OCR Text |
Show IRRIGATION BY PUMPING. Irrigation has been carried on for centuries by means of cnnals in which tho water moved in responso to tho law of gravity. Later n!r power has beon used as a means of lifting the wator nnd ntorlng it in reservoirs, from which it could . bo afterwards used on tho land. Somo water for such purposos has been raisod by pumping with steam and gasolono engines. en-gines. Generally, this latter method has been considered too cxpenslvo to bo advocated for goneral uso. But somo tlmo ago tho Arizona station took up tho problom and is solving it In a wny that promises to bo very advantngeous to somo of our wostern rarmers. For pumping steam engines' ,aro used, and tho fuol is that found on tho farm in tho case of tho Arizona station It is tornlllo wood purchasable at $2.25 por cord. It may bo that such fuel is abundant in many sections sec-tions of tho country whoro thero aro arid wastes to Irrigate. A number of different engines woro tried and thoy pumped from COO to 1,085 gallons per mlnuto. Tho fuol cost ot Irrigating ono acre of land to n depth of three Inches ranged from 51 to 70 conts. This water was usod on tho alfalfa field, and proved to bo very profltable. Woro It to bo usod on a Held of vegetables vege-tables It would, of course, prove still moro profitable Water is tho key to agriculture and its application to land at low cost means the bringing under cultivation of large areas that havo hitherto borne nothing but- buffalo grass and sage brush. |