Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-27
FARM AND ORCHARD.
THE IMPORTANCE OF IRRIGATroN OF
ARID LANDS.
Feeding MIX to Calves-Does Farming
Pay e-Training Heifers-GeneraI
Farm Notes.

AT no time in the history of this State
has the subject of the irrigation of arid
lands received SO much attention as at
present. Intelligent discussion is going on
everywhere, and the result will be that
hundreds of thousands of acres of sterile
land will soon be brought under irrigation
and made to blossom as the rose. A cor
respondent of the Modesto Nass writes as
follows
The practical irrigation OF arid lands
and their reclamation to fertility is OF
very ancient origin, even antedating the
beginning of letters The first mention
we have of any artificial irrigation was
that inaugurated by Amen-em- hat, King
of Egypt, in the earliest Pharaonic times,
for the reclamation of large region of
depressed desert lying south of the Delta,
between the Nile and the Sahara. known
as the Fayoum.a This region was entirely
sterile, but its depression indicated to the
King that it could be reclaimed by con-
structing canal from the Nile, and thus
making an artificial lake in the desert val
ley. Amen-em-hat's plan proved success
full, and the Fayoum desert bloomed as
the rose. Cities sprang into existence
along its banks; temples, pyramids and
colOsSi were built as memorials of the
engineering skill of the Phareah. At
Semneh, Amen-em- hat built his famous
Nilometer, which has marked for ages
the rise of the Nile, and given the in
habitants of the Fayoum ample warning
to open their flood gates and fill the
huge reservoir from the overflow OF the
river for another seasons irrigation.
Thus we see what the crude engineer
ing skin of the ancient Egyptians ac-
complished, and how their vast under
taking was blessed with happy and profit
able results. The cooling lake, the pro-
ductiye farms and gardens in the once
desert valley of the Fayoum are GER
tsinly strong and living arguments fol
irrigation in this great semi-aTid valley OF
the San joaquin, where rivers rush from
the mountains TO the sea, without any
benefit whatever being derived from theil
waters, except in a few localities where
the enterprise of man has turned them tc
his good. Instead of q few oasis IN the
great semi-desert region, the whole valley
might be changed into a land fair, rich
and fertile as the Fayoum or Thebar
plains, if our people only had the fore
sight and perseverance Of the ancient
Egyptians. But the time is soon coming
when irrigation will become Z necessity
and then we shall dwell in the fairest
happiest, and most productive land on thu
glole.
FEEDING MILK TO CALVES.
Professor Robertson, Of the Ontario
Agricultural College, advises the followin.
in regard to the feeding of calves:
Milk from the first six miikings of thu
dam should be fed to her calf three times
day. The first milk, "colostrum O
beastings," is of medicinal as well as foot
value to the young calf For two week
the caf will not need, nor take. much be
sides the two or three quarts Of whole mill
of each feed. The milk should be fed a
near the blood temperature, 9S9 Fair. a
practicable. After the lapse of fortnigh
gradual change during the third weeI
may be made from whole milk to swee
skim milk. Such change can be hes
effected by putting skim milk in gradual,
increasing quantity with the whole mill
till il is wholly substituted for it,
The skim milk should always be fee
sweet. The sourness Of milk is evldene
that some of the feeding value of its suga
of miik (of which = contains say A pc
cent? has been lost by the change int,
Tactic acid. Besides the sourness render
the foed unsuited to the stomach Of a ye
tender calf Sour feed in such cases favor
growth in but two ways. The calf so fet
will develop marvellous girth extension
"Pot-bellied is hardly sufficiently ex
pressive of the chronic enlargement iron
that cause. Then the growth of hair i
effectually and speedily promoted. 1t be
comes so strong in stalk that it stand
out in daily protestation against that kin,
of food. The skim milk should also b
fed warm: the blood heat is the best
Where 70 better convenience exists for tn
heating of the milk, hot water may b
added with advantage. a feed of ice-col
milk. such as comes from the deep-settin
cenS (by the use of which fine dairy butte
can be most economically madel, will leav
the calf uncomfortable. That condition.
but the evidence that indigestion exist
and may easily be made partially perma
nent by a continuation of such injurior
treatment. The power and practice of d
gesting and appropriating all that is po
sihle out Of its feed should be encourage
into fixed habit by giving the yeung an
mai only easily-digested feed in the be
condition OF preparation.
DOES FARMING PAY?
A friend sends us the following iuanci;
exhibit for the year 1888 of farm in MOI
mouth county, n. j., containing about 4C
acres, 25 of which are in woods and %
salt meadow, leaving $50 under cultivation
The soil is in sections both light and heav
and when purchased was thorough
worked out, but by the generous aud pc
sistent use of lime, manure, etc, has bee
brought to its present condition, producin
as shown in the statement. We shout
add that the owner has abundant capita
but he is a very successful man of bus
ness, accustomed to using money iudiciousl
as well as literally. The product of IL
place for 1888 was
SO, $50 Quarts mllk..................... $40
5I rounds butter.......--...-................ 80
iS9 Dozen 1i6
- LaInpS'.....'........ loO