Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-06-04
THE SCIENCE OF
MODERN IRRIGATION
Leading the Water in Many burrows
Is Better and More Effective
Than Flooding.

And it probably is far better than it
could be under any rainfall. But 1t
is not as good as it should be. You
cannot see II, for your eye is not
practiced like that of buyer of
fruit on the tree. Even he may not
know what the matter is, though he
may quickly see that the fruit is de-
ficient in flavor, keeping qualities,
perhaps, and in the percentage of the
first grade, which is the first thing
he looks after, Perhaps only an ex-
lperienced grower from some of the
most successful fruit-growing dis
tricts could tell you, and he could
not do it at glance. Probably he
would not offer any criticism unless
pressed for an opinion, when he
would probably say:
well, down our way we get
better fruit and more of it by irri-
eating with burrows than we can by
flooding"
How so?" you ask. Flooding
puts in water enough, doesn't it?"
"Oh, yes, but we quit it long ago
and are making more money out of
less water"
"But it doesn't Interfere with
good cultivation" you suggest.
"Well, no, ! suppose not. But
there's some difference we can't ac-
count for exactly, something besides
keeping the water away from the
trunk Of the tree. But we do know
the difference in the cash box We
thought We were doing well enough
before we changed. But it is certain
that we are doing much better You
might not be able to point out the
! difference when in the orchard, but
there is no appeal from the returns "
Such talk as this has within 20
years changed the irrigation of whole
sections in the West, and | do not
know of a single case in which there
has been a return to the old method,
or that anyone has any fault to find
with the new; though there are
many places where a very porous
soil would disappoint one who could
not get large enough heads Of water
On tight soils 1t may be used with
very small heads.
Suppose you have a square 10
acres in orchard. 1t will be 220
yards on each side and you want to
put into the soil an equivalent of
three inches (rain measured AS a
second foot equals an inch an hour
per acre (rain measured, II will need
80 hours to make three inches of
rain on the whole. This would be
far too slow for flooding, even in 25
foot checks. But If you can get a
good second foot for 80 hours with
less help, and II you can get 1t 60
hours you can do still better on
many soils with only half the head
or half a foot.
It may seem quite absurd to di.
vide such a stream into 220 little
ribbons of water, running only a
little over a gallon a minute and
spread a yard apart and expect then
to get anywhere. Yet that is exactly
what Is done in many a fine orchard
and to do It all you need Is patience
and to remember that It is the great
est step in advance that was evel
taken in horticulture and one tha
has been so thoroughly tested for 81
years that It viii never go back
wards
You naturally remark that you
b soil viii never hold up such "A llttl
stream TO run 220 yards across tel
acres. That rs exactly where you de
b. ceive yourself II ls probably will {
b YOU give Il time enough. Suppos
YOU try t. Make a small furro'
about three inches deep with IN
- corner Of the hoe, turn in such
stream and sit down and watch 4
or, better yet, 20 down town or g
: TO bed, II II will cross the ten acre
e In ten hours, with the land we
10 graded to a uniform slope, with N
, burrows evenly made and no goph'
holes TO engulf Il, It is all you shoul
IS expect. II n will do II in 10 hours
= Is fine, and II II takes "a II is goC
= enough, provided you can have u
;. stream ono or two days longer.
n The result Of such work, n wt
Is done, Is that OF long slow rain, AZ
!! IA superior 10 almost any form
n flooding. This Is especially the ca
" IN orchards, where the cutting
le one check 10 rush rs contents IN
e tho next one has the effect Of
+ heavy dashlng shower. And even {
N finest flooding that can be done Z
all kinds OF garden work is not eau
'V TO n long fine raln Flooding !
] - A..