The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1901-05-16
WHEN TO iRRioArE. :.


WHEN TO lRRioATE, -
Avssy Isvisats. sAsslA Feel AssVnA
ana Fina O1t Tor Hinsslf.
The question when to irrigats ri
% closely related to the water supply
and its consumption that 1t merits
careful consideration. The time to irri-
gate depends largely on the crop, the
weather conditions and the soil. Over
. large part of Wyoming. where mead
ows are irrigated for the production
Of hay, It 10 the common practice to
turn the water on the land just -
early in the spring as 1t can be run
through the bitches. Ordinarily the
water Is placed on the meadows about
the middle Of April and runs continu-
ousIy until about the middle Of July.
being turned OF 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 of his meadows
the day. before he begins to cut the
grass and depends upon the land dry
ing rapidly enough 80 the moisture will
not interfere with curing the hay, and
another explained that he had obtain
ed q moving machine which would cut
right along under six inches Of water.
Various reasons are given for turn
ing the water on the meadows AZ early
a. possible. A ranchman who raises
excellent crops Of hay ON the Laramie
plafnx states that the water draws the
frost out Of the soil, softening the land
30 the grass can make an early start
and produce larger growth than where
naturally held back by the cold wealth
or. Another ranchman near Laramie
alkai, and practically all the land here
is alkaH land, the white fnerustations
OF salts interfere with the growth Of
grass and keep the land cold by re-
fecting the suns rays. II the water
can be run over the land enough to
wash off the aIkali or dissolve IT and
carry ii into the soil, the grass thick
ems up and makes good crop" What
ever the reason, it Is evident that the
ranchmen of Wyoming, as rule. be-
Heve 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 defnitely stated. Absolute
~ 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-
eeption of the needs of ths' plant. Of
ten the one whos irrigateS cannot ex-,
plain clearly how he knows his crop is;
I'm need of water. To the uninitiated
the crop: may be apparently thriving
and the ne@d of water seemingly re-
mote when the farmer turns on q
head Of water and Goes not Best day or
night till all his land has been water
ed. Evidence Of hiss Correct Judgment:
is forthcoming in tie largs. yields.
which, fill his granarfes andl root Gel
lars. Some say that plants do not
need ilrigating until they shaw signs
Of willing, butt for most plants this
woulds be waiting too 8ung.. The crop
would! never fully recover it's strength.
and vigzE- This rule may be- applied
to oorn,. however; which, is, crtfihaEfly
said not TO- be: suffering So long ass the
wflted lsaves' strafghtem out at night.
Some Tanners wiz inform, yeU that
they discover when, water is nesdeH BY
the color Of the plant but this: is. not
an: altogether safe guide, for soIaB is
Influenced by So many other eandi--
tons that liz cannot be rallied upan as
an index: ts the need Of water More
Intelligent farmers. will probably ex-
Plain that they have examined their
soil and: Know from experiense that
when it reaches a certain eonIfisn of
dryness them crops Will soon suffer
unless water is supplied. DR.. Hilgard
Of the California experiment. station
states thar this questioning. Of the soil.
Is the only accurate way to- tell when
ErigatinE should. be. d0ne-E- G.. Buff
FERN.
Deshnsx1ng GrassnARPers.
BY all odds the best method for de-
stroying gnasshepper$ after they be-
como hAf- DrnyvD iss ffioA mSQ If fficA