76 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
with the quality far superior. The fruit from the irri- 
gated plants would sell at the highest price, when those 
from the nonirrigated plants might go at a low figure. 
“The increase of baskets of peppers, to say nothing 
concerning the great superiority of the whole crop over 
that of the nonirrigated belts, cost for the water 243/2 
cents (24.46), which in round numbers is 5 cents (5.14) a 
basket. 
“The total weight of celery was 465 y> pounds, 3293/2 
pounds being produced in the irrigated and 136 pounds 
in the nonirrigated rows. In round numbers this is two 
and one-half (2.40, to be exact) times as much celery 
upon the irrigated as upon the nonirrigated land. How- 
ever, these figures do not indicate the full difference of 
market value, for the irrigated celery was of good size 
and quality, readily salable at a fair price, while the non- 
irrigated rows yielded a crop that was worth less than the 
cost of production. After the plants were prepared fo* 
market by removing the worthless outside leaves and the 
roots, it was shown that the loss from the irrigated was 
28.57 per cent, while from the nonirrigated it was 40 per 
cent, which is a much greater loss for the smaller plants 
than for the larger. 
“The difference between the marketable products of 
the two rows is in round numbers three to one; but when 
the selling price is considered, the difference is not far 
from eight to one in favor of irrigation.” 
The late W. W. Rawson, a highly successful and ex- 
tensive market gardener of Boston, practiced irrigation 
many years ago, and was an earnest advocate of artificial 
watering. He said (“Success in Market Gardening,” Raw- 
son, p. 27) : “We cannot believe there is even an acre of 
growing crop which, in a dry time, would not be bene- 
fited by such a watering to an amount much more than 
the cost; though many people shrink from the expense 
involved, and are skeptical about getting full return from 
