The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1908-08-29
Editor:

TO the Editor:
wish tn thank YOU Tor your
past assistance ~ the educational
work on irrigation farming ~,
pruning the various articles sub
mitt,d IN competition Tor the tro
phv cup offered bv me sometime
ago iur the best article on lmprov-
I'd ~, thode IN farming by lrriga.
ton. Now that the time is past
Tor thu competition, ! wish to sum.
marlze, IN n lew words, the results
ol the work aud to emphasize a
lew oi thu suggestions found in the
different articles.
Tn" Territorial Engineer will bc
glad TO receive IN the future any
data secured bv irrigation farmers
from any experiments they may
have carried on IN dividuallv and
which they believe will he OF hrne.
TT 80 lh,u fellow irrlgator. Such
data when received bv this uilic,
viii w. Scut rs heretofore To the
vatloue uaurre in u'drr that samr
NAV secure universal distribution.
M tn" ARTICLES received IN thus
comp luton are nov belnp printed
IN pamphlet term aud the lrrritor.
lal Engineer Will he glad to furnish
a copy Il nm iIrc To anyone III
ON request, AS long as the supply
lasts. This booklet will hr cmbrl.
hshcd with illustrating cuts aud
Will hr oi great value to t'e New
NJ Slco farmer.
Realizing that there has been
hut little done To assist the larmct
IN getting better results from ms
Iniralcd iafm, the Territorial I'm
ptnccr offered a trophy Tor Tia" best
atiIclr on better methods ~ lrflga
tlnn farming, With no intention at
criticism ot previous methods, hut
purely to develop aud educate tn"
public on these matters. The re-.
suits are so gratifying that the
Territorial Engineer has 'ecldrd
To pint the articles ~ pamphlet
form.
New n, xico is favored with the
hret climate IN the world, aud is
aluudanllv supplied with the most
%irrt,lc soil. 1t Is, therefore, our
desire to nTigltc rs much land a.
possible II Is conceded thar good
crops eau he raised on Is to IS in.
Ch,s ri rainfall. Why then do We
use more irrigation water, supplied
at advantageous y, RODS oi the sea.
sou and ~ addition to the rainfall,
~ order to get desired results
Because ut the lack OF knowledge
oil how and when % lrrigate and
how to take care OF the SP,l aud
crops.
We all know that Tor some rca.
son the soil viii drv out and il W.
can ind out Natures way OF doing
this, maybe Ne can devise Somr
mean vi preventing 1t. l'rcsum-
M that nearly all the readers oi
thIs aIIIclc have sometime IN their
hives noticed that when a thick
hlankrl - spread out over the
ground, that the under SIDE he.
comes damp IN a lew days. BY a
study ul natural conditions, We ind
that ia re- ate little INMATE vcrticlr
capillary tubes formed in the soil
to ALLOW the escape OF moisture,
and Is IS a wise provision IN nature
tor II II were not Tor these small
tubes, all ui u deep, close soil
would soon become water logged
OF soaked. Admitting that We have
found ont why ouT soil dries out 50
quickly, let US 4 II We "a pre-.
vent II.
We might cover our soil over
with blankets to keep the moisture
from escaping into the air. Oi
course such a method is not prac-
teal ON account OF expense and II
also excludes the air and is men
toned only TO emphasize practical
methods, which nearly all OF tn,
writer's ~ these articles have men
toned, that OF cultivation. What
does cultivation dor II acrate.
The soll, Il condition as necessary
a moisture. # d%isarranges OF
breaks up the tubes and when tn,
moisture comes up through lhrs,
tulTs from the soil below, It strike.
thu, disaIfangrincnt above and II
STOPPED Their until 1t "a work GU
a new route to The surface. Tn,
time required tor new tubes t.
tom depends on natural condl
tons. oil thu soil, aud the thorough
ness previous OF the cultivation