San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-10-16
IRRIGATION.
CALIFORNIA METHOD EXPLAINED
FULLY.
Three Styles, But the Flume Meth
cd is the Very Best and Is
Worth Trying.

WHO mas Deeu III IulS CITY at one
of our boarding houses for few
days, LIGHT reporter has gath.
cred considerable interesting data
of the California way Of irrigating.
The modus operandi d sci SEES the
secret of the success of the Cali
fornians in being able to raise the
finest fruit in the world, ,and anent
the approaching irrigation con-
ventiol of Texas, would be we'll II
the plans were followed in this
state. Said he. s., .e
alt is irrigation alone that makes
Southern California and gives cap
ital such an abiding confidence in
its future. Take the best and most
productive orchard in any eastern
state. 1t bears heavily and well,
it's owner thinks. But one-third
the crop is too small for anything
but the cider press. Another third
is but second or third-class fruit.
Not over one-third brings the full
market price and seldom over one
fourth. Most Of it is too small
either for sale fresh or for canning
or drying.
suppose now the orchard were
placed upon slope or upon
ground with a subsoil so porous
that the roots of the trees could
never stand in subterranean water.
Suppose it were watered fully just
at the proper time, the whole
ground being put in the condition
it would be after a soft and steady
rain Of three or four days, and the
whole so constantly cultivated
that not a weed or spear Of grass
could be seen in it, the moisture
thus retained in the ground, and
the roots thus trained out into the
the rich warm top soil instead OF
being sent down below into the
colder and more barren soil.
"If you cannot readily imagine
the difference, a well-treated or
chard in Southern California will
quickly show you. Fully two
thirds Of the fruit will be first-class,
and scarce any Of the rest will be
below second grade, often the diff
ference between large profits and
no profits. II the orchard is worth
having at all, is not this difference
we'll worth working for? And this
is in the east, where the tree Is dor
mant seven months of the year and
often longer.
an California the tree is rarely
dormant over four months, and in
places less than three months. This
difference it makes the most
of, and reaches full bearing in less
than,two-thirds Of the time it does
in the East. A singular feature is
that this does not shorten its life
at all, but some trees, such as the
peach, actually live and bear longer
than in the east.
"Fruit cannot, as in the east, be
injured by too much rain during
the growing season, and especially
during the maturing period, but
the owner has perfect control Of
the water, and practically controls
it the year round. This control Of
the water nnder such a climate in
cr9ases production to point al
most inconceivable by eastern
people.
"But this is by no means all Of it.
You may put in crop OF grain in
December, cut it in May, wet the
ground, pillow and put in corn; cut
the corn in September, and put IN
potatoes, which you may take out in
November and then put in grain
again. This can be varied almost
indefinitely, and is done in hun
dreds of places. Above the frost
line new potatoes may be had the
whole year, planting two or three
rows every two or three weeks,
and many other things the same
way.
"With water you may also fer
tilize as you please, for the con-
troll OF the water lnSureS you
against burning or too rapid
growth.
"Irrigation, however, is one Of
those peculiar things that one, if
left to himself, is very apt to do
the wrong way. He will make
soft paste, two or three inches deep,
wash it up against the trunk Of
the tree or the stalks oil corn or po-
tatoes, and let it bake, will cut
and gully the soil to pieces and
play all manner of tricks. Give
him the richest soil, the best
water supply and the softest
skies, and he will often make the
sorriest mess imaginable and get
far worse results than if he de-