EXPERIMENTAL IRRIGATION AT ELGIN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1777, 27 February 1888, Page 2

EXPERIMENTAL IRRIGATION AT ELGIN.

The following notes were taken daring a visit to the County Council Irrigation Farm on 16th February, when the weather was very dry and had been so far a considerable period, therefore the advantages of artificial watering of crops would be more apparent and the contrast between the portions of cultivation irrigated and that loft for natural supply of moisture very marked. Starting first with the grain crop, this was all m stack, about 20 acres of oats having been grown Vndi harvested m the usual way, and 14 acres of the same grain alongside of the former block, sown at the same time and m Bimilar toil had bflfin uaog^toct-JuTini; ttm uummn,. the resulting crop being stacked separately, and although the season this year has not been one to show m any very marked manner the value of irrigation to a cereal crop, perhaps, yet the appearance of the two stacks of oat sheaves on the farm, should convince any one of the great difference between the two systems as regards the value of the crop after irrigation, if the product m required for forage, as the stack of oatß from the watered poriioo is of a nice green color, and succulent appearance, with well filled heads of grain, and the other lot looks very dry, with Borne of the heads very thin and not a well filled out fsample. The land contained m the block, on which the experimentsare boing conducted, is very poor, and thin, there being only a few inches of Boil above the Bhingle. The place had been worked outalso, and was very full of weeds, — Drrel, cape weed, and thistles -ao from a paying point of viw, not at all likely to prove renumerative to the Council, but perhipathis is n->t a disadvantage, for if the results prove that irrigation will allow such land to carry fair crops, then it rnunt be certain that better results wi'l follow if bettor and clean land is operated on m the same manner with water. The most striking result of irrigation at present on the farm is the cowgrass crop, the part not watered being almost entirely dried up and the ground full of sorrel and weeds, these even looking alreost perished, whereas the irrigated portion is looking green and healthy, with plenty of blossom, and stands about 9 inches hiejh. This part also is full of noxious weeds, the yellow Cape weed or dandelion growing' very strongly, and- also showing the value of the water m keeping tbis sort of vegetation going, but there is no doubt whatever the cowgrass will Boon smother the weeds out, as it does on ordinary farming Jand, if not fed down too closely. Boot oropß of three sorts have been put m, viz., potatoes, mangolds, and cirrots ; the iormer on the dry ground are very thin topped, a id if no rain comes soon will not be worth digging, a Bample root of potatoes showing the tubers to be only about the size of walnuts, and also badly shaped and stunted looked, whereas those irrigated look very healthy, have good topß with blossom freely showing, and the tubers are much larger and more plentiful, with bright skins and evidently not near done growing. The mangolds are very patohy, both on dry and watered land, the small birds having destroyed the seeds after germination. The roots on the dry ground will not be of any value even if rain comes soon, they being so stunted and small ; but there Bhould be a fair crop from the irrigated portion, which are now m need of thinning out, aome of the roots rflmoßt touohing one another at the present time The carrota grown are m the same condition as the former crop, the irrigated portion beiog under the thinning process at present, and showing some fair roots with green, healthy topa The dry portion look very sick, and wili not trouble anyone very much m the digging, m fact such land could not be ; expected to grow payable root crops at all without both artificial manures and irrigation. Ihn present appearance of all the crops on this block of land should convince any farmer that irrigation would pay to go m for, especially m a district liko the Canterbury plains where the flow would bo so easily regulated, and where too, the underground drainage is naturally so good, thus doing away with the dangor of darpage to the crops from stagnant water under the roots.