/ 
♦ 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
ceeding days show that it has disappeared 
with great rapidity. It was also noticed 
that the trees perked up within a few 
hours, which would tend to substantiate 
the theory that much of the moisture had 
been taken up through the tree roots. The 
comparison of the soil moisture in sec¬ 
tions where no tree roots could reach, also 
shows a decided difference in the moisture 
content in favor of the treeless section. 
The charts comparing cultivated and 
noncultivated groves were made from 
data collected from soil borings made in 
May of 1913 and 1914. The soil in the 
grove was very dry, so dry in fact that 
the sand would run from the hand like 
perfectly dry beach sand. The actual per¬ 
centage of soil moisture contained in the 
open space shows that cultivation has con¬ 
served a great deal of moisture, especial¬ 
ly within the top three feet. (The non¬ 
cultivated space being very dry to the 4th 
foot, while the fifth and sixth feet show 
some moisture.) The cultivated treeless 
space shows that the soil is in good con¬ 
dition all the way down, containing the 
moisture within the top three feet of soil. 
On the other hand the difference in the 
moisture content in the cultivated and 
noncultivated grove show very little dif¬ 
ference, both being very dry. (The cul¬ 
tivated grove showed a little more moist¬ 
ure but both were dust dry.) 
The conclusions to be drawn from the 
above would tend to show that cultivation 
conserved moisture. (Shown by compari¬ 
son of noncultivated spaces). But that 
the tree roots take up this moisture very 
rapidly, and when the drouth is protracted 
all of the available moisture is taken up, 
so that continued cultivation would be 
69 
of little or no use. Yet it must be seen 
that cultivation has done a lot of good 
as the trees have had the benefit of the 
moisture that otherwise would be lost by 
evaporation and grass and weed roots. 
So it seems apparent that cultivation will 
tide over a drouth of short duration, but 
that irrigation would be necessary to ma¬ 
terially benefit the grove over a long 
drouth. It was shown last year that long 
drouths can be expected about one year 
in two, taking averages over a period of 
25 years although several wet years may 
follow in succession. 
The furrow tests are also conclusive. 
They show that if furrow irrigation is to 
be practiced, it is wise to have large heads 
of water, and get it over each tree row 
rapidly. Or if the grades are not fit 
for large heads of water, it would be a 
good plan to use portable pipe made from 
galvanized sheet iron. (Using nothing 
less than six-inch sizes, made of 24-gage 
iron in ten-foot lengths.) 
The use of terra cotta pipe for mains 
and laterals has been taken up in detail 
for the last three meetings. The favor¬ 
able rains of the last few years have not 
called for much grove irrigation but the 
dry years are coming and the man that 
is prepared is the man that is going to 
make the money. It has been shown this 
year that when everybody grows big 
crops, no one gets big prices. Let’s wait 
and see what the man will get who has 
a good irrigation plant, when another 
batch of those dry years come around. 
Most of us know what many of the grow¬ 
ers will get who can’t irrigate. 
In conclusion it should be understood 
that the reason for irrigation is to apply 
