Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-03-23
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 five or more inches of
rain, as we have from Maine to Texas?
Under certain circumstances we answer,
very decidedly, yes 1t 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. 1t 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, if it has, 1t has
yet to be proved, and some one has to pay
pretty heavy bill for the experiment.
But there are many thousands of acres
where the water for irrigation is already
raised, and it only needs dams and bitches
to turn it over these acres. There is no
expensive machinery to be purchased, and
after the dams and sluiceways 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. Gift,
of Putnam, have proved beyond all con-
troversy that it pays largely to turn brooks
that have sufficient fall out of their chan
nels upon the adjoining upland. The i'm
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..
Cliff for many years turned his stream
over the adjoining meadows, and kept
them running all winter The crop of
| orr thor, dnrh1ad of and
there was 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 it is any less nutritious, the Short
horn grades annually fatten 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 dea
is brought down in the sediment, which
the clearest of brooks have, in much larger
quantities than any one suspects who ha!
never studied the subject Fish culturist'
tell us that even spring water has to b
filtered through five or more flannel screens
before it is fit to hatch eggs. These filter
are so covered with dirt, that they have Il
be changed daily. Brooks, although the.
seem to be transparent, are much NOR
! foul than spring water, and after ever.
rainfall are usually discolored with matte
held in suspension. Our heaviest rain
! occur in winter and spring, and the amour
of sediment deposited by a stream ker
flowing over meadow for six month
would be very large. But this is only on
, source of the supply of plant-food. Waite
is powerful solvent, and is all the Will
acting upon the stones and minute part
cles of soil through which it flows. 1t
all the while making plant-food.
! course much more aliment for plants mt:
be prepared, where there is flowage fc
!. six months, than there could be by th
usual rainfall. Whatever the philosoph
: of the fact may be, there can be no dout
!, of the fact itself Irrigation alone will il
5 crease the productlveness of any ordinar
!, soil, and if persistently followed, will
time clothe it with heavy sod. Near tf
= Shore Line Railroad, in Groton, Conn,
deep cut was made into a bank to furnis
! earth for filling a wharf, about doze
i years ago. For many square rods nothir
/ but gravel was left, overflowed by sprin
r This once barren gravel is now covere
s every season, with luxuriant grasses, ar
e the only ameliorating agents have bee
$ spriug-water and the atmosphere. Tho
who have brooks rnnning through the
: farms should put them at once to the wol
L of irrigation AQricultuTist.