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Show ERECTING A PUMPING STATION I More Certain to Obtain Good Water l Supply In Valley Than on the M Mesaa or Plateaus. $ Ilcfore any cxtenslvo plans are car- ried out regarding tbo Installation of l a pumping plant, the sourco of supply, tho ground-water, must be thoroughly M Investigated as to quantity and qual- ' Ity. It Is Impossible to lay down bard U and fast rules regarding tho occur-. 'fl renco of underground wators which will apply to alt sections alllto. Naturally, wo should bo more certain ' ot obtaining water In n valley, having a largo drainage area and through which flows n perennial stream, than on the mesas or plateaus near tho 'I base of a mountain range, writes II. I L. Ulxey In the Denver Field and Farm. The Supply la not found at a uniform dopth In any section, tbo I depth often varying within a radius ot two or three hundred feet, Aftor drilling a well It may bo found that tho flow la inadequate to supply tho I required needs. Another well may I bo put down a distance of 1,000 feet or even less and be found to yield an I abundant supply. The topography of I tho country nnd geological formations , if (ho sub strata havo a great deal I to do with the occurrence of ground- I water nnd the obtaining of the samo I at economical depths. In a section where It Is proposed to Institute pump- I Ing for Irrigation It Is wlho to biro a professional well driver and havo him put down a test woll ot the size thought to bo suited to tho needs ot I Irrigation from six Inches to twelve I Inches. Several interested persoiiH I should bear tho expense of such n I woll, each pa) ing his pro rata. As tho well Is put down, n log of tho I various depths should be carefully I kept, taking samples at every foot to I determine tho character of the varl- I ous materials encountered. Thus I when tho well Is completed or drilled I to a satisfactory depth It will bo known at what depth or depths tbo I water wan found and tho character of I tho strata. It tho water-bearing strat- I urn Ih found In a good gravel form (If- I teen to twenty feet In depth, very I favorahlo conditions obtain nnd n good I flow of wnter is almost Invariably as- I Bured. Under such conditions, a good I flow being certnln. tho well may bo I operated ns a community proposition I or tho various Interests may bo pur- I chased by one person, tho well thus I becoming his solo property. If tho I well Is a failure, thoso Interested may I consider that tho money was well I spent nnd thnt considornblo money I hau been saved. Somo ono may say I nt this point: "Supposo thnt wator wcro encountered only at groat depth, then tbo well would bo useless, as tbero Is a limiting depth boyond which It Is unprofitable and Imprnctlcabla to pump." This Is all very true and tho Importance of sinking tho well before Investing In expensive machinery machin-ery Is tho more strongly emyhaslzcd by this query. In many sections It Is unnecessary to sink test wells, as successful pumping plants uro already In operation. In many ot our mountain moun-tain valleys there seems to bo an underground un-derground wator supply eulllclcnt for almost any number ot pumping plants. Somo wells yield moro thnn others, as tho gravel strata are found at varying depths and character. Tho greatest difficulty encountered Is In tho handling han-dling tho quicksand. Whoro tho quicksand occurs with a coarse gravel a good well Is almost always certain, as the quicksand can be pumped from tho gravel, leaving open spaces in the gravel through which tho water will flow moro rapidly, giving tho well a larger supply than when there la only quicksand. Ono should not desire de-sire too coarse a gravel, as difficulty Is found In sinking the casing or removing re-moving large boulders from the woll. In case tho first stratum of waterbearing water-bearing gravel encountered does not glvo largo enough flow, tho woll will either havo to bo cnlargod or sunk doepor with the view to striking tho Bocond or third stratum. Water found nt lower depths will often rtso, thus adding to tho total supply of tho well and giving tho desired amount. Whore two or thrco strata aro encountered, perforated sections ot pipe, preferably standard well strainer, of tho same diameter as tho standard woll casing, aro inserted botweon couplings and lowered to their rospcctlvo depths. The first casing put down when the well Is diillod 1b then pulled up, leaving leav-ing tho strainers exposed nnd free from dirt and sand. It Is not good practice to havo the strainer of the samo length as the dopth of the water-bearing stratum, as tio water lovjl Is generally down by tho pump, bo thnt tbo strainer may not bo utilizing uti-lizing Its full length or It may destroy tho suction ot tho pump to a cortaln extent, In which caso tbo efficiency of tho pumping plant will bo lowered. As an example It may bo said that for n gravol bed twenty feet In depth n twelve-foot strainer should be used, or even les, and tho strainer extend-cd extend-cd to tho bottom of the bed to that thero will bo a depth of cravol above the top of tho strainer Ono of tle ' best strainers In use In this section Is tho Porchcr strainer, which works admirably and should bo used where the dopth Is nottoo great. In the deeper wells whero tbe strainer mav bo pulled apart other tjpeH nro used The Porchor strainer Is n heavy gil-vanlrod gil-vanlrod tube of varying length accord. Ing to the depth of tho watcr-boarln3 stratum, |