TWENTY-EIGHTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



61 



shallow surface furrows — a single furrow in between the rows of trees. 

 In setting the old seedling trees about twenty years or more ago they 

 were placed about 28 feet apart. Then later, when I budded over to 

 Navels, there was a small Navel tree set in the center of the four. That 

 brought them 14 feet apart — 7 feet from the furrow. And the water is 

 run in that furrow. Before I had my own water I used to run it two 

 days — twenty hours. Last summer I ran it forty-eight hours without 

 stopping. I like this method very much. I was forced to it in the first 

 place. After plowing-under my green crop my ground. was very rough. 

 I could not make shallow furrows and carry the water. I had been in 

 the habit of making three. I said: If I run the water in three furrows 

 one day or in one furrow three days I would put on the same amount of 

 water. So I thought I would reach it in that way. I like it for several 

 reasons. One is it saves the trouble of covering up the wet ground. I 

 don't get much wet ground — a little on each side. If I turn the water 

 off to-night, to-morrow morning I run alongside of it on the side where the 

 furrow has been thrown up with a plow and throw that loose dirt back 

 on the wet ground. Three days after that I run the cultivator through 

 any depth I choose. I have had very good success running the water in 

 that way. As a proof of it, the first year I started to do so I had some 

 young trees that had been set the fall before; that is, they were nine 

 months old. That was three or four years ago. That summer those 

 young trees got no other irrigation except that single furrow, and they 

 did splendidly and grew well. They made a strong growth and con- 

 tinued to look in fine condition throughout the season. So I take it for 

 granted they are getting water enough. I have all kinds of soil, from the 

 very lightest ash-heap to an adobe that will bake pretty hard — not the 

 worst kind, but brown adobe. I have used the same system in all, and 

 have had good success in all. I prefer, though, for oranges, a deep soil. 

 While it is a little slower to start with, in my estimation you get a much 

 finer and stronger growth and a much healthier tree. 



MR. STONE. That seems to me to be a thing worth threshing out. 

 If it is enough for us orchardists to plow one furrow between our trees 

 instead of three or four, it is saving us a lot of labor and a lot of money, 

 and that is what we are all after. If there is any other experience that 

 will confirm this, I should be glad, Mr. President, if you can extract it. 



MR. WEEKS. One word I didn't mention. I have found after 

 irrigating in a single furrow and forcing the water down that way and 

 having it disappear entirely, that if you take a shovel and dig down 

 anywhere — and where there is no hardpan at all — you will find mois- 

 ture when you get down a short distance. The soil was not dry around 

 the trees. It was moist under the surface. It saves a large amount of 

 weed hoeing in summer. 



MR. BERWICK. How often do you apply water? 



