| Show COMBINE TWO PLANS irrigating farmer must also know dry farm principles soil mulch la its as important with irrl gallon as with any other method of agriculture moisture Is ie wasted 1 it la Is well known that the irrigating fanner must be a dry land farmer too and it la Is because of the neglect of this fact that so BO many of the ir fir ri gating failers either fall or make a partial success where a complete sue euc cess ought to be brought about the principle in the soil mulch la Is just as aa applicable in irrigation as it Is in dry land methods of farming writes W it K waldron in the farm stock and home after nater Is once applied on the land it does not do to let the land remain without cultivation the top of the soil boll puddles cracks and the moisture that was ag gotten into the land by irrigation escapes nearly as aa rapidly into the open air for in irrl gating districts we e generally hae a dry atmosphere it if it Is important that the irrigating farmer learn the principles of dry land farming it Is equally important that the dry land farmer adopt arri gating methods wherever possible possie ae this may seem like an absurd thing to say if the farmer does not lie near a steady of water but it Is applicable just the same the dr dry land farmer probably pro bibly would not be able to irrigate every season oner oher wise wo w would call him an irrigating farmer but it Is generally possible for him to irrigate a small tract of land at least during the spicing months it Is one of the common features in the dry land areas to see in the spring time gullies full of water rushing off with fertility and needed moisture to the grf gnat at rivers alvera that empty finally into the sea in nearly all cases this water nater passes away avay unheeded eded and the farmer in too many cases Is glad to see it go for it allots allons him to get into his fields that much quicker it Is att an easy matter if a ravine or draw runs through ones farm to dam a por tion of this up saving the water ater for immediate or future use A garden may be selected lying at or near the draw below the dam and the dammed waters can be conducted to the gar den if the garden spot Is thoroughly soaked in the springtime the kitchen garden supply will be insured for the th coming season occasionally the ground may be frozen when the snow Is melting and in that case it will be necessary to store the water A ater until such time as the ground thaws enough to allow irrigation the heavy rains of a growing sea son can generally be utilized in a similar manner too frequently the heavy rains do much damage by the heavy washing the bring about one must not forget that the mud dy waters as they rush away from our farms alarms are carrying quantities of rich fertile ingredients which to that farm are lost forever and which will never come back A well supplied ll ki tellen garden Is of the greatest assistance in an sea son eon and especially in a year like 1910 its presence Is twice welcome nelcome four or five good cows good chickens and a first class kitchen parden garden would go a long ways in providing a living for a small family if the waters vaters cannot be damned for irrigation in many cases a windmill can furnish water ater to irrigate a small area and in irrigated areas crops can be grown much more intensively thin would be otherwise possible the ac commanding comp anding cut shows a temporary temp onry dam built in a garden to stop the shewa 17 a of the melting snow by means of this trifling affair many barrels of water were conducted to tile the garden spot and soaked into the soil that otherwise would have been lost with their burden of fertility |
