Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-07-31

T NNIlnK. IfiAfl lfl AliAE0At At III AtibI
70 let the coil bake afterwards.
Every New Mexico farmer now
should know that the moisture the SOL
is capable OF holding IS lost ALMOST
ENTIRELY by EVAPORATION and
that 10 give the soil more than IT can
hold either LEACHEs OUT IT'S FER
TILITY. OR IF IT'S DRAINAGE Is
POOR RUINS IT WITH ACCUMULA-
TION OF ALKALI NEAR OR UPON
THE SURFACE. The little capillary
tubes form from deep down IN tho
son up to the surface and the water is
drawn up to the top as In a lump Of
sugar and the winds and sun evapot-
rate II from the surface and IL Is lost
In the air. ny FLOWING OR HAIR
ROWING. THESE TUBES ARE
BROKEN BELOW THE SURFACE
AND THE MOISTURE IS SAVED
FOR THE ROOTS OF THE CROP.
our soil being so full Of lime and free
from vegetable matter requires very
little moisture TO run together again
and II left undisturbed after even a
light shower the capillary tubes Will
soon reform to the surface and begin
to PUMP UP AND WASTE MOlS-
TURE.
Is for this rcason that land dries
out 50 rapidly after irrigatlng unless
it is promptly cultivated. The large
quantity Of water has made the soil
very compact aud formed millions OF
capillary tubes which work night and
day and If not quickly broken will
soon waste IN the atmosphere, not
only all the water given In the lrriga-
ton. but also most of the water pre-
viously held IN the soil below II Is
claimed that sometimes 70 per cent o
the water supplied and retained by the
soil Is lost in only ten days, II the
land Is not cultivated. and within two
weeks the soil me crop viii he IN
worse condition than If no irrigation
had been given. OFTEN then the taf-
NOR claims his crop has been damaged
by alkali. when It is actually suffer
ing from the compactinR of the SOL
and lack Of that moisture which he
thinks he has given IL, and If alkali
also Is to blame TT HAS REEN AC-
CtJMULATED BY HIS FAILURE TO
BREAK THE CAPILLARY TUBES
thoroughly. whose action alone has
the aIkali been accumulated In dam
aging quantity. The necessity for cul-
tivation Immediately after irrigatine
cannot b. impressed too strongly
upon Us.
Last year my burrows were made
with the turning pillow. -four In each
seventeen and a half foot space be
tween the trees running east ANA west.
After lrrlgating the ridges were
thrown back ms nearly level as posi-
BILE. with a light orchard disk har-
row. the land was Immediately har
roWed north and south with an acme
harrow and cotton planted north and
south. three roms In each space.
sweeps we're used on a t%onguclcss
walking c|ultivator to cultivate the
cotton and double shovels In the tree
rows. The trees were also hord For
subsequent %irrigations burrows were
run between the cotton rows and be-
tween cotton and trees with a fur
rover with adjustable wings, such as
Is used to furrow potatoes at Greeley,
colo. The ground was cultivated back
level after each irrigation Every
thing was cultivated five times, aud
after the All rain In 1906 the couple
shovols were sent down the tree rows
to retain that moisture There were
three irrigations. the last in August
There we're no means Of measuring
these, 40 I cannot give the amoun of
water used.
After the fall rains | prepared forty
acres more and which was planted,
81 acres In peaches and 10 acres Of
very heavy lane in pears, in January
1908. without irrigation This land
was irrigated in burrows April 18th to
goth by Mexicans ana planted 10 cot
ton. Nine acre Inches were used nt
this irrigation. After this irrigation
we discovered all our Mexican irriga-
tors for waste, especially at night. A
subsequent irrigation was given on
the sandy land June Sth one-third of
an acre foot. on tho heavy land June
goth, scven-twcntioths of "a foot
The sixty acres planted In 1901
were plowed across the rows after the
cotton was picked We made 81 bales
selling with the seed FOR f2,00i 30, the
actual space occupied by the cotton
being 2S acres,
II was then diskod and finished with
the acme. An missing trees We're re-
planted In February The winter be
ing without rain or snow no subsc-
quent narrowing was needed. The
west thirty acres was irrigated March
20 to April 3, and planted April 9 to
10 Nineteen and eight-tcnths acre
feet were used at this irrigation on
the thirty acres, ON unc LIST. ten
acre feet more were used The east
thirty acres were irrigated first for
planting cotton April 25th. three
quarters Of a foot per acre were used
They were furrowed out for irrigat-
ing again July I. but over an inch of
rain falling. we cultivated back the
burrows n no water has been used
since by August / the cotton will
have touched from row to ow. and
We hope now to carry through the
year without further %irriEanng.
Tho rainfall Tor the two years to
July 20. 1905. has been ia 1907 t5.Sa
inches OF which % fell in october
and November, 1905. 60 July 90. 20
inches. of which 3S3 has fallen In
june and July.
For mrrowinE before planting this
I have used a disk cultyator
throwing up four ridges in each tree
space and running the water in be
tween these and also around the trees,