St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1920-07-24
IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE.

Continued from page II
t,ty Of the yleId and may greatly re
ouca the pronts OF the grower lie
real test of what is humid section
is therefore not the total annua.
rainfall. but the monthly, and' III
the case of many plants, the weekly
famount during the grow season.
Viewed in this light, irrigation re-
comes a national need ratnef tnaa
merely a western practice.
Continuing his subject he SAID:
There is perhaps no other indus
try so broad or so varied as farm
.ng. No manufacturer encounters
so many uncontrolled elements ana
no factory output is SO dellcate Vi
perishable or Its market SO uncef
tain as that of the farmer. one "l
the main advantages of farming un-
der ir- CATION is that the water sup
ply needed for the growth OF crops,
which is one of the most, If not the
most, uncertain factors in other
| farming is very largely under the
| control Of the grower. Ths adVant-
| age, however, has hitherto scarcely
| Deen grasped by the farmers IN tne
num5d section, and few reaIlze tnat
| With a small outlay an lrrlgat OF
plant can be installed which wilt
| insure them against complete OF
| part al crop failures during drouths.
Farming conditions, however,
nave greatly changed in recent years.
| The soils in many localities no long
er produce profitable yields without
| the application of artificial fertillz-
| ers: the value of farm land has
| greatly increased; farming methods
are more intensive; more valuable
| crops are being grown, and consun-
ers are demanding a greater variety,
a better quality, and a more constant
| supply of delicate farm products
Thus, the farmer of to-day is obi'g-
ed to expend large amount OF
money to produce crop. and II tor
any cause this crop is failure his
losses are greater than in the past.
Then directing his remarks to the
truck industry as developed ON a.
most parallel lines in the loWlands
east Of US in Florida, he continued:
Truck lands which need drainage
in the summer need irrigation in the
winter, and an effort to combine the
two processes in the one plant has
been quite successful. This has
drought about the extensive adop-
ton OF irrigation. A combination OF
irrigation and drainage at Sanford,
Fla, has transformed worthless land
Into those producing crops of celery
valued at $4,000 per acre for one
crop. Irrigation of the uplands o.
I oh ,iY, rnGI11fC
citrus culture"
In summing up the situation as
regards fruit and truck growing in
the humid sections generally, he
said in part:
ut has been demonstrated that
irrigation is profita BILE for such crops
during long continued dry spells IN
all parts of the humid section, in
Guiding the citrus fruits of Florida.
There are but few years when in
creased yields for such crops as
strawberries, celery, ETC., would not
pay the interest on the first cost and
! the depreciation on an irrigation sys-
tenn, and in such years as 1901
the yields for single year might be
sufficient to pay for the entire sys-
tenn.
''The nearness to markets, the
) high-priced crops raised, the large
expenditures necessary for fertiliz-
ers, labor, etc., the smaller area
) farmed per man, and the higher land
values in the humid eg:on, justify
the expenditure of a considerable
u mper acre for installing system
to insure high-pr:ce crops against
periods of drought"
Then, for the benefit of al those
who have not gwen the subject sui
fcient investigation to thoroughly
comprehend it, and who believe st.
Tammany lands are not worth cost
of an adequate drainage and lrr1sa-
ton system necessary to insure Sue
cess in fruit and truck farming, the
: following IS particularly applicable
, The Southern States east of Texas
/. and bordering on the Gulf of Mexico
! and the Atlantic Ocean, cover one
of the richest areas of undevelopeI
J wealth in the United States. Nature
has blessed tbs region with long
J growing seasons and an abundant
water supply, which, IL evenly dis
| tributed, would make this one OF
. the garden spots of the world. Tn
to the present, cotton and corn have
/ been the principal crops. In 1900
| the average size of the farms in tn !
| South Atlantic States was 1854
) acres; in 1910 was 46.6 acres. Dur
, ing the same period the expenditures
for fertilizers increased from $22
l 732,670 to $59,625, 100. If the use
5 Of fertilizer may be regarded as 81
index these facts show a tendency
, toward smaller hold ;ngs and more
= intensive farming The soils of the
South are as rule porous and easily
> worked, but lack fertility. The fer
, t.lizers which are applied to make
( up for this deficiency often either
, lie inert during drought or are leach
ed Oft by torrential rams. The an
: nual rainfall varies with the locality
from As to So inches. This insures
/ an abundant water supply if properly
| conserved. There are also many ar
) tes.an basins, where good wells OF