116 THE CANADIAN HOKTICULTUlilST. 



I like this manner of treating my orchard very much ; what it would 

 cost me to hire the sheep pastured each week will buy at least 600 pounds 

 of bran and 400 pounds of corn, making an aggregate each summer of 

 over ten tons of the very best kind of fertillizer for the orchard. For the 

 money I pay for feed I get my sheep kept in the finest condition, have the 

 lambs growing finely all summer, and have the whole amount of feed 

 bought (which is worth all it costs for the purpose) scattered about the 

 orchard in the best possible manner. Thus, you see, I prove that it is 

 perfectly practicable to " eat my cake and have it, too," or in other words, 

 to get twice value received for the money invested, besides having codliu 

 moth successfully trapped. 



IRRIGATIOK 



BY P. E. BUCICE, OTTAWA. 



It has given me a great deal of pleasure to find that my papers on 

 irrigation, read before the winter meetings of the Fruit Growers* 

 Association in 1877 and 1878, have at last met with some attention 

 in the public press, and I have to thank my brotlier Director, Mr. 

 *Beal, of Lindsay, for bringing forward this subject, which I consider 

 one of the greatest importance as regards the wealth and prosperity of 

 Ontario. 



Some knowledge of the subject of irrigation and the requirements 

 of plants would convince the most sceptical that " in the greater part 

 of the hot growing season water is in a great measure wanting, because 

 there was not enough moisture to moisten the ground." Some very 

 interesting experiments have been made at various times, which would , 

 tend to bear out this statement. One of these was conducted by J. B. 

 Lawes, of Eothamstead, England, with the view of ascertaining the 

 amount of water required for a crop of wheat, and it was shown "that 

 for every pound of dry matter produced, 200 pounds of water was 

 evaporated through the leaves, and for every pound of mineral water 

 assimilated by the crop, 2000 pounds of water passed through the 

 plants." Mr. Lawes therefore came to the conclusion that the natural 

 supply of rain water was totally inadequate for a maximum crop, and 

 that leguminous plants, such as beans and clover, require a much 

 larger supply of water. If such is the case in the humid climate of 

 England, how much more so must it be under the briglit sky and dry 

 atmosphere of Canada. Under Mr. Lawes experiment the plants were 

 given all tlie water they required, and the manures used were the 



