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Show I SUOfR BEETS 1 PROBLEMS OF BEET CULTURE H IRRIGATION. H Jr , H ,, , By Jesse H. Buffum. Lm . H H Even when grappling with the ru- H alimentary principles of irrigation, wc H arc dealing with nn art and an agri-H agri-H cultural principle upon the applica- H tion of which swing vast successes or H unlimited failures. Scarcely ican you Hj name a more potent factor in the pro- H grcss of American agriculture than H this gigantic industry whose progress H and almost universal application has H been so marked within the last dc- H cade or two. Wc tare rapidly gaining H a conception of the possibilities of H water artificially applied, and while H present-day accomplishment has fully H justified the loftiest expectations of H earlier dreams, most welcome of all H is the unquestioned development yet H to come. Out of the practical acumen H of the past is to grow a wider prac H ticc of the general principles of irri- H gation, and I derive greater satisfac- H tion from the promise that farms and H fields of small proportions arc soon H to recognize and utilize these peculiar H advantages, than from any other as- H pc,ct of our progress. H It is decidedly surprising that right H in -the face of the repeatedly demon- H sfratcd practicability of irrigation ttn- H clcr all sorts of conditions affected by H special environment that the majority H of, farmers throughout the land are H ignoring the virtues of some sort of H system of applying waicr at will. "VVe H know that many a farm possesses H small streams or other available water H supply that probably runs to waste, H JI9SC application to the field or gar- H c5fr might baffle some severe drought, HI that othenvise would work the dc- Hh struction of crops. I surmise that H thtl gigantic scale on which this mctli- Hj od'of watering is done in the West H has blinded the average farmer, cast H atul west, to the advantages and pos- M sibilities of individual irrigation on M a small scale. It is quite out of my M intended way to point out the specific M directions' whereby individual farm- m er may establish irrigation systems m ofthcir own, as- the problem .in hand m is to discuss the relation of irrigation H to the sugar beet industry, but I can- H not pass this pjiase of the subject by m without reference ' to ' the rpo5HiBlHTics" in the small farmer's direction as yet untried. We shall witness greater advancement in this special line within with-in the next twenty years than that shown in the whole general history of irrigation on this continent. I care not how ample the rainfall, or what natural conditions render your locality locali-ty superior to many others, there is scarcely a region in the United States that do.es not need, and that will not have, within the next decade perhaps, successful irrigation sytcms of its own, for Irrigation must be universally universal-ly regarded as a method of soil improvement im-provement rather than a remedy for impoverished conditions, before ap- proximate success can crown the efforts ef-forts of the irrigator in whatever clinic. It is highly significant, and the fact is witnessed to in every direction, that irrigation and sugar beets go hand in hand. The two seem almost inseparable, yet they arc not, or should not be. But any adequate discussion dis-cussion of the sugar beet industry that comprehends all phases of method meth-od and culture would be far from complete without an exhaustive consideration con-sideration of applied water to this valuable crop. I suppose the real reason why the two development have come (concurrently lies in the fact that irrigation impels intensive agriculture, and if there is any one crop abov'c all others- Unit is essentially essen-tially synonymous with the intensive idea, the sugar beet is that crop. Irrigation Ir-rigation put in force demands that nothing short of the greatest possible pos-sible profit can warrant its introduction. introduc-tion. Let us be bold enough to say that no gcncrnl crop produced can be made to pay as well as sugar beets, and wherever they do not maintain this standard, notliing but the grower or the conditions under his control is at fault. It is one and the same thing intensive practice that scares the indolent farmer and encourages and inspires the progressive and ambitious am-bitious agriculturist. So, largely, to irrigation wc owe the great advance ment of sugar beets as a successful agricultural product, at least in many regions where without this artificial moisture, always on tap, the best crop in all the continent could not possibly, be missed. And wc owe it to quJ ivesWd tb fhq rnMuflargeHS understand as fully as may be possible pos-sible the exact relation that irrigation should bear to the production of beets. Why do wc irrigate? Is it to gir the plants a drink, or do wc act on the desire to keep the soil in fit physical phy-sical condition? While wc arc at '.t let us acknowledge that in practice it is lamentable to admit that we are prompted usually by the apparent suffering suf-fering of the plant; wherein wc make the one fatal mistake and abuse the intended benefits of irrigation. This is passing. Let us first get down into in-to the soil, for it is impossible, to my mind, to get anywhere near a reasonable rea-sonable understanding of such a subject sub-ject without first attaining sQnm knowledge of the principles involved. Why wc irrigate, is the most important im-portant question of all, so wc nuut at the outset determine what becomes of our water and what it is going to perform, else wc work at random when wc turn water onto our soil. Wc are going to discover that unintelligent unintel-ligent application of water works destruction de-struction as often tie it results in good. Soil is a groat water retainer. It will absorb and temporarily hoM moisture to a surprising degree, clay, for example, being an absorbtut al- most beyond -our powers to conceive. H But much of the water that any soil K can store is really of no use whatever B to croppage, and there is a most cx-B cx-B ccllent reason why. Water in the soil B is of two kinds. That which is of B permanent or material value is held B by tension, capillary power, to each B particle or grain of soil, around which B ,l gathers -and clings as a fine film. B The surplus water, that which ss-B ss-B tablishcs saturation and not infro-B infro-B quently is an dement of injury, fills the pores and angles between the grains and soil particles. It is the rapid evaporation of this superfluous and unwanted, useless water, thot establishes es-tablishes the injurious capillary pores, cracks and crevices in the soil, creating creat-ing little flues through which the desirable de-sirable moisture finally (nd the more easily) follows the saturation water that was never of any use at all. Thus we get fli glimpse, in advance, of what excessive irrigation may be responsible respon-sible for. Here as a vital factor enters en-ters in the unavoidable study of the capacity of our soil and the wwiil nubility nu-bility of moisture for Its needs. The grower must be persistently more or less of a student of his soil, otherwise genuine success cannot be, his. lie should know the character of his soils in their relation to ground or permanent water, this factor nlonc frequently determining the extent of needful irrigation. In other word?, no one can intelligently irrigate his land unless he understands what capacity ca-pacity his soil possesses for retention of that water, and that in turn .is affected af-fected by .sub-soil conditions, with I which ground water, seepage wild other oth-er conditions have to do. The irrigator irri-gator must be governed by this in the freedom or -care with which he applies ap-plies water artificially. In discussing saturation of soil with water, I want to -call attention to the harm done by "excessive irrigation. There is one point especially that deserves de-serves considerable thought. All soil needs aemition that is, the entrance of nir is imperative. Yet if these pores of which I spook are entirely filled 'with water, how can air enter? It cannot, of course. It may be imagined im-agined that when this surplus water has passed away by evaporation, there will be nothing to hinder the free entrance en-trance of air; but this again is crron eous, for so groat is the action in- Iduced by evaporation that there is an air cunont in but one ditclion, and that is upward, so long as any moisture mois-ture remains below to pass up and out; and it may as well be understood that when said moisture is entirely depleted, there is no longer any need of air, nor will it do any good. This tremendous disadvantage of having the soil overfilled with water can scarcely 'be overdrawn. This condition condi-tion prevents free circulation of air, which is as essential to the growth of the plant as any of the foods upon which it thrives. Proper fertility of H the soil is maintained only through H the propagation of minute organisms, B known as bacteria. B (Continued Next Week.) B |