is all that is required. 



We again state most emphatically that too much water is 

 being used in many orchards throughout the country, and this 

 is the cause of thousands of sickly and unhealthy trees, especially 

 those citrus trees having an unhealthy yellow appearance. An- 

 other reason which tends to make the manner of our usual irri- 

 gation still more fatal is the almost entire absence of drainage 

 in orchards. We have seen many pieces of orchards that were 

 being regularly irrigated that needed not water, but the water 

 at present contained in the soil effectively carried off by a system 

 of drainage; in fact, there was already water in the soil in ex- 

 cess, and the trees were suffering from it. We are practical 

 enough to recognise that it is often, for one reason or other, im- 

 possible to irrigate on the lines we suggest, and we are not dog- 

 matic enough to say that a fine orchard cannot be grown without 

 following out the system which we prefer ; but we simply wish 

 to point out to growers and planters the danger of over-irrigation, 

 and also the advantage of getting the irrigation water deep down. 



The ideal irrigation would be sub-irrigation, where the water 

 is led in underground drains and is not seen on the surface at 

 all. We have often seen orchards growing in a soil which is 

 naturally moist and has a natural system of sub-irrigation and 

 drainage ; it is in such sites that trees do so well and thrive with 

 less than 10 in. of rain. Finally, we must impress on planters 

 the absolute necessity of moving the surface soil with either 

 plough, cultivator, spade or hoe after each irrigation; this is 

 just as important as the giving of water itself ; everybody knows 

 how, if it is not done, the soil, after receiving water, opens up 

 with deep cracks, through which all the water brought on to it is 

 soon evaporated away from the lower depths. 



Leonard Coates, one of the best known Calif ornian 

 orchardists, who is looked upon as an authority, writes as follows 

 on orchard irrigation. 



" It would be a difficult task for one man to undertake to 

 instruct the irrigation and cultivation for as large an area of land' 



