THE OEANGE IN CALIFORNIA — CULTIVATION. 113 



six to nine inches. In our earlier planted orchard where we 

 did not commence with especially deep plowing, we have trouble 

 with the roots even at six inches. In our later plantings, on 

 deep plowing, repeated each season, we can keep a depth of 

 seven to nine inches easily. With this annual plowing we 

 have no trouble in getting the water into the ground during 

 the irrigating season. We aim to make the irrigation most 

 thorough every time. As aids to this, I want to mention three 

 things that we have found of great importance: 



First — W^e make our irrigating furrows as nearly the depth 

 of the annual plowing as possible. Thus putting the water 

 nearest where needed, greatly reducing the surface saturation 

 where so much water is wasted, and facilitating the early 

 covering of the furrows after irrigation. 



Second — Any portion of the orchard where there is any 

 special occasion we cross-furrow before making main furrows. 

 This done, with a little hard work the short pieces of the cross- 

 furrows are easily filled and kept full. (This is of special 

 advantage among large trees where the spaces between the 

 furrows, between the trees, are necessarily wide.) 



Third — We run water three days in place of two, total 

 amount of water the same. I think this practice may be 

 adopted much more generally than it has been, to great 

 advantage. W^e find that the third day leaves more water in 

 the ground than either of the others. By this method of irri- 

 gation I feel quite satisfied that the root strata could have 

 been kept thoroughly wet in spite of the hard layer, in any of 

 the young orchards where I have seen the subsoil plow used. 

 In older orchards where this layer had been hardening for 

 years, the implement may prove of great service. Of course 

 even in young orchards the desired results cannot be secured 

 by the most careful irrigation; except the water when once in 

 the ground is conserved by proper cultivation. 



Again, I would like to refer to our own experiences. Instead 

 of waiting for the irrigating furrows to become dry and then 

 breaking them up thoroughly, bringing much of the saturated 

 earth to the surface, as we used to do, as soon as possible— 

 often within twenty -four hours — we cover the furrows instead 

 of breaking them up. We do this with a single twelve-inch 

 upright plank, dragged lengthwise with the furrows. We 

 attach the plank to the shanks of an old two-horse walking 

 8c 



