The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-11-07
FARM AND GARDEN
Useful Information Concern.
ing Farm Work.
SOME METHODS OF IRRIGATING
Five Plans For Distributing Water
Tested at the Utah StatiOn-HOw
to Make Sweet Cider.

In Utah there are two common sys-
TENS in vogue. One is the system of COW
ering the ground with water, or simply
flooding it, and the other is irrigation
by burrows. Everything that can be
rows plowed between the rows. With
the small grains an instrument or ma
chine is run through the field just after
planting, leaving the ground in small
burrows abcut foot apart. When this
machine is crudely made, it is called a
Ego DEVIL" and the practice is called
Ego deviling" With corn, potatoes,
beets, ETC., the furrow system Of irriga-
tion is practiced. At the Utah station,
along with other methods, was tested
the merits of these two systems by di-
rect comparison of the yields by the two
methods with both wheat and corn. The
common flooding system gave an in
creased yield Of more than % per cent
over that irrigated by the furrow OR "go
devil system. The yield of straw was
also increased by flooding. This being
the work of but one season it may be
we'll to take the results with some eau
ton.
In the corn tests, which covered four
years, the furrow irrigation was that
commonly in use. The corn was planted
in hills and burrows run through one
way and the water allowed to run
through these burrows between the rows
In flooding the corn was irrigated as is
a level field of wheat by simply cover
ing the entire surface with water. Re-
suits show that for every year except
1891 there was an increase of yield in
corn amounting in 1894 to more than
60 per cent by the method of flooding
over the furrow irrigation. The aver
ages for the four years show an increase
of more than Is per cent by flooding
The yield of slower was the same for the
first two years by both systems, while
for the last two years there was an in
crease by flooding, making for the aver
age Of the four years an increase of near
ly 10 per cent in the slower for the flood
ing over the furrow irrigation. Follow
ing is a summary of the tests made:
Of five different methods of distribut-
ing water On grass land distributing by
a network of small bitches gave the
best results. The methods which dis
tributed the water most evenly over the
ground gave the highest yields.
There was an increase in yield Of
wheat of more than % per cent by the
common flooding system over the furrow
or "go devil" system. Result of dupli-
cate plats for but one year.
With corn there was an increase of
more than 10 per cent by flooding over
the furrow system. The corn stover in
creased nearly ten per cent by the flood
ing system over the furrow system.
Professor Richman at this station
found that "irrigating potatoes by flood
ing gave better results than irrigating
between the rows.
AS the killing method of cultivation
is found to decrease the yield as COM
pared with level cultivation, it is
thought probable that this had as much
to do with the results as did the differ
ent methods of irrigation.
By flooding fields of com the same as
wheat and cultivating the ground as
soon as dry enough we have reached a
yield of more than 80 bushels per acre
of White Flint corn, the average for five
years being 1912 bushels per acre
When the flooding system is practiced,
it is thought that cultivation at just the
proper time is very important