8 
Colorado Experiment Station 
up to this time, and the wheat is coming into head, some of it, 
perhaps, already in head, it should then receive a liberal irrigation, 
enough water to wet the land thoroughly. The quantity of water 
and the time necessary to get over the land will depend upon the 
moisture in the soil and its texture. But whether it takes little 
or much, the crop should be irrigated thoroughly at this time. 
The application of water much later than this is worse than labor 
lost, for it involves the risk of lodging and the accompanying 
dangers without compensating advantages. 
We have the results of four series of experiments on this 
point in which 1, 2 and 3 feet of water were applied. The applica¬ 
tion of 1 foot of water in our series when the wheat was well up 
in the boot, produced as much wheat and straw as the application 
of 1 foot at thib time and a second foot four weeks later. The 
second application produced no effect whatever upon the quantity 
or quality of the crop. This was true of the growing plants as 
well as of the matured crop. In the two other series the water 
applied, was 1, 2 and 3 feet, applications being made through the 
season at intervals of from 12 to 26 days. In this case there 
were slight differences in the crop in favor of the larger applica¬ 
tions of water, but no differences in the character and composition 
of the wheat. So far as the application of irrigating water to 
wheat is concerned, no commensurate good is done if it is made 
materially later than the period of heading, at which time it must 
have an ample supply. It should have water previous to this if 
it shows distress. On the other hand, the application of water 
to the land up to within 15 days of ripening, exercises no influence 
upon the character and composition of the wheat. 
IRRIGATION AND RAINFALL HAVE DIFFERENT 
EFFECTS 
This appears to be in direct opposition to the view held, 
almost without exception, by writers on this subject previously 
referred to. Their statements, at least the most of them, are 
based upon the observed effects of a wet climate, a continued 
excessive supply in the form of rain, in which case the plants are 
kept wet nearly all of the time, either by the rain or the dews which 
accompany these conditions. Our statements pertain to the appli¬ 
cation of the water to the land while the plants themselves are 
dry, and the weather usually clear, with a strong, bright sunlight. 
This makes a big difference. We have never collected the dew 
from our wheat plants to see how much such water had dissolved 
out of the plant, but we have analyzed plants grown in a season 
of almost no rainfall and in one of very frequent rainfall and 
