Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-11
opinion it will be developed from the old
Spanish seedlings just named.
Irrirntinn Must Come.

A correspondent of the Florida Agri-
cuIturist saws irrigation must be resorted
to in all parts of the South II we would
bring our crops up to the very best re-
suits. Heretofore il has not been much
thought of, but the moistness of the
climate, and the frequent showers drop
ping fatuess upon the land, Will sutfi-
ciently account for this neglect, though
il is probable that these natural advan-
tages are not for the future likely to pre-
clude that attention to the subject OF
general irrigation which 1t justly de-
serve s. Long drouths, apt to occur al
most anywhere in our section, is rous-
ing farmers, and particularly truck
gardeners, to serious reflections. The
agriculturIst who has paid attention TO
chemistry and botanical physiology
knows that water is the most essential
element of vegetation, and that neither
the seed can germinate nor the plant re-
ceive nourishment without moisture. In
warm climates, when the periodical
rains occur, even the desert becomes
blooming and covered with verdure, but
soon after they have ceased the constant
evaporation soon dries up the moisture,
and it again assumes its arid and lifeless
and the more rapid the evapora-
ton the more luxuriant Is the vegetation
provided there be an abundant supply of
water. 1t seems that where there IS
great heat in the air, water alone will
supply the necessary food for the growth
of plants. Thus we can see the great
need of irrigation, and more especially
when we have these long dry spells. 1t
fn ha1 tnrn hTinDS
out SCIENCE. 1t is probable that the
component parts of the atmosphere are
more easily separated and made to enter
into new combination with those of
water in a high temperature than
lower, or that the leaves and green
parts of vegetables lmbibe water in
state of solution in air, and that in this
state it is more easily decomposed. At
mOspherin air and water contain all the
prime pal elements of vegetables, name
ly, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and nj
trogen, the remainder is either found IN
the soil OF diffused through the water.
Fertilizers seems to act principally as
stimulant or agents, and are themselves
composed of the same elements. To
these PRINCIPLES therefore are to be re-
ferred the Importance of irrigation, in
all dry and hot climates, where no eX-
pense is spared to obtain a supply of wa
ter. and ingenuity is taxed to the utmost
TO distribute 1t over Us large an area as
possible, for beyond the limits of irriga-
ton the soil is comparatively unproduo-
tive.
Too much cannot be said on this sub
ject of irrigation, continues the writer,
provided the say is not against 1t. Flor
ida now has much substantial proof in
establishment of its existing need, even in
so-calIed ''rainy Florida There are
orange groves in that state as the DeFor-
est grove, the F. F. Kelley grove, the
Babcock grove and many others, which
clearly demonstrate what irrigation is
capable of doing. They are under an
irrigation system, and they yield more
than double the quantity of fruit that is
yielded by groves similarly situated that
are not irrigated.