Advantages of Abundant Moisture 



period, and in humid climates, where the growth of 

 vegetation can only begin in March or April, even 

 though the rainfall were the same as in the San Joaquin 

 Valley, crops like wheat could not be matured ; and it 

 is quite possible that this would also be true of the 

 country in question did it have an ice-bound winter. 



In the vicinity of Fresno, California, where a large 

 acreage of raisin grapes are grown on a sandy loam, 

 generally without irrigation, it is the belief of many 

 of the growers that their vineyards derive not a little 

 moisture through a seepage from the canals and ditches 

 of the district, whose waters are more generally used 

 in the irrigation of alfalfa ; but, as many of these 

 vineyards are considerable distances from both canals 

 and ditches, it is, perhaps, more probable that the 

 grapes survive through extremely deep and wide root- 

 feeding and, perhaps, small foliage evaporation. It is 

 the naturally small water capacity of the Fresno soils, 

 and those referred to near Merced, which makes it so 

 difficult to understand how, even with very wide and 

 deep root -feeding, moisture enough could be gathered 

 to maintain growth and cany a crop to maturity 

 without rain during the summer season, and without 

 irrigation . 



ADVANTAGES OF AN ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF 

 SOIL MOISTURE 



While there are such cases as those cited above, 

 in which plants appear to thrive and to produce fail- 

 yields with relatively small amounts of water, yet it 



