THE CONQUEST OF ARID AMERICA 



scientific farmer sends the water from his canal through 

 the little furrows which divide the lines of strawberry 

 plants, but permits the water to go singing past his field 

 of beets. 



Plants and trees require moisture as well as sunshine 

 and soil, and for three reasons : first, that the tiny roots 

 may extract the chemical qualities from the soil; then, 

 that there may be sap and juice; finally, that there may 

 be moisture to evaporate or transpire from the leaves. 

 But while all plant- life requires moisture, all kinds of it 

 do not require the same amount, nor do they desire to 

 receive it at the same time and in the same manner. 

 Just as the skilful teacher studies the individualities of 

 fifty different boys, endeavoring to discover how he may 

 most wisely vary his methods to obtain the best results 

 from each, so the scientific farmer studies his fifty differ- 

 ent plants or trees and adjusts his artificial "rainfall" 

 in the way which will produce the highest outcome. 

 With the aid of colleges, experimental farms, and county 

 institutes, wonderful progress has been made along these 

 lines in recent years. This progress will continue until 

 the agriculture and horticulture practised on the little 

 farms of Arid America shall match the marvellous re- 

 sults won by research and inventive genius in every other 

 field of human endeavor. 



This is the miracle of irrigation upon its scientific 

 side.* 



* For full explanation of practical methods of irrigation, see 

 Appendix. 



