The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1904-10-29
FARMER AND PLANTER.
IRRIGATION IN THE SOUTH.
A Subject That May Well Challenge
the Careful Thought Of
Southern Farmers.

4
The subject Of irrigation Is one Of
growing Importance to southern farm
ers. AS land becomes more valuable
and satisfactory labor more difficult TO
obtain, everything becomes interesting
that helps us to produce more on
i 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 sufficient 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 if only the right quantity fell
at 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 it nee
essary for the farmer to study how he
may relieve this situation by giving
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 it 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 it 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 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, great
many. farmers desire some plan that
will furnish water in large quantities
at any time that may be necessary.
This 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 sufic-
lent, by means of bitches, so as to
carry the water around on the hill
sides where it can be turned upon all
the land that is below. Of course this
method does not help any of the land
above the level of the starting point.
Hence we find the second method, that
OF raising the water by windmills or
forcepumps into large tanks from
which 1t may be distributed by gravity.
| third method, which is available
only in few localities, is to dam UP
stream and force the water to spread
out by soaking through the adjoining
land, where it comes into contact with
the roots of the crops.
A slight glance at the above will
show 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,
or by engine, as the circumstances may
seem to justify.
These are the fundamental princi-
pies of irrigation. The water must al
ways first get above the. land that is
to be watered. But we understand our
correspondent to wish to know what
is the best method of distribution after
the water is obtained. We think that
experience has shown that it is always
better and cheaper to carry the water
along in drains, having very slight
fall, and distribute it to the crops by
letting it run along between the rows
of plants. Pipes are needed to carry
the water to the tops of the inclines,
but distribution by underground pipes
is expensive and uncertain.
How much water to be used on any
given crop at any given time is
question that must be decided by the
kind of crop and the condition of the
weather and soil. Some kinds of crops
use large amounts of water, while 9TH
ers require very little help in this di-
rection. Some seasons require little
water, while others, being hotter and
dryer, require very much more. Good
judgment, must be exercised by each
farmer in doing this work.
Irrigation is always more or less ex-
pensive. But if it is used with good
judgment, it will be found very profit
able. Enormous crops of almost any
kind may be raised by constant and
uniform supply of water, giving the
plants just what they can use and no
more. In market gardening and truck
ing it is found to pay very handsome
ly In raising small fruits, such as
strawberries, the size. and quality are
influenced and the time of bearing
greatly heightened by irrigation. In
such crops as cabbage, cucumber and
others, which contain large amounts of
water, the yield may be doubled, tre-
bled or quadrupled.
i BY the use of irrigation, California,
with much the same climate as Georgia
and Florida only dryer, has been able
to raise fruits so cheaply that she can
ship them 5000 miles and compete
with those grown here on the open
market.
1t would pay any farmer to try it on
small scale at first, and on a larger,
when he gets experienced in the BUSH
ness Southern Cultivator.
SIMPLE FERTILITY.