San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-10-16

Second. The water must not
touch the plant or tree, or come
near enough to make the soil bake
around it.
Third. The water sh )uld be run
in small streams for two or three
days, and not in large streams for
a few hours.
Fourth. The ground should be
cultivated as soon as dry enough,
and be constantly stirred until the
roots have Slapped out most of the
moisture. Cultivation is almost as
important as irrigation, and the
water should be used no oftener
than is necessary, and never used
again as substitute for the pillow
or cultivator to prevent baking.
"If properly done, five times
year is the utmost required for
oranges and lemons, and about
three times for all deciduous fruits,
corn, pota toes, etc. And on all
sections not extremely dry, once
less will generally do. Such shall
low-rooted and thirsty plants as
| Strawberries must have more, but
for all trees and vines the above
will do.
"The modes Of irrigation are va
rious, but all Of any value may be
reduced to three.
"First. Running a small ditch
from tree to tree without any basin
around the tree. This is about the
only survivor of the old Mexican
times. Considering the fact that it
vets little Of the ground and only
gives the tree drink, its results are
wonderful. Even the olive and the
native live oaks and cactus that
seem to need no water will double
their growth and yield under it.
But it should never be used where
the
Second, or basin system, can be
used. Here large basin is made
around the tree and filled several
times. Where the basin is large
enough aud is refllled often
enough and the ground we'll
mulched, this does fairly well, but
should only be used where water
is scarce. 1t trains the roots like a
brush instead Of sending them out
laterally into the rich warm top
soil. With heavy fertilization, es-
pecially with artificial fertilizers,
this will do very we'll, but it is far
behind the
Third, or flume method. This
eXcels everything in the world. No
other system produces such heavy
results with so little water and so
little work. A small flume, eight
or ten inches square, Of common
redwood, is laid along the upper
side of ten race tract. At intervals
OF one to three feet, according to
the nature Of the ground and the
stuff to be irrigated, are bored one
inch holes, with a small wooden
button over them to regulate the
flow. This tlume costs a trifle, is
left in position, lasts for years,
and is always ready. Into this
fiume is turned from the ditch an
"irrigating head" Of 20, 20 or 30
inches Of water, generally about 20
inches. This is divided by the
holes and the buttons into streams
of from One-siXth to one-tenth of
an inch, making from l2O to 200
streams. These are run across the
tract in small burrows leading from
each hole. From five to seven fur
rows are made between two rows
Of trees, two between rows of
grapes, one furrow between rows Of
corn, potatoes, etc. 1t may take
from fifteen to twenty hours for
one stream to get across the tract.
They are allowed to run from eight
cen to seVenty-twO hours. The
ground is thoroughly wet in all
directions and three or four feet
deep. AS soon as the ground is
dry enough, cultivation is begun
and kept up from six to eight
weeks before water is used again.
For trees a year old one furrow on
each side the row will do; for two
years old, two burrows, and
so on. On very sandy or
thirsty soil this method will not do
and basins, or irrigation by see
page from larger bitches must be
used. But much Of the soils in the
fruit growing districts are either
red granite land or adobe. Under
these systems no leveli ing of the
ground is necessary, but rolling
country like redlands may be irri-
rigated as we'll as a level plaiu.
"The sooner that Texas learns
and adopts the California way Of
irrigating, the better. By the Cali
fornia way a patch of an acre can
be as easily and thoro ughly irri-