Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-03-24


and water log the soil. Upon sandy -oil-
the slope Of which j. light, not exceeding
one to , inches per 100 feet, the length Of
The iurrow Or bed should not exceed 800
feet. II only a small head of water j.
available they should not be over POO feet
long. II the slope J. considerable, four or
i've inches per 100 feet. the beds and fur
rows may be a. much a. 400 feet. Upon
the heavier loan or silly loam soils the
iurrow, and beds may be somewhat longer.
Upon the ilatter slopes from go Ia 400
feet will BE- found most satisfactory. and
when the slopes are considerably greater
the limit should be- 500 10 GOO feet.
Rcgardle~S Of the method employed in
irrigation the land should be lcvcllcd ~ Il
uniform slope IN the direction of the length
of the bed or furruw. III it i not. there
can not be- other than an unequal di~tri-
button. 4 poor stand. short hay. low weld.
and an early overrunnIng Of the field by
noXiuu~ weeds and GRASSES. Ii the bed
system j. used il i very essential that the
surface of each bed BE- leycllcd trans
vcr~cly. else the water viii flow to the
lower side. resulting IN an uneven dI~tri-
button. With the installation of this ~v~-
tenn there should be- NO break in the UNI
tormity III the slope along the entire length
~ the bed, such that will prevent 4 slow.
steady flow of the water from upper %
lower end spreading nc uniform depth
across the bed.
III the turroW system IVY used ID j. not
necessary that the surface be- exactly
lcvcly tran~verscly. hut for the best results
the longitudinal slope must be- uniform.
The most satisfactory work IN lcycllinc
and border construction may be- accom-
Ip!i-hcd ii both are performed in one opc-
ration. Much of the surface Of our Texas
hcId~ lies very uniformly. rendering it I'M
necessary to move u large amount 81 ma
tcrial. This has often proven a di-ad-
vantage for II ha~ tended to induce the use
81 improper implement. resulting ~ in
complete work. The float. ~ much used N
Texas. i good when the surface requires
smoothing only but i of little value for
thorough dwelling. For effective work the
buck ~crapcr or. Fresno ~crapcr are best.
Upon these approximately level lands the
border lcvec~ may bc constructed by driv-
ing al right angles 10 the direction Of the
leycc. gradually gathering material and
dumping where the lcvec T. IA ~ located.
Either form ~ ~cruprr may be used. and
hv travelling across q considerable number
Of lcvcc~ and moving material IN both di-
%rcction~ the work will proceed rapidly and
when complete the land will BE- levclled and
the border constructed. This method uf
work avoids the ditch along either side OF
the lcvce. - very Objectionable since he
ditch allows the water tn collect and flow
along the border. a~ well a. furnish GERM
hating ground Tor the spreading Of weed
and grasses.
These border levec~ should b. ~uh-ian-
tally built. when first put mp not to exceed
ten inches. and when settled they need not
be over six inches high. Tor they are mot
intended a. a check a. hold the water but
merely "a direct the flow down the bed
They should have 4 broad base. not les
than three feet wide aud four feet l. bet
Ter. II built a. outlined and before seed
iug there need be no break III the stand.
or IN alfalfa will thrive over the lryec ~
elsewhere. These lcvrr~ will offer NO OBJ
~trGriion TO the movement ri machinery or
loaded wagons.
For turrow irrigation M lcvce- are re-
quircd. The distance between the iurroW-
viii depend upon the freedom OF lateral
movement of the soil moisture. Ii may b,
necessary III some Instances IT, space The
burrows a. near a. ID inches. and other
they may he a. wide a. four or five feet.
II not previously determined TIN, feature
should TO- learned by experiment before the
field i laid out.
AT the time "a seeding the burrows MAY
he made IN means of an implement made
tor the purpose. Take from three to i've
smooth. round sticks III timber from four
Ia Xix inches III diameter an spike or bolt
three plank~ ~ them. spacing the round
tmher> the distance apart II u desired e.
make the burrows. They should be- made
exactly parallel and the lower side ut each
10 Che front end rounded Ike a sled runner.
A frame should be- attacked into which
ihc hounds Of a wagon may bc placed e.
draw and direct IL. This can hc weighted
- a. "a make Il smooth turruw 3 ar "
inches in depth in which the water will
readily flow. Later il may NJ times bc de
~irable 10 cultivate the burrows, after
which the marker may ~ drawn To prepare
the iurrOw tor water.
The best results are obtained in seeding
by the use of a drill. This give, an even
distribution al seed and place. it At 4 uni
form depth thus i%n>uring IN even stand.
Ii ~own during the warm season when the