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Show FIELD FOR IRRIGATION High Spots Should Be Removed and Low Ones Filled In. Work of Year or So Would Make Task Comparatively Easy One-Paying One-Paying Proposition to Trior, oughly Prepare Ground. (By E. B. IIOUBK. Colorado Agricultural College.) Much has been said concerning the Increased duty of water, and It baa been said that the farmer has been I using much more water than Is neces sary. Mont of the articles concerning ' the duty of water take up the proiier- I ties of the soil, the manner of cultiva tion for conservation purposes, the manner of applying water, and show 1 that In a general way. all affect the , duty of water, and that proper cultl- , vatlon and proper application of water will Increase the duty of water from j 100 to 200 per cent. It has often occurred to the writer ' that thla means very little to the average farmer, In that It does not ' tell him what he does that be should 1 not do, nor exactly what he might ; do to Increase the efficiency of his water supply. The thing of first Importance to the farmer is the preparation of the field for Irrigation. He should see to It that the high spots are removed and that the low spots are filled ; In other words, he should see that the surface of his field Is smooth, and here Is where the ordinary larmer "falls down." After plowing and harrowing his field be perhaps runs a drag over It. and then seeds It, leaving ridges and hollows, holes and knolls, consequently when he Irrigates Ir-rigates the field it Is necessary for him to almost drown the low spots In order to wet the high onea. Water will often be found from one to two feet deep In places In the field. In driving along the road one often sees embankments piled up along low pois to keep the water from flooding the road. If, when the plowing and harrowing are completed, tho farmer would take a scraper and tike down the knolls and fill up the depression with the dirt thts removed. In the course of a year or two he would change the field from one hard to irrigate ir-rigate to one exceedingly easy for Irrigation, and he would find that practically one half the amount of water wa-ter that he was compelled to use on the first pine Is ample after the field has been smoothed In this way. More than this, he will find that his crops yield better, for when an excess of water la applied to the low spots the crop at theite fJacei In the field Is always Injured, and It Is not an exaggeration ex-aggeration to say that as much dam- sge to the crop Is done by forcing the m water up to the high spots a would be done by allowing these high spots to suffer from a lack of water. A word of advice now, for the present pres-ent season will soon be upon us. As you Irrigate your fields this spring and summer stake the high spots, driving the stakes down so that they will not Interfere with larvestlug, and mark on these) stakes about bow much too high the land Is at that point; then after the crop Is haivetcel In the fall pee to It that these high spots are removed, and, after plowing, smooth the surface with great care. When you stop to consider that this work Is a permanent Improvement and need not tie done year after year, when once It has been accompllKhed, and when you consider that during every day year the crops are Injured for lack of water, It seems that every intelligent farmer would realize the fact that It will be a paying propoxl-llon propoxl-llon to thoroughly prepare his ground to that It will Irrigate In the bent possible pos-sible manner. See to It that the plow, d field Is In a perfect state of tilth before the seed Is planted, for this rareful preparation Is what will put the bushels. Into the bin In the fall. |