CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1907-06-27
POTATO IRRIGATION

OF all the crops grown in the irri-
gated districts of the West, potatoes
are probably the easiest to irrigate
when the land has been prepared for
it.
With grains and alfalfa. most grow
srs simply flood the land and dis
tribute the water as best they can.
This system is impracticable with po-
tatoes, owing to the prevalence of
soil diseases. The preparation for
irrigation of potatoes begins with the
planting. The machines with which
the planting is done leave a ridge
over the row of potatoes and soon
after planting the cultvator goes
through and begins to raise this ridge,
and at the same time deepens the
trench or furrow between the rows.
Each cultivation increases the height
of this ridge and deepens the furrow,
80 that by the time it is necessary to
irrigate, in July, the so-called ditch
ing process is well started. Only two
or three civilizations are ordinarily
given potatoes, but the cultivator is
run at an unusual depth. This deep
cultivating, to the uninitiated In the
western system OF farming, seems like
a waste of energy, or worse, as the
roots of the plants are severely
pruned.
However, as this work is begun be-
fore the plants make much growth,
the roots are kept back and forced
down, SO the injury to the plant is not
so great as though the work were de-
layed till the plants are partly grown.
This deep cultivation also loosens the
soil SO that the ditching plow can
easily go deep where it would not
otherwise do good work.
This ditcher, or middle breaker, as
plow. 1t is run through each row
once just before it is desired to irri-
gate Sometimes, If the vines do not
get too large, the ditching is repeated
after the first application OF the
water.
When planting is to be done, the
growers take advantage of the con-
tour of the land, SO as to get as long
rows as possible where the water will
run freely either from one end of the
Icld TO the other, or from the highest
rlLGr OF the field to the ends. A lat
ei:l Is plowed from the main ditch
along the heads of the rows. or across
the field at the highest line to run the
water into the field. A canvas dam,
which is piece of canvas six or eight
feet square, one side of which is
tackled to a pole, is placed in this lat
uyho N1yt11 Sfnn the flow nf
water in the ditch and turn 1t into
as many rows O. the potatoes as the
head of the water will permit.
The amount of water run in the
rows at time depends upon the fall
of the land. Where thee land is nearly
level the rows are run as nearly full
as possible, so as to push 1t along and
. get it across the field before the land
is over watered. On the other hand,
II the pitch is steep, a very small
stream is used, SO as to have time for
the land to take it up before 1t be-
gins to waste at the far end Of the
rows. In either case care is taken to
see that the water does not get up to
the top Of the ridge onto the plants
for this condition is apt to bring on
some OF the fungous diseases that
trouble potatoes in the irrigated belt
Experiments have been made, and
are still being carried on at the Agri-
cultural College. to note the effects oi
different methods; but the one des-
cribed is universally used and prob
ably will give the most uniform sue
cess wherever irrigation IL practised
e. r. BENNETT,