Show IRRIGATION OF COTTON CROP I II I I Much Depends Upon Conditions Says Saya Prof Kyle Kyle Greatest Greatest Good Comes From Conserving Water E E. E J J. Kyle dean of ot the tho school of ot agriculture agriculture ag age of the Texas A A. A and md M. M college college col col- col lege has hns received this inquiry How would a inch half of water applied by to a cotton crop at the time Ume it is most in need of moisture benefit the crop and increase the yield tho water to be bo applied directly at the root of ot the plant and covered with dry soil soU to stop evaporation the estimate being two and one half quarts of Dt water equal to one inch of ot rainfall rainfall rainfall rain rain- fall 1 To this Mr Kyle replies It Is Impossible Im km possible to say Just how much one halt Inch water would benefit cotton so much depends upon conditions For instance If you would set aside two plots of ot one acre each planted in cotton cotton cot cot- ton in an arid section where th there ere was very little rainfall during the growing season and on one of these acre plots apply one-half one Inch of Water wa Wa- water ter to the tho roots of the plants at tho the time they needed the moisture and andon andon andon on tho other acre plot apply no water at nt all the benefit would depend on when the next rainfall came If It tho the rainfall came within the next few days the application would not be of ot nearly so much benefit as incase Incase in incase case the drought should continue continuo as asIt asIt asit It would be too late for the rain to todo todo todo do any good for the non-irrigated non cot- cot ton lon In that case the irrigated cotton cot cotS ton being able to hold up and continue continue con growing until the final rain came might be bo benefited per cent it is quite a frequent occurrence in inthis inthis this tills state tate for tor corn and cotton to be reduced one half or more in yield on account of drought Last spring we had almost a failure in corn crop due to the lack of rainfall just as the corn was in silk In a case like that If one half Inch of water could be applied ap ap- applied ap- ap plied to the roots of the plants it could easily have havo resulted in a benefit of 50 to 75 76 per cent and in some cases probably more than that The greatest good from irrigation ion would come from applying the water under the soil soU to the roots of the plants so sois as is to prevent as much evaporation as possible I should judge that a half half- Inch applied in this way wo would ld be I worth about as much more than an anInch anInch Inch applied to the surface |