AUGUST, 1908;] 



147 



Scien tiflc A grim d ti ire) 



Several opportunities for these me- 

 thods occur in the Moss Vale and other 

 districts, but in very few cases have 

 they been practised. Possibly the chief 

 reason is that the necessity for irriga- 

 tion has never before been so apparent ; 

 but in other cases, it may be due to a 

 want of knowledge of the advantages or 

 practice of irrigation. 



Many people, when the subject of irri- 

 gation is discussed, speak as though it 

 required a great expenditure for costly 

 pumps, pipes, cement drains, and special 

 implements. For large areas, perma- 

 nent, and therefore costly, appliances are 

 necessary ; but a few acres can often 

 be cultivated by the judicious use of 

 the plough, with a little fiuming of 

 the most primitive materials. In the 

 Kangaroo Valley, for example, the 

 trunks of the cabbage-tree palms are 

 frequently used for water fluming. 

 whilst hollow logs, and strips of bark, 

 are used in other cases. With an ordi- 

 nary spirit level on pegs or a home-made 

 A-level, it will often be found that water 

 can be brought on to land apparently 

 higher than the stream. Old miners are 

 generally expert in constructing water- 

 races, and several examples of their 

 industry can be seen around Adelong 

 and other old mining districts. 



Although to many people these 

 schemes may appear paltry, they go to 

 prove the possibilities of more extended 

 areas, and provide that practical experi- 

 ence which will be necessary when 

 larger water supplies are available. 

 Settlers should not be above consider- 

 ing such methods, even if the irrigable 

 area is small, for it is really wonderful 

 what an amount of succulent fodder 

 can be obtained from a small area. 

 Only two acres planted with sorghum 

 will, with watering, produce over 40 

 tons of green stuff. This would, lately, 

 have been very acceptable on those dairy 

 farms where the occupiers were carting 

 prickly-pear for miles, or paying pro- 

 hibitive prices for hay. Even the over- 

 flow from a wind-mill tank could often 

 irrigate a small patch, and thus save a 

 little of the expensive hay. 



Coming to the actual application of 

 water to crops, the chief object should 

 be to ensure an even supply. This even 

 supply of moisture — not too much and too 

 little— is absolutely necessary for perfect 

 plant development- To quote the words 

 of a well-known agricultural lecturer, 

 " Plants drink their food, they don't 

 eat it." It has been, unfortunately, too 

 often demonstrated that the best arti- 

 ficial fertilisers or the richest basaltic 

 soils are utterly useless without suffi- 

 cient moisture. To artificially supply 

 this moisture, "sprinkling" may appear 

 the most natural method, but it is seldom 



practised for farm crops. In the town 

 of Picton (which rejoices in a water 

 supply at Id, per 1,000 gallons) some 

 Chinamen have rented a few acres of 

 land from A. H. An till, Esq., and erected 

 tall poles, with outstanding spars to 

 carry hoses and sprinklers. The vegeta- 

 bles are growing luxuriantly ; but the 

 method does not appear an unqualified 

 success, and probably the furrow system 

 of watering would be just as effective and 

 more economical. Surface sprinkling, 

 although extensively practised in subur- 

 ban gardens, only gives best results when 

 the soil is covered with a good mulch 

 or heavy foliage of plants. Unless a 

 thorough soaking is given, most of the 

 moisture is evaporated by the next day's 

 heat. Sprinkling when the sun is scorch- 

 ing hot, although often practised, is 

 certainly unnatural, and has not nearly 

 such a good effect as on a dull day or at 

 night-time. 



Theoretically, the best time to apply 

 water is when the weather appears like 

 rain, as the moisture is then received 

 under natural conditions of atmospheric 

 pressure and evaporation. In practice, 

 however, water must be applied when- 

 ever the leaves of the plants show that 

 the moisture content of the soil is below 

 their requirements. This is one of the 

 reasons for the frequent statement that 

 '•a shower of rain is better than hours 

 of sprinkling." Another reason is that 

 the first showers of rain after thunder 

 (especially hailstorms) generally contain 

 a small quantity of ammonia and nitric 

 acid from the electric disturbances, and 

 this has a stimulating effect as an im- 

 mediately available plant food. The 

 initial cost of pipes and taps is another 

 disadvantage of the hose and sprinkler 

 method, which may be dismissed, as 

 seldom applicable for farm crops. 



The flooding and check system of 

 watering, as practised in many parts ot 

 America, has not been generally adopted 

 in this State, except for lucerne and per- 

 manent pastures. Flooding invariably 

 leaves the land very hard and sodden, 

 and requires more preparation of the 

 land. Grading and levelling is generally 

 necessary to prepare any extensive 

 irrigation area, but the process is rather 

 expensive, and not always easy for the 

 average farmer. Where the soil is 

 shallow, as in most parts of Cumberland 

 and Camden, extensive grading oper- 

 ations are not practical, for it is evident 

 that if 18 inches of the surface soil is 

 scraped away, it will be years before the 

 bare patch of subsoil will produce pro- 

 fitable crops. 



How to Irrigate. 



By the furrow system, which is the 

 best for most crops, land can be irrigated 



