Weekly Phoenix herald., 1884-05-29
THE eEa NOE CAPITALIZATION

From 4 paper recently read by the
Hon. d. a. Shaw, OF San Bernardino
county, Cal T.. before tho State Lrri-
CATION Convention, held at River
side, we N Ike the following extracts
which should attract tie attention
of every farmer in our val ey. We
should be pleased TO Publish tic
entire paper as il ap! ears in the
Tndez did space permit, but as t is
we emit the historical part and
dissertation on the preservation of
streams by preserving The timber etc.
along their sources and present what
Is a matter of the most vital impor~
lance here i'll Arizona, the section
devoted to the economic use of
water in irrlgating:
4 am fully aware of the difficulty
Of prescribing any fixed or def lie
rules 10 govern dill erent localities
in deciding the amount of wstcr
necessary to be used.
l believe il IS a well recogniztd
fact that near the coast with a hurnid
atmosphere ard fseq':ent fogs, much
less water is required than higher
attitudes further in the interior
Then again, the depth of water
below The surface is an important
question to be determined as well as
the nature of the soil.
Al Lugonia, where I reside. near
~ 1900 feet above sea level, water is
Obtained at from 40 to so feet, and
experience has determine the
amount required for successful fruit
culture in ordinary seasons. Ex>
ceplional years like the present, Of
course less wafer VIII he needed.
Our soil is of decomposed granite
and sandy loan, and from one 20
three hours irrigation oucc N four
weeks, we find to be ample for
healthy tree growth and fully ma
turing of fruit, both citrous and de,
ciduous. AS has often been re-
marked, these are questions which
each locality iPust determine by ex-
perience for itself.
Intelligent cultivation has much
to do with The frequency of irriga-
tiop, ara the amount of water neces-
sary o be used during the season.
Different soils and conditions deter-
mine how soon cultivation Should
follow irrigation. On land with
which l am most familiar, from
"a to SO hours Should elapse before
The ground should lie stirred. In
other words, cultivation should be
delayed until the water has fairly
settled from the surface and before
it commences to harden or bake.
Winter irrie alton, or flooding when-
ever there Is a light rain fall is
great saving of water during the
months, and, L think, can
be safely pracliced on Il soils suita>
bic for fruit or vine culture.
1t is in accordance with my OBJ
servati ms, that in the higher and |
dryer elevations, remote from the |
coast, requiring the most irriga-
ton, cleaner and healthier trees are
produced and nearly AL classes of
fruit, especially the orange, peach
Dectarine ard raisin grape, natures
in lhe greatest perfection, free from
insect pests, or blightIng influences.
l may adj too, that what was con-
five years ago a necessity
for irrigation, is now regarded as
aad injurious, and so
i've years hence, the amount used
.oday. may be considered wasterul
md cxtravagant
Six years ago when taking possess
ion oil the ranch which [ now own,
was advised that | had barely
sufficient water to supply TWENTY
Lcres of land; two years later it was
hougbt to be sufficient for eighty
ores, and since that time it has
'een found ample for 100 acres. 1t
5 true that the amount is SONGS
What increased by paved dilches
nd other improvements, but the
lain cause producing this result is