FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
135 
rigate? This is still a problem in the minds of raanv, not only 
of those who do not own plants, but of those who have them. 
During the last two years 1 find many who have high pressure 
plants are using what we call the‘‘California” system, running 
the water in furrows. The plan of piping with hydrants on 
corners of squares, from one to t wo hundred feet apart, which 
is coming into use here, lends itself readily to this system. 
The water, in almost any grove, can be placed in furrows and 
each hydrant’s output be made to meet that of its neighbors,, 
The land is so situated in some groves that it is advisable to 
put the water into a trough, having sides eight inches high. 
In these sides, and opposite the middle of spaces between rows 
of trees are little zinc gates and thus, into the furrows running 
from these gates in either direction, are dealt out miners’ 
inches. This trough, running across the grove at the highest 
point, is kept filled from hose attached to the hydrants near¬ 
est at hand. 
It is conceded that there are some reasons in favor of turn¬ 
ing the water into furrows, where it can be done, during the 
blooming season perhaps, instead of delivering it into the air 
through nozzles. In this way less water is lost by evapora¬ 
tion and it goes at once down into the ground where it may 
chance to meet the moist sub-soil (if there is any) and spread 
laterally to reach a large part of the roots. The furrow meth¬ 
od, under favoring circumstances, requires less labor. 
On the other hand, the water will not run far unless the 
land slopes quite preceptibly, and even on quite a steep de¬ 
scent a greater part of the water is absorbed in the portions 
of furrows nearest the supply. There is no certainty of uni¬ 
form distribution. If we had large ditches from which to 
draw our supply and uniform down grades, as the Califor¬ 
nians usually have we should doubtless more generally conform 
to their practice. But even in that case our soil is so unlike 
theirs that there would still remain some difficulty about it. 
In the majority of cases here it is best to have a high pressure 
system, and having it the owner can deliver the water to his 
trees by either method, viz: forcing it well into the air by 
hose and nozzle, or allowing it to find the roots by the fur¬ 
rows. 
In using; hose and nozzle, however, it is not always advis¬ 
able to throw the water over the trees or into the trees. It is 
wise at times to do so, but at other tirm s it, is well to deliver 
it on the surface, or at least bv a horizontal stream under the 
branches. If the foot-rot is present or feared, the earth often 
accumulated too deep around the collars of the older trees 
should be forced away from them by a stream of water dis- 
