Show SUCCESS ON DRY LAND FARM most important of many things Is supplementary irrigation proper location for well by W II 11 I 1 AUCK irrigation katlyne united states department of agriculture there are many things that make for success on a dry land farm and home the most important 0 these Is supplementary irrigation this does not conflict in any way with the dry land work but rather assists by utilizing one of the resources which nature has provided however the extent to which the practice may be applied Is limited to the water supply available one of the first and most important things for the dry land farmer to ascertain is whether a water supply can be developed from the underground water or stored during the torrential rain storms where a water supply can not be developed the homesteader soon becomes discouraged and he abandons his claim the proper location for the well can often be decided upon by studying the well in the immediate neigh where the distance Is too great for this method test holes may be put down with a two or three inch auger and light derrick made of two by four inch timbers the points desirable to know are 1 depth to water level 2 material encountered in sinking test well 3 amount the water lowers in the well during pumping and 4 kind of well most desirable whether drilled bored or dug with this information some idea of the amount of water which can be expected in the locality can oe formed thus deciding to what extent irrigation can be practiced after water has been located the method for making the well must be decided where competent well drill ars can be obtained the drilled well Is the most satisfactory especially if it Is necessary to go any great depth the most important thing tain in a drilled weir as in other methods is the size of perforations in the strainer the water bearing gravet will permit this can be determined in the test hole or the neighboring wells the openings of the strainer should be equal to 10 or 12 times the cross sectional area of the casing or sufficient it possible to allow the water to pass through into the well as read ily as through the water bearing gravel or stratum long slots punched in the casing from the inside with the burr on the outside are the best in coarse materials but quick sands or very fine materials often necessitate special wire strainers in some localities it is also necessary to ascertain which water bearing stratum to use on account of the minerals they may contain and the ob water can be based off the style and size of pump will be determined by the adeph to water and quantity that can be developed these factors will also largely determine the kind of power to be used under the ordinary dry land district conditions the wind mill is the most economical power A small gasoline engine which Is equivalent in power to the wind mill and used to supplement the wind mill during calm times make n ideal combination for limited water supplies |