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Show IRRIGATION BY PUMPS GROWS Method Has Advantages and Disadvantages Disad-vantages and Usually Costs More Than Gravity System. (By E. B. HOUSE. Colorado Experiment Station.) Irrigation by pumping is growing all over the country. We have now hundreds of pumping plants where we had none a few years ago. It has its advantages and its disadvantages, disadvan-tages, it usually costs more than gravuy irrigation, but it is available at any time and is a paying proposition proposi-tion on many of our farms. India irrigates irri-gates over three million acres from wells, and the time will come when America will surpass this. A pumping supply of about 450 gallons a minute will he ample to irrigate 80 acres. One thing to remember is, when water wa-ter is forced through a pipe, the faster it travels, the greater the loss in friction. fric-tion. This loss is equivalent to increasing in-creasing the pumping head, hence it is better to use large pipes instead of small ones; it is also best to have as few turns or elbows as possible and it is simply a question which must be decided for each individual plant as to vhat size pipe will be the most economical. The larger the pipe the more it costs, arid yet with large pipe the engine may be smaller and less fuel required to pump the required amount of water. |
