New Ulm review., 1901-06-19
WHENT iRRlHATE. -. -:
Every Trrigator should Feel AraNn4
aAd Find Out For Himself. u

aAd Find Ont For Himself.
The question when to irrigate IL
30 closely related to the water supplEI
and its consumption that it merits.
careful 'consid deration. The time to irri-
gate depends largely on the crop, the
weather conditions and the soil. Over
q large part of Wyoming, where mead
Dws are irrigated for the production
Of hay, it is the common spractice to
turn the water on the land just as
early in the spring as it can be run
through the bitches. Ordinarily the
water is placei on the meadows about
the middle Of April and runs continu-
Ously until about the middle of July.
being turned off only long enough be-
fore moving to allow the land to dry
out SO the water will not interfere.
with the work of haymaking. This
time varies in different places from
one day to two weeks before moving
begins. One farmer has stated that
he turns the water off his meadows
the day before he begins to cut the
grass and depends upon the land dry
ing rapidly enough so the moisture will
not interfere with curing the hay, and
another explained that he had obtain
ed moving machine which would cut
right along under six inches of water.
Various reasons are given for turn,
ing the water on the meadows as early
as possible. A ranchman who raises
excellent crops of hay on the Laramie
plains states that the water draws tie
frost out of the soil, softening the land
so the grass can make an early start
and produce larger growth than where
naturally held back by the cold wealth
er. Another ranchman near Laramie
says: Where the soil is covered with
alkai. and practically all the land here
is alkali land, the white inerustations
of salts interfere with the growth of
grass and keep the land cold by re-
fecting the suns rays. If the water
can be run over the land enough to
wash off the alkali or dissolve it and
carry it into the soil, the grass thick
ems up and makes a good crop" What.
ever the reason, it is evident that the
ranchmen OF Wyoming, as a rule, be-
lieye in irrigating native hay land as
early and as long as possible, and all
use the most water when the largest
amounts can be obtained from our
streams, which is during May and
June
The time to irrigate cultivated crops
cannot be definitely stated Absolute
ly no working rule has been discover
ed. Up to the present time farmers
have generally applied water through
Judgment born of long experience
rather than through an intelligent con-
ception of the needs of the plant Of
ten the one who irrigates cannot ex-
plain clearly how he knows his crop is
In need of water. TO the uninitiated
the crop may be apparently thriving
and the need of water seemingly re-
mote when the farmer turns on
head of water and does not rest day or
night till all his land has been water
ed. Evidence of his correct Judgment
is Forthcoming in the large yields
which fill his granaries and root eel
lars. Some say that plants co not
need irrigating until they show signs
OF whiting, but for most plants this
would be waiting too long. The crop
would never fully recover its strength
and vigor. This rule may be applied
to corn, however, which is ordinarily
said not to be suffering so long as the
wilted leaves straighten out at night.
Some farmers will inform you that
they discover when water is needed by
the color of the plant, but this is not
an altogether safe guide, for color is
influenced by so many other condi-
tions that it cannot be relied upon as
an index to the need of water More
intelligent farmers will probably ex-
plain that they have examined their
soil and know from experience that
when it reaches a certain condition of
dryness their crops will soon suffer
unless water is supplied. DR.. Hilgard
OF the California experiment station
states that this questioning Of the soil
is the only accurate way to tell when
irrigating should be done.-B. G. Buff
fern
Destroying Grasshoppers.
BY all odds the best method for de-
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