BETTER FRUIT 



Papr 2j 



Figure 19~FURR0\V IRRIGATION', SHOWIXC, 

 DRY SPACES 



The soil first rtcei\'e(l an irrigation of 

 six inches in depth over the surface, and 

 in the tanks which had no mulch over 

 line-third of this amount was evaporated 

 in thirty-two days, while less than one 

 per cent was evaporated in the tanks 

 which were protected by a nine-incli 

 mulch. 



Similar experiments carried on at 

 Wenatchee, Washington, in June, ]9()S, 

 showed the following losses in twenty- 

 one days: No mulch, fourteen and one- 

 third per cent of water applied; three- 

 inch mulch, four per cent; six-inch mulch, 

 two per cent, and nine-inch mulch one 

 per cent. 



From the foregoing it is evident that 

 Western orchardists can prevent the 

 greater part of the evaporation losses by 

 cultivating orchards to a depth of at least 

 six inches as soon as practicable after 

 each irrigation. 



In the preceding paragraphs attentiun 

 has been called to the large amount of 

 water which is vaporized frum warm, 

 moist soils. We wish here to call 

 attention to another loss of a different 

 character. In all modes of wetting the 

 soil, but more particnlarlj' when deep 

 furrows are used to distribute the water, 

 a part is liable to sink beyond the deep- 

 est roots. As a rule the longer the fur- 

 row the greater is the loss from this 

 cause. In furrows about one-eighth of a 

 mile long Dr. Loughridge. in his experi- 

 ments at Riverside, California, found 

 that in some parts of the orchard the 

 soil was wet as a result of a recent irri- 

 gation to depths of twenty to twenty-si.x 

 feet, while in other parts the moisture 

 had not penetrated beyond the third foot. 



One of the best ways of finding out 

 whether much water is lost by deep per- 

 colation is to dig cross trenches as deep 

 as the feeding roots go. The moisture 

 which passes the deepest roots in its 

 downward course may be considered as 

 wasted. 



An example of fairly even and desir- 

 able moisture distribution fmm furrows 



ltuj>^^L4M 



is shdvvn in secti(jnb XI and XII of l'"ig- 

 ure 2S, where the three cur\ ed lines slmw 

 the margins of wetted mnislure at the en 1 

 of one, two and three daj's, respecti\'eli'. 



The loss of water is not the only ef¥ect 

 of deep percolation. The water which 

 escapes in this and other ways usually 

 moves through the soil at a rather slow 

 rate of speed until it reaches some under- 

 ground body of water at a lower level. 

 In case orchards have been planted at 

 these lower levels when the sub-soil was 

 dry care should be exercised in observ- 

 ing the rise of the ground water level. 

 The small post-hole auger shown in 

 Figure 29 is one of the most convenient 

 tools to use in making test wells to 

 keep track of the behavior of the ground 

 water. Before the deepest roots of the 

 fruit trees are submerged artificial drain- 

 age (lught to be provided. Otherwise 

 the ground water will at first lessen the 

 3neld, and finally destroy the trees. 



The drainage of orchard tracts usually 

 progresses in more or less distinct and 

 separate stages. When the ground 

 water begins to be a menace the nat- 

 ural ravines in the vicinity' are cleared 

 of weeds and other rubbish, and deep- 

 ened. If the ground water continues to 

 rise the open drains are deepened and 

 extended, or else the excess water is 

 withdrawn through a covered drain. 



FicuRK 311 -CROSS FURROWIXf; DRV SPACES 



Figure 2]~USE OF ZIG-Z.\G FURROWS 



Open drains in orchards occup}' valu- 

 able land, obstruct field work and are 

 expensive to maintain. Some of these 

 objections can be lessened, if not entirely 

 removed, b}' locating such drains along 

 the lower boundarjf of the tract. When 

 this plan is followed covered drains are 

 frequently laid among the trees, and dis- 

 chafge into the open drains. Sometimes 

 the source and direction of the waste 

 water which is waterlogging an orchard 

 can be traced beneath the surface. In 

 this e^•ent it is well to wy to intercept 

 its passage before it reaches the trees. 

 This can be done by an open drain, but 

 a covered pipe drain of the recjuired size 

 is preferable. Where durable lumber is 

 cheap box drains similar to that shown 

 in Figure 30 may be used. Where lum- 

 ber is high in price it will be more eco- 

 nomical to use pipe drains made of 

 either clay or cement. The former is 

 most frequently used for sizes ranging 

 from four t(j eight inches in diameter 

 and the latter for sizes ten inches and 

 over. The clay or tile drains are made 

 one foot in length, but in using cement 

 for the larger sizes the length may be 

 increased to two, and even three feet. 



The drainage of irrigated lands differs 

 in many respects from that common to 

 the humid States of Iowa, Illinois or 



^ buppiy Ditcfi — — _^ — 



% fii Iff 3 



Figure 22~P..\SIX AIETHOD OF IRRIGATION 



Ohio. In irrigated districts the drains 

 are larger and are laid deeper. While 

 four-inch tile drains may be used in 

 places si.x-inch drains are to be pre- 

 ferred, and should be crmsidered as the 

 smallest desirable size. The depth at 

 which they are laid ranges from four to 

 seven feet, and five to six feet arc 

 required for orchards. A grade of five 

 feet to the mile is about the least that 

 should be used, and wherever practicable 

 it should be increased to ten feet to 

 the mile. 



In laying drains that are likely to 

 become clogged with silt or roots, or 

 both, a small cable is laid in each line, 

 and at distances of 300 to 500 feet sand 

 boxes similar to Figure 31 are placed, so 

 as to facilitate cleaning the tiles \vith 

 suitable wire brushes. 



The large majority of California fruit 

 growers do not grow marketable crops 

 between the trees. They believe in 

 clean culture, except where leguminous 

 crops are used to renovate and fertilize 

 the soil. From the standpoint of the 

 large commercial orchard and the well- 

 to-do proprietor this practice has much 

 to recommend it. The planting of such 

 an orchard is regarded as a long-time 

 investment. Little, if any, returns are 

 expected for the first few years, but 

 when the trees approach maturity and 

 are in full bearing the anticipated profits 

 are supposed to compensate the owner 

 for all the lean years. Any treatment, 

 therefore, which tends to rob the soil of 

 its plant food when the trees are young 

 or to retard their growth is pretty cer- 

 tain to lessen the yields and the conse- 

 quent profits in later years. Professor 

 E. J. Wickson, director of the California 

 Experiment Station, tersely expressed 

 the prevailing opinion on this question 

 in California in his work, "California 

 limits, and How to Grow Them," in the 

 following language: "All intercultures 



FiGURi! 3:^— RIDGER XTSED IN P.ASTN IRRTG.XTTON 



