58 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
inches of water per month is the amount 
that the records show the Riverside peo¬ 
ple use. Whether they are using too lit¬ 
tle or too much is for the horticulturalists 
to decide. 
Mr. Bunch—Those who study irriga¬ 
tion come to a proper understanding and 
knowledge and know just how much a 
tree should have for certain climatic and 
atmospheric conditions. Of course a per¬ 
son has to have a certain discretion about 
the amount of water to give to a tree and 
he must learn to judge accordingly wheth¬ 
er it has enough water or not. A young 
tree especially may be killed by using too 
much water and literally drowning it out, 
I have seen some persons who were so 
anxious to make the trees grow th&t they 
simply kept the trees soaked and the re¬ 
sults were far from satisfactory. 
Mr. Williams—The truthfulness of 
your observation has been brought out in 
arid districts very forcibly. As a matter 
of fact we always consider that after a cer¬ 
tain area has been opened up by irrigation 
that a drainage system will necessarily 
follow. One of the greatest faults of the 
farmer in the West is that if he can get 
the water he will over irrigate and under 
cultivate. 
In the question of rainfall, as to wheth¬ 
er or not irrigation is needed the total 
annual rainfall runs from fortv to sixtv 
✓ •* 
inches, but the bulk of this may come in 
just a very few months, leaving the bal¬ 
ance of the year void of moisture to sup¬ 
ply maximum plant growth. This period 
of deficiency of moisture often comes in 
and extends over the time of the year 
when it is of most vital importance that 
the orchardist have an abundance of 
moisture to insure a crop of good fruit. 
The way in which the rain comes and 
the character of the soil upon which it 
falls enter into conserving of the mois¬ 
ture. Florida receives most of her rain¬ 
fall in torrential storms, making the run¬ 
off heavy and beating down the surface 
of the ground. 
The sandy soil in the greater portion 
of the State is an aid to moisture recep¬ 
tion, but unless properly cultivated will 
prove a hindrance to the best of moisture 
retention. 
The natural resources for irrigation in 
Florida are very encouraging. Lakes, riv¬ 
ers, surface wells, artesian wells and seep¬ 
age and drainage waters furnish water 
supplies fairly well throughout the State. 
These supplies may be brought to the sur¬ 
face by pumping plants, flowing wells or 
gravity systems and then distributed to 
the orchards through piping, flumes or 
ditches. 
The methods of application must vary 
.with the varying conditions from furrows 
and checks to sprays. Sub-irrigation is 
not used extensively for orchards. 
Prof. Rolf—Is sub-irrigation not prac¬ 
tical ? 
Mr. Williams—It has been tried in 
California fora number of years. The 
greatest trouble is that the roots get into 
the pipes. However, their soil does not 
respond to lateral percolation as some of 
your soil will. 
In my short investigations in Florida I 
have noted many difficulties where at¬ 
tempts in irrigation have been made. The 
feature that strikes me most strongly is 
the great expense per acre the Florida. 
orchardist has gone to in distributing 
systems for applying water to his trees. 
It is probable that the Floridian is paying 
