Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-02-01

off disease and to outgrow the wounds of insects
requires strong constitution well nourished.
Good filth, sufficient food and plenty of moisture
help to maintain this.
The fields of of prairies of hillsides and
of our valleys many factories driven by sum
| shine, in which materials being work ed
into finished products. 1--we would double the
output, must double thu stock out of which the
wares made. In the soil there are no mex
haustable stores from which the stock may be
drawn. The nitrogen, it is true, comes from a
boundless atmosphere, but with the; best filth we
| are able to maintain 1t only enter the soil at
q limited rate and not such utilize the full
power of the stream of sunshine flowing by
to match the carbon carried in the wind. There is
phosphorus and potash enough in the soil and rock
beneath for 10 large crops year, but the rate at
which the best amount of water bring 1t into
| soluble form is too slow for even But the
material whose deficiency lowers the key of the
factory hum oftener than any other, is soil mois-
ture, and this is true even In very humid climates
when humidity is measured by inches of rainfall.
To me 1t seems clear that wide east of
the Mississippi, irrigation properly handled
easily be made to double the present mean yield
of many crops.
MUCH WATER USED BY CROPS.
There are many reasons why soils are often
deficient in soil moisture. The quantity of water
of clover hay requires IS acreinches of water, 20
blu, of oats demand 10 SO, 60 bu. of barley 1917 20
bu. of corn II rs and 400 bu. of potatoes 8 81.
These amounts assume that no water is lost by
drainage that that lost from the soil by evaporation
is small as 1t we'll be made.
The mean yield of hay in 10 of the eastern and
middle states is only IL tons per and yet
whenever there is good hay season the yield is
from 1.5 to or more tons on the same soils. Dur
- ;Oe
irrigated ground two crops of hay averaging to-
gether tnan four tons per acre, the figures
standing 4O4, 4.43, 4.O3. 4.24 and 423 tons per
acre. The present year we cut from 16 of
clover in three crops. 4.94 tons per acre and from
g acre of alfalfa in four cuttings took ga tons
per acre. 10 all of these cases the hay was sampled
the percentaged of moisture. These yields of hay
nave been maintained by manuring with farmyard
manure only once in four years system of rota-
lion of OATS clover, potatoes and corn. the manure
being applied to the potatoes the rate of bout
Is loads per
With corn we have maintained mean yield of
So tons per on the irrigated ground against
80 tons not irrigated containing Is per cent OF
moisture. The yield of shelIed has been 76
blu. per acre against SO blu. for the ground not
irriga ted Our mean yield of potatoes has been 366
blu. per acre on the irrigated ground and 2S3 bu.
the ground not irrigated. The under this
system of rotation is 10 acres and during the psst
five years the mean gain due to irrigation has
been less than 2 tons of potatoes per acre.
The soil is clay loan of moderate natural fertil-
ity which has been under the p3ow certainly An
years and has received mderal fertilizers and SO
far is yet indicated there is reason to think
but that with manuring as We now and supple
menting the rainfall with irrigation when needed,
shall be able to maintain the present rate OF
production, namely, ton of nay, SO tons of corn
and 10 tons of potatoes per per annum, and
low estimate of the value of this increased pro-
duction Is $lS per During the time these ex-
periments have been conducted the mean rainfall
for the growing season has been 1914 inches and
this has been supp lernented by from to IL inches
more. according to crop and These figures
indicate what may be expected from supplement
tary irrigation comparatively heavy soils with
very moderate fertiiza ton and low ric ii crops
On piece of the same soil fertilized by simply
giving soil moisture and frequent tillage oppor
tunity develop ni,ratesand other soluble salts
1t Gas failow ground free fl ON weeds du ring &c.,
took this year seven tons of free matter
in ears and stalks and 100 bu. of per acre
without irrigation, But the season has been almost
ideal one for corn in the distribution and amount
of rainfall On the high ter soils, of which there
many thousa nds of east of the Mississippi
river, and whose capacity is small, there is
every to believe that supplementary irriga
ton will give much larger percentage gains, espe-
cially under high fertilization.
IRRIGATION FOR FRUITS.
When the influence of irrigation on the yields of
higherprfced crops Ii Ike the small fruits and
ket gardeninS is considered, believe there can be
question of the commercial adv antage of supple
mentary irrigation where the water may be
handled at moderate cost at our station. Prof
Got found as mean of two years that irrigation
inn sod 4 old sS4O
acre, the yields standing 1900 to 226. The value
| of the increased crop at Sc per box would be
S216 .95.
Prof. VOORHEES, in n. J. has shown that the irri-
CATION of blackberries in that state resulted in 90
and 80 in mean gain of 1905 ats. per acre. rasp
berries made gain. of 329 qts. and currants from
young bushes gain of 81 OTIS. 81 e estimated.
from the recorded yields of the state and the
results of the trials made. gain in money value
of see 81 for blackberries SO for raspberres
A.. go for curvants, 1924 for cabbages, with cost
of $50 for applying water 10 for tomatoes 25 for
watermelons and 43 IS for sweet potatoes. In the
case of ordinary potatoes, he shows gain OF SO per
cent. which the basis of our unirrigated yields
would mean gain of 1O2 bu. per and zoe
per blu. $50 10.
1t is not so much deficiency of rainfall in the
eastern g S. it is unfavorabe distribution that
so often gives too little soil moisture for large
yields. All crops as they coming into bloom
and are developing fruit, water at much more
than the average rate and it is deficiency of mois
ture at this time which so greatly cuts down the
yields. There are three weeks in the fruiiing
stage of the corn when each well developed plant
needs an average OF 2 $50 lbs of water daily which
means 3 acre-inehes per week. With this enor-
nous draft upon the soil moisture it readily
be understood that more than 10 days without
effective rains at this critical period may easily