GROWING BY IRRIGATION. 287 



The second irrigation is niucli more easily given 

 than the first. More water may be used and there 

 will be less danger of washing. The little alfalfa 

 plants check the flow of the water and distribute it. 

 The land soaks better too. When it needs the third 

 irrigation usually a good deal more water may be 

 turned in with no danger of wasting. Finally when 

 the plants are strong and branched and the crop has 

 been once mown off one may turn a young river over 

 the field with no harm. 



The practice then is to turn out all in one place a 

 strong stream, and let it flow till it has reached the 

 cross ditch below, then shutting off the flow at that 

 place to' open it a little further along the ditch. It is 

 allowed to flow in at this point till that strip is 

 soaked, when it is again moved farther across the 

 field, and so on till all the land is wet. 



These heavy irrigations cause the furrows to level 

 up a great deal, so that a field that seemed rough 

 and ridged for mowing will be all right after being 

 flooded a time or two and one will even wish that 

 he had made his furrows deeper and the ridges more 

 pronounced if he has not his land well leveled. This 

 is the system in almost universal use in our western 

 states. 



When to Irrigate. — Alfalfa should never be al- 

 lowed to get very dry in winter time. It is well to 

 irrigate thoroughly late in the fall, when it will go 

 through winter in good condition. Watering it in 

 winter will not do any harm if the soil is pervious, 

 and any excess of moisture can readily drain away. 



