The Columbus journal., 1896-03-18

great. A field that was irrigated three
times gave stalks Of timothy 3 feet
> inches to 1 feet 5 inches In
height: the yield was ut the
rate Of $3.50 pounds per acre. The part
watered once gave 2.230 pounds per
acre. while without water the yield was
800 pounds to the acre. The cost Of
pumping water was about 3 cents per
1000 gallons. In sub-irrigation, great
care must be taken to lay the tile very
loosely, and too much water must not
be put on.
They had planted without regard to
irrigation q number Of rows Of early
peas, but when it came time to water
the other fields, they managed to dis
tribute the water over some Of these
rows. The slope was about one foot
to every four rods. June Is they picked
the first from the irrigated peas. With
water they had at the first picking OK
pounds. and without water 11k pounds
This did not seem very favorable, but
they kept on, and the total harvest gave
81 pounds with water and without
water 21 pounds. The irrigated por-
tion had yielded at the rate Of 1851
pounds per acre. The cost of watering
had been at the rate Of $1.75 per acre.
They tried the effects of irrigation on
cabbages. and got three times the
weight with water that they did with
out 1t. With water applied to the po-
tatoes four times. they got at the rate
Of $50 bushels per acre over the un-
watered lot. Applied three times the
gain was 60 bushels per acre. and twice
late in the season the gain was only AZ
bushels to the acre. II. is often said
that 1t is advisable to wait till the
tubers form before applying the water.
but no difference was detected at this
station.
II the soil be not moist at time o.
sowing the seed, provide the moisture
by applying the water in furrows four
feet apart made by plow. The seed
may also be thoroughly soaked before
being planted.
Second. never apply water to start the
seed after planting. In applying water
as directed, use from 500 to 1000 bar
rels per acre. 1t was found at the sta
tion that $50 barrels gave the best re-
suits.
Again, in irrigating potatoes. avoid
running the water over the surface of
the ground, but have it directed into
the burrows.
Mr.. Williams There are several
kinds of irrigation in use. This valia
tion of methods arises from difference
of conditions. Some of our Michigan
fruit growers will probably fail if they
try to use the same methods that are in
use in California and Dakota. l once
lived in a Dakota town that had an ar
tesian we'll. Water was struck at l ,145
feet, and the flow was strong. had a
hydrant in my front yard, and with
one-inch hose l could water my entire
lot. My cistern was nearly ruined from
the seepage, and my present tenant
there writes that the cellar is being
flooded from a break in the main %
feet away. while a neighbor's cellar is
overfl0wed by the seepage from an open
ditch on the opposite side of the road,
60 feet away. All this shows the char
acter of the soil, the seepage denoting
its intense p0r0sity. Now, my expert:
ence in Douglas, Michigan, is that the
soil is very different from that have
described, and the seepage is very slow.
Sub-irrigati0n is good where it can be
used, but for general orcharding it is
too expensive, and fear too that it
would be found that the roots of the
trees would penetrate the tile and fill
it up.