Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-03-24
when and Where to IrrIgate.


In the almost rainless climates Of some
of our new Territories, Of course, we
must irrigate If we mean to have any
crops But is irrigation of any use In a
climate giving forty.flve or more inches Of
rain, as we have from Maine to Texas
Under certain circumstances we answer,
very decidedly, yes. II will pay to irri'
gate any we'll drained land, and within
certain appreciable limits, the more water
you can get TO pass through the soil the
better for the growing CROP II might pay
TO raise water by wind or steam power
under certain circumstances, but we do
not think that time has come yet In ordi-
nary farming. At least, II it has, II has
yet to be proved, aud some one has 10 pay
a pretty heavy bill for the experiment
But there are many thousands Of acres
where the water for irrigation is already
raised, and II only needs dams and bitches
to turn 1t over these acres. There is no
expensive machinery to be purchased, and
after the dams and sideways are made,
but little labor is required to turn the
water on and off as it is needed. Two
farmers in this State, A. b. Dickinson, of
Steuben County, and the late l., d. Cliff,
of Putnam, have proved beyond all con-
troversy that it pays largely to turn brooks
that have sufficient fall out of their chan
ncls upon the adjoining upland. The inn
| preston that irrigation Is only of service
| in the summer In time of drouth, is erron-
eous, and it is this error, doubtless, that
! has prevented many from investing in this
cheapest form of manure. There are
many brooks that run bank full in
winter that are mere rills in summer. Mr..
Clift for many years turned his stream
over the adjoining meadows, and kept
them running all winter The crop of
grass was more than doubled at once, and
there was a steady increase of the crop
from year to year without any other kind
of manure The impression, too, Is quite
common that this water-made grass Is not
as nutritious as that made from top dress
ing with stable manure This was also
proved to be an error. The grass grows
with great luxuriance, wherever the water
runs, is as easily cured, and smells as
sweet, If 1t Is any less nutritious, the Short.
horn grades annually iatten upon this
farm never found it out. The water fur
nishes the aliment the grass needs just as
surely as stable manure, and probably
chemical analysis would not show much
difference in composition. A good deal
lie brought down in the sediment, which
the clearest of brooks have, in much larger
quantities than any one suspects who has
never studied the subject Fish culturists
tell us that even spring wnter has to be
filtered through five or more flannel screens
before II is fit TO hatch eggs. These filters
are so covered with dirt, that they have tc
be changed daily. Brooks, although they
seem to be transparent, arc much more
foul than spring water, and after every
rainfall are usually dlscolofed with matter
held in suspension. Our heaviest rains
occur in winter and spring, and the amount
of sediment deposited by stream kept
flowing over meadow for six months
would be very large. But this is only ont
source of the supply of plant food Water
is powerful solvent, and is all the while
acting upon the stones and minute parti
cles of soil through which it flows. 1t il
all the while making plant-food o.
course much more aliment for plants mus
be prepared, where there is f1owage fol
six months, than there could be by the
usual rainfall Whatever the philosophy
of the fact may be, there can be no doub
, of the fact itself Irrigation alone will in
crease the productiveness of any ordinary
f soil, and if persistently followed, will il
time clothe it with heavy sod Near tn,
Shore Line Railroad, in Groton, Conn, ,
; deep cut was made into bank to furnish
earth for filling wharf, about dozel
| years ago. For many square rods nothing
f but gravel was left, overflowed by spring
This once barren gravel is now covered
/ every season, with luxuriant grasses, ant
J the only ameliorating agents have beel
/ spring.water and the atmosphere. Thos
who have brooks rnnning through thei
, farms should put them at once to the worl
of rrigation.-Anericdn AorieulturiSt.