The Colfax chronicle., 1904-11-26
FARMER AND PLANTER.
IRRIGATION IN THE SOUTH.
= su.o1ect That May Well Chauenxe
the Careful Thought Of
Southern Farmers.

"An6 Importance To southern farm
ers. AS land becomes more valuable
and satisfactory labor more difficult to
OBTAIN. everything becomes interesting
tnat helps us to produce more on q
given area and with less labor. And
tnis 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
Tainiail is usually amply sufficient to
make abundant crops But the distri-
oution OF this rainfall is very unequal
and very uncertain. We usually have
more water than we need during the
winter season aud less than we need
uuring the summer season. But even
tnis smaller quantity that falls dur
ing the summer would be much more
tneipIul II only the right quantity fell
1t q time, and always at the right
time. But such is not usually the case.
we have excessive rainfalls and then
ury seasons, with too much sunshine
Tor the good of the crop.
This state of things renders it 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
piowing, breaking through the hard
pan, into the porous earth below. and
thus making it possible for the excess
Oh winter water to sink into the earth
under the influence of gravity, and to
come back to the aid of the crop by
tne influence of capilarity during the
long, hot summer days.
One strong reason in favor of this
method is that it is within the reach
Oh every man, whether rich or Door.
tenant or owner. But the greatest
drawback is found in the fact that we
nave SO long abused our land by shall
low culture and working when wet and
burning up vegetable matter, that this
method of rendering the soil fertile is
SLOW, tedious and requires a good deal
OF skill to insure certain results.
For very many reasons, a great
many farmers desire some plan that
VIII furnish water in large quantities
AT any time that may be necessary.
ihis artificial supplying of water Is |
what we call irrigation. There are
three methods of accomplishing this.
One Is by diverting the water from
running streams where fall is suffic-
lent, by means of bitches, so as to
carry the water around on the hill
SIDES where 1t can be turned upon all
the land that is below. OF course this
method does not help any of the land i
above the level of the starting point
Hence we fnd the second method. that
OF raising the water by windmills or
forcepumps into large tanks from
which 1t may be distributed by gravity.
A third method, which is available
only In a few localities, is to dam up a
stream and force the water to spread
put by soaking through the adjoining
lsnd, where 1t comes into contact with
lAc IooCS Oh tne crOpS.
A slight glance at the above will
'now that the first and last of these
are applicable only to small areas The
second, or forcepump and windmill
(they are often combined), is the one
susceptible of the widest application.
IN this method. the water may be
raised either by ram, or by windmill.
'r by engine, as the circumstances NAV
'eem to justify.
These are the fundamental princi-
'les of irrigation. The water must al
ways first get above the land that IN
o be watered. But we understand our :
to wish to know what .
the best method of distribution after :
ne water is obtained. We think that :
experience has shown that it is always
'etter and cheaper to carry the water
long in drains. having a very slight
all, and distribute 1t to the crops by ..
citing 1t run along between the rows ..
plants. Pipes are needed to carry !.
he water to the tops of the inclines. :,
ut distribution by underground pipes :,
J expensive and uncertain. :,
How much water to be used on any e.
iven crop at any given time is u
uestion that must be decided by the
ind of crop and the condition of the r
Gather and soil. Some kinds of crops "
Sc large amounts of water, while 9TH II
RS require very little help in this di- 8
sction. Some soas9ps require little r,
ater, while others, being hotter and r
ryer, require very much more Good
ldgment must be exercised by each
Irmer in doing this work.
Irrigation is always more or less ex-
snsive. But if it is used with good
dgment, it will be found very profit o'
DE. Enormous crops of almost any pl
nd may be raised by constant and IN
,iform supply of water. giving the
ants just what they can use and no
ore. In market gardening and truck Il
g 1t is found to pay very handsome 81
In raising small fruits, such as tv
rawberries, the size and quality are as
fiuenced and the time of bearing W.
eatly heightened by irrigation In
ch crops as cabbage. cucumber and M
hers, which contain large amounts of it
ater, the yield may be doubled, tre- be
4 1~l