40 FRUIT CULTURE. 



there are few streams which can be drverted 

 and relied upon in a dry time to give a full sup- 

 ply. If access to streams or ponds of sufficient 

 size can be had, it would doubtless be a wise 

 investment for the enterprising fruit-grower to 

 put in a wind-mill or a steam-pump, and a sys- 

 tem of pipes. With steam the water may be 

 forced directly from the pump, but with a wind- 

 mill, a reservoir of large capacity, elevated from 

 twenty to thirty feet above the field, would be 

 necessary. It would thus be practicable to give 

 an inch of water to an entire acre in a day, by 

 using a hose one and a half inches in diameter, 

 with a pressure of thirty feet head. The water 

 should not be allowed to fall or run in a stream, 

 thus supersaturating some parts and causing 

 the ground to cake, but should be distributed in 

 spray, like rain. To most cultivators it will 

 seem to involve too much expense and labor to 

 irrigate so extensively. Yet in many cases it 

 would doubtless prove remunerative, especially 

 for strawberries, which constantly cry out for 

 water, water, water, — and again a little more 

 water. 



Will it be advisable to attempt to supply wa^ 

 ter in more limited quantities ? It is said that 

 it does more harm than good to partially water 

 plants in a time of drought. It is true that 



