Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1904-10-27
FARMERAND PLANTER.
IRRIGATION IN THE SOUTH.
A Subject That May Well Challenge
h Careful Thought Of
Southern Farmers.

The subject Of irrigation is one Of
growing Importance to southern farm
ers. As land becomes more valuable
and satisfactory labor more dificult to
obtain, everything becomes interesting
that helps us to produce more on .
given area and with less labor. And
this is exactly what irrigation pro-
poses to do.
Water is the most essential element
in successful farming. To make maxi
mum crops we must have plenty of
water and at the proper time.
Throughout most Of the south, the
rainfall is usually amply suficient to
make abundant crops. But the distri-
button of this rainfall is very unequal
and very uncertain. We usually have
more water than we need during the
winter season and less than we need
during the summer season. But even
this smaller quantity that falls dur
ing the summer would be much more
helpful IL only the right quantity fell
at a time, and always at the right
time. But such is not usually the case.
We have excessive rainfalls and then
dry seasons, with too much sunshine
for the good Of the crop.
This state Of things renders 1t nee
essary for the farmer to study how he
may relieve this situation by giving q
constant and uniform supply Of water
to his growing crops.
One way Of doing this is by deep
blowing, breaking through the hard
pan into the porous earth below, and
thus making 1t possible for the excess
Of winter water to sink into the earth
under the influence of gravity, and to
come back to the aid of the crop by
the influence of capilarity during the
long, hot summer days.
One strong reason in favor of this
method is that 1t is within the reach
of every man, whether rich or poor,
tenant or owner. But the greatest
drawback is found in the fact that we
have SO long abused IL land by shall
low culture and working when wet and
burning up vegetable matter, that this
method of rendering the soil fertile ia
slow, tedious and requires a good deal
of skill to insure certain results.
For varv MANY reasons a grant
many farmers desire some plan that
will f,rn,sb water In Iorve Quantities
at any time that may be necessary.
This artificial supplying of water is
what we call irrigation. There are
ons 10 NV d;vort,ng tha wafer FROM
rurr,rg stroor. vboro rou 10 suAsc-
;ont hv maons os d;tcbes 90 % IN
oorrv tha wotor oro,,nd on tho hin
s;dos r,hara a. oor No t,,rraa uron al,
,ho I.n5 mot ;sr.,o,ow ~ co,rsa tbis
mo,bod doas not beln any of the ,and
aha,o ~. I.,ro, ~ ~. st.rt,ng Mint
49, 81 5000 ma,hoa ~,
. -ssa,.~ ~ u,.tor hv n,,nauiI,s ~
eo.oannmn, ;rto Iaroe torL. from
-.s.st =. - ha ,.tr,hr.. hu arau,,v
- 49, su.s1.
- :; 80 mS :
49, 49, 49, -
. aa.,am .sasa" ~ "s;niasaa
- 49,. o.. ao,.oo. n,tS
H. .oots - tho oron,
49, |-S- IL,
nsn ~ 'o wi
Sno~ ia. ~ NJ. "nu los I'M
1917 .~a r,aan,I
secono, Vi .oioepunp ""na
N.nes a.. ol'en ."''
=.
-. -. 80 - ~ .,,.suuI
"|.sA.-a ~ 49,.
.n - i~st,sv
-. ....-..4., ..,..,
as Tsa 80. ~.
Pc G. -. -. a. ,nra ~. Il
n,o,ered pmt we urderstard M,
" a"ss.t - Ter 80 Lnow- who,
ro.t ma.hoa 80 a,s,r,hut;or ofte,
= go 20 nht.;nad We mini, tba,
-s.";ana. hos shown that n "a aIwav,
Ssttar and chsanar m carry the wate,
80 ~ a,aina having a very slieht
sar d;s,rih,ta q r. The crons n,
- - r,n o,ore hetwaen Tho row,
~, a1an pines are needed 10 carr,
~. water N the tons Of the inclines
h,,t a,.tribut;on NV underground pine,
wnsns;va and uncertain
g 80, u.tar 70 ~. ,soa nm an,
u;uan Won ar any given time ia (
an tbot m,st he decided NV tb,
Ss "a ,he conditior ~ IN,
nuaa.h.r srd so,I some Kinds of crop,
~ water wb,la 9th,
"s .a varv I;t,,e baIn in th,s AZ
.aot;on Some seasons reouire littl,
water while others being hotter an(
" ,sn,,;rs vsrv much more, Coco
mnst he axarcised NV eacl
usar ~ do;ns this work.
.,n.v. No.. =, ,.ss .x
pea smert II vii, he found very profit