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Show THE TIME TO IRRIGATE. We clip from The Irrigation Age the experience of one of its correspondents: "The best tfnte to irrigate is early in the morning before the sun acquires very great power, or In the evening when it is about to vo below the horizon. hori-zon. A good time to water land is when a cloud ccmes up and yoa except a shower. In nine cases out of ten the shower does not give all the water needed, so the work will not be uselessly expended. In the spring the work of irrigation commences in earnest. It is not necessary to water in May as a fertilizer, fer-tilizer, but (imply to moisten the earth as a germlnator. Probably it may not need any water if a large quantity has fallen during the wuter. The water which comes down from the mountains then is the melted snow and surface water; but in June and July the sedimentary sedi-mentary deposits are running, and the streams are laden with fertilizers, which decrease as the winter approaches and the streams are lower, fl'hen the waters are laden la this way, and the crops want the fertilizer, the farmer snould irrigate by flooding; and in the fall, when the streams are limpid. It should be done by catchworh. ihe soil should not be kept continually moist; dryness on the surface does not always indicate dryness below. It will not hurt crops to let them fiet occasionally partially dry. Some crops require more watei than others, and some will bear very little at a time, fwenty-fonr' boars' watering will not hurt wheat and other small grains, and beans, psas, turnips, and rutabagas. Beets ami cabbages cab-bages will not bear more than twelve hoars' of continuous moisture, as their root fibers are so delicate that they soon get choked up and rolton. In such cases they will sometimes shoot out more fibers, but ofien thev will die, and a retardation of growth is certain. It jhould be 'continued in August, as in that month tbe rainfall is usually less; in September also, and, in fact, until early winter, or the ordinary rains or snows appear. If an ordinary or sufficient suf-ficient quantity does not fall, it should be continued all the winter at intervals, as it prevents the froet from extending tco deep Into the ground." |