Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1912-01-11
FARM BY IRRIGATION
There Are Three Principal Rea-
sons for Many Failures.
Many Make Mistake in Assuming That
by Use Of Large Quantities Of
Water Careful Culture Is Not
Necessary.

(By NJ. n. LAYNE, Houston, Texas.)
The three principal causes of fall
ure in farming by irrigation are over
planting. nder-cultivation, improper
application of water, and these apply
to all classes Of irrigation.
Many people make grave mistakes
In assuming that by the use of large
quantities of water in irrigation it is
not necessary to cultivate as care
fully as when the water is applied |
through rainfall. This is a mistake |
and one that the beginner is liable |
to make.
First, one must use good judgment
in applying the water so as not to
scald the plants and cause the ground
to bake or become hard and packed,
thus damaging the crop instead Of
benefting same by irrigation, losing
your time, cost of producing the water
and damaging the land, losing inter
est on the investment and deteriora
ton of your plant
Water should be applied in deep,
narrow burrows between the rows of
truck or trees preferable by sub-irrt-
gation), permitting the water to sub
irrigate as much as possible. Never
allow the water TO food the surface OF
the ground, excepting on rice and pos
sibly alfalfa or small grain crops, If
it can be avoided. AS soon as the
water has been taken up by the soil
and the ground is in good tillage con-
dition, you should cultivate, filling the
burrows, keeping at all times a good
loose mulch, such as advocated in the
Campbell system of dry farming. This
will prevent evaporation, leaving the
soil in good, productive condition.
1t is best, when possible to do so, to
apply the water. in the evening or
early in the morning, especially on
truck.
You will remember when nature ap-
plies the water the clouds usually
shade the earth, cooling same after
the rain, and the clouds usually con-
tinue to shade the earth until the soil
has properly absorbed the moisture !;
otherwise scalded crops are the re-
suit.
Always follow watering with care
full cultivation, as soon as the soil is
in favorable condition. bearing in
mind that weeds consume water and
sap the strength of the soil and that
the sun will absorb the water unless
the loose mulch is retained In Other
words, use as little water as pos
sible and much cultivation and ther
good results will follow. In this way
you will reduce the cost of irrigation
owing to the less amount of watel
used, and your land will remain In ex
cellent condition.
The usual method of applying wa
ter: Flood the ground with too mucl
water, little cultivation and some
times none. The result is baked ant
packed soil, plenty of weeds, yellow
and dwarfed plants, and irrigation
pronounced a failure when it is tn
irrigator and his methods, or a lacl
of method, that is the failure.
In order that 1t may be clear, yo
will see that a reasonable amount O
water, properly applied, keeping
. good moist subsoil, gives the desire
r results, while much water improperl
!. applied at an increased cost means n
t crop but plenty of weeds and Ian
S left in poor condition.
= BY pumping water from wells @
p streams, where the lift is from so
( 100 feet, and the careful use of sam,
Q a handsome profit can be realized, d.
o pending of course, upon the local col
r ditions, kind and number of crops pr
It duced per annum and prices receive
6 for same.
o We can assure you that, in our opil
S ion, backed by years of actual fiel
S work. the American people are jul
entering the greatest development
the irrigation line tho world has eve
known, and much or the water use
for same is being obtained from II
underfiows, subterranean rivers, she
y or ground water, all of which are SUI
piled by the rain or snow from Il
mountains. In many instances Il
rain falls upon porous formations, SUE
~ as sand or gravel, porous rock
boulders. disappearing beneath Il
earths surface in said formation
passing through the earth. and
some instances the water appea
IN miles away at the earth's surface
rs the form of spring or an artesii
es we'll that flows of it's own accord al
lie nrasSure