QUANTITY OF WATER 347 
produced with a very small amount of irrigation 
water. Secondly, it follows that it would be a great 
deal better for the farmer who raises wheat, for in- 
stance, to cover ten acres of land with water to a 
depth of five inches than to cover one acre to a depth 
of fifty inches, for in the former case four hundred 
bushels and in the second sixty bushels of wheat 
would: be produced. The farmer who desires to 
utilize in the most economical manner the small 
amount of water at his disposal must prepare the 
land according to dry-farm methods and then must 
spread the water at his disposal over a larger area 
of land. The land must be plowed in the fall if the 
conditions permit, and fallowing should be practiced 
wherever possible. If the farmer does not wish to 
fallow his family garden he can achieve equally good 
results by planting the rows twice as far apart as is 
ordinarily the case and by bringing the irrigation 
furrows near the rows of plants. Then, to make 
the best use of the water, he must carefully cover the 
irrigation furrow with dry dirt immediately after 
the water has been applied.and keep the whole surface 
well stirred so that evaporation will be reduced to 
a minimum. The beginning of irrigation wisdom 
is always the storage of the natural precipitation. 
When that is done correctly, it is really remarkable 
how far a small amount of irrigation water may be 
made to go. 
Under conditions of water scarcity it is often found 
