Show IRRIGATION IN NORTHERN ITALY Farm Irrigation by J people hu bt beet ii practised In iii this country little more thou than CO 0 years yearn while In Italy Itt It has been practised for more mora than vo 50 CO years It H l Ie a therefore natural that hat Italian should bo be lible ahlo to 10 show much flinch of luo to American Irrigators Vor For thin Iho purpose e of at determining what could be ba learned I iea ned In that country which couta bo ho applied to our own oln problems Dr Br Elwood Mead chief of Irrigation ant ami drainage Investigations of the of office flee of ot ex cx experiment I stations United States depart department ment menu of agriculture spent the tho summer ot of 1909 1100 In the valley alley of nf the Io 10 A A partial ro 10 roP port lOrt P rt of at Dr I r Mends observations has Just ju juleon beon leon issued by thin the department of ot agriculture tare ture bulletin H III of ot the office of ot experiment ment stations No attempt wits IM made mailo to 10 tomako mako thIs thin an nn exhaustive monograph upon Irrigation In northern nI Italy but tho the study woe was 1111 made malto solely from tile tho standpoint or of obtaining suggestions fur tur American Irrl Irrigation gation gatlon a lion practise Contrary to 10 a 11 very ff er common opinion the tho valley alley of tho ho Io Pu is not an nn arid arhl region The annual rainfall ut at t Milan lilian th Ih chief r city of oC Lombardy Is la more noro than Ihan f Co 40 Inches greater gr than that list of ot Cincinnati Ohio or Omaha Neb both of ot which are situ e tu at atod 1111 x in regions where Irrigation Is sol eel I I do thorn m considered COnSIOr In Iii connection with agri agriculture n agriculture rl culture Tho The c of Is II not different from that of the Iho Mississippi W SI til al alIl ivy Ity Il arid and the Iho crops raised with few ow ex ox Millions c are thun Mme Mime Notwithstanding tile this large rainfall and tho the fact that can lIn bo he lIucc full raised without but Irrl gt lion the Iho ho plains pIn Ills of or Ix Lombardy ore are a n net network network network work of ot canals und and drains To s curo the tho construction of oC one of or these canals cana II the tho city ctt of ol Milan gave cavo a Ii bonus of ot Title canal cost oost or mw CO for fOl ci each tach acre of ot land that cnn cart ho bo e by It It sup supplies plies pile water to BOO farmers who pay from one ono to 10 two dollars per aero acre per I r year for water w ter Some Sonto of this land supports as ns ninny as its S 50 people pi tJ lt r square mile anti and has Increased In value Ince the tho building of ot tho Iho canal caMI from CO 00 to 10 iCO per bier cent land which formerly sold for being worth from flom 1160 to JJ 51 per ncr acre Under the canal which uses u ea tho thu sewage from Milan lillian meadows yield mi lilt annual annUli crop worth ft IJ per nero aero Homo borne of or thin tho fields hive have been used for or meadows continuously for iO Annual tousle for tor these theto lands arc more than 3 per acre Sewage o has han been used on those hose for centuries out Injury Injun to the lands ands or to 10 the tha IhO of ot tho com corn community This ThU Th 8 great rise In land values anti Increase lnor In productivity of ct lands ln duo due In to Irrigation In tn a II region wIth a I rainfall equal to 10 that of the thie southern half hair of at thu ho th J Mississippi valley and situ a 1 climate no moro more favorable to crop production leads lend to 10 the tho conclusion that In lit Irrigation this section has hns ins n a means of lit at least doubling tho the yIeld I hl from Us its lands In which has hRS nn mi annual rain nil fail of ot moro more titan than I IAn Inches or about tho the lame as tIe eastern Nebraska and ond Kansas hf ho Italian has hOR built nearly a 11 thousand muM of and expended about cOt for Irrigation works Tho Tue annual income from frum the Iho government oan can alt III In title thin province U Is nearly sto W Pumping plants have been heart 1 to the tho water to lands above ahoo the guv guy canals tanal One of ot these was 1113 put In n nt sit an all expense of ot t 47 7 per ner acre for fut futIn the tha ho ands Irrigated In addition to which the tho farmers are required 1 to py pity ha annual maintenance expense and tu S per year for fur fora fura a cubic foot loot nf of water per second ond Irrigated Ian hn an by this pumping plant Is I worth orth throe three times an as much na nil and supplied by b this pumping plant li is I the itt annual expense to the tha farmers he s I per pcr ncr acre in III addition to 10 per perear perear year ear for a n sInking fund und making an nn an annual nual chargo upon UllOA tie the tanners farmers of at nearly Id 10 per iter acre AntI And ml this In a 1 region where ran ra be 10 raised successfully without Irrigation gallon The Tue Italian government disposes of wa water ter cr directly to farmers ot lit retail In tome some Dillons and In others othorn cells sells It to 10 cooper associations of or farmers One Ona such lIeh nu ha hRS has 1400 members member operates 0 of nf ditches pus hs W fie 66 miles of ot ole tele phone and telegraph lines 1111 imp pi I us water to o 00 cres and do d does s an nn bush bul feis of l water masters are aro employed by hY the to 10 distribute he ito witter waler ater to Its members The Tho farmers In hits association pay from fromn 1160 iCO to 19 9 n per r nero acre cro per year for or water accord In t to 10 a the Iho dl of ot their land 1001 front from tro this the main anal canal and tho the crops raised railed In III addition to giving ns as to 10 the he organization of or the Industry In Italy this the he bulletin hullt d th the canals Of f cad and Piedmont mont and An gives D as al tj to tic the firm structures turf H for tor diverting water Iler and an carrying It over or under the Iho or canals nals c crossed Drawings and I ef of n R large Ian lar number of ot lur art are sr given givan Ita Italian tin II nit re hire 01 gIven riven t Yon inot moore atten attention lion tion to a the file measurement of water than t an nay any other body of ct f men wen In th the lii world The This bul buil bulletin latin letin thus the lK of 01 runt mint of elf water aler In nc tie lIe loin doug alulI the Io 10 Mn aol l gin glUS a Hn ral discussion of ci th the subject of or water Va Ir t tI I The mot striking points brought out nut bv b bI I the Ih revert report r orl lire ant the large IlIr tom for toaI I Irrigation In H It leilon elo where whre r can au lm Ito raised without It the enduring Juring en and IP dye Ive nature fiSSure of ut the th structures structure anti and tue tho ef r 1 of ot irrigators In U 1111 IHK water Sister anti and In anal ranal Aion each ellch of ot lies thes tI tIne Un lt Italian ll ui exp experience A Is I full of et fc for thon thu lice interested in m American merican This bulletin cun ci c n be bt secured on ott ration cation tn to thu director of the of III of If ex ux experiment o or th the of ot the d tl ill lon sIon I on of of lh this the United B lutes t of ot sericulture agriculture |