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Show IRRIGATION IS HARMFUL Unless it is Done in the Proper way. Too Much irrigating worse than little. The following from a recent bulletin bulle-tin Issued by the Agricultural Experiment Ex-periment station should piove of Interest In-terest and no little valuo to tho farm-cis. farm-cis. The bulletin says about: TIIK UHIIIT AMOUNT OK WATKU VOll WIIKAT. Veiy little accurate Information exists concerning the effect of the application ap-plication of different amountsof water on the growth and yield of useful plants. In these experiments the farm was divided Into a great many small Melds or plats, each of which received re-ceived a treatment different from all otlieis. The plants on which wheat was growing were irrigated differently, with the result that follows. IK'iit of water IIiihIii-Ih of Pound of applied In In. irraln In ni-rt-n Mraw par aero 0 4 2270 II 11 , 24H0 12 III 2.-.7fi 20 1(1 21)40 :W 24 .'I.T30 40 ir io:to These results show- that tho yield of gi aln and straw pel aero Increases as the amount of water Increases, up to a certain limit. If more than thirty Inches arc applied, the yield, loth of giain and straw diminishes. The very prevalent Idea that the more water applied, tho laigcr and better the crops. Is not Justified by tho experiments. On the contiary, on excess ex-cess of water caused an actual diminution dimin-ution In Weld. There Is no doubt In most places, where water Is at all plentiful, crops are oer Irrigated, which result In direct di-rect loss to the fanner. On the shallow shal-low bench lands of the State more than thirty Inches of water should not be used, and on deeper soils much less would be picfciablc. More will be said later about the right amount of water for various crops. THE UUIIIT AMOUNT OK WATKU TOlt FOTATOKS. There Is less danger from the over-Irrigation over-Irrigation of potatoes, than of any other crop that the Experiment Station Sta-tion has studied. This is well shown by the following results: Depth of water llushels of potatoes applied In Inches. per acre. 0 124 15 217 ' 20 140 27 :i2 40 i2.l The yields of potatoes Increased uniformly, uni-formly, with one exception, as the quantity of water was Increased. With 40 Inches of water, more than 4 times as many potatoes were produced pro-duced as with tl Inches. It Is evident that the potato is a crop thatdemaiuls much water for tho production of maximum yields. Tt is Interesting to obsenethat dllTcreiil plants possess such ladlcally different water needs. It points out the great importance of studying all agricultural plants, with respect to tholr proper irrigation. |