1174 ENCYCLOPEDIA 
OF PRACTICAL 
HORTICULTURE 
Fig. 1. 
half feet from the ditch that it has perco- 
lated also to a depth which is equivalent 
to its lateral percolation. Then it is 
turned onto another portion of the field 
or orchard and as soon as the irrigated 
portions are dry enough they are cul- 
tivated while the water is still running, 
and thus irrigation and cultivation in dif- 
ferent parts of the orchard are being 
carried on at the same time. 
Underground Method 
Another method is underground ditches 
into which the water is run and allowed 
to saturate the soil at greater depth than 
is possible with surface irrigation. 
The most popular method at present 
for most conditions is the small furrow 
method of surface irrigation, although it 
Furrow Method of Irrigation. 
—Colville Photo 
is conceded that the underground method 
has many things to. commend it, and 
seems to be ideal when the conditions 
of soil are right for its application. 
Among the things urged in favor of un- 
derground irrigation are the following: 
First: Economy of water, because 
there is less evaporation by this method 
than where water is placed on the sur- 
face. 
Second: Economy in time, since there 
is not the trouble of making surface 
ditches five times a year or as many 
times as the land is irrigated, and no 
time is wasted in waiting for the ground 
to dry for cultivation. The amount of 
water taken up by the surface soil un- 
der force of capillary attraction is not 
