Show 0 0 ED 0 0 irrigation OF AN ORCHARD fruit growers are installing better ditches for distributing water without waste prepared pared by the united states department or of agriculture high value find and scarcity of water for irrigation purposes has made it sary bary for many fruit growers in the west to instill install better ditches for distributing the water they are entitled to with least waste marly many orchard ests have installed pumping plants to raise water ater from underground sources when natural streams could not furnish an adequate supply in some parts of the west reservoirs are being built to supplement the late summer flow of streams which fall to supply enough water the most common method of irrigating orchards Is by means of furrows tile water la Is carried by gravity or forced by pumps from its source in wooden flumes blumes concrete lined ditches or concrete pipes to various parts of the orchard and is distributed in the open furrows I 1 expensive devices tor for distributing water into furrows are not warranted in orchards bards of little value and small annual returns on the other hand it may prove an economical investment to provide valuable orchards yielding high annual returns with the best known devices for successful irrigation such stich a device is unquestionably the concrete or other underground pipe fitted with suitable stand standpipes pipes at the other extreme Is to be found the earthen ditch permanent ditches at the head of orchard tracts should be located by a surveyor the proper grade depends chiefly on the soil if the soil Is loose and easily eroded a slow velocity Is best on the other hand the velocity must be rapid to prevent the deposition of silt and the growth of water plants in ordinary soils a grade of 21 2 1 inches to feet for a ditch carrying 2 cubic feet per second Is not far out of the way the amount of water to be carried varies from 12 to 2 or more ebble cubic feet per second A ditch having a bottom width of 24 indies inches a depth of 6 inches and sloping sides ought to carry la 1 cubic feet per second on a grade of half an inch to the rod or 3 inches to feet such a ditch may be built by first plowing tour four furrows and then removing the loose earth with either shovels or a narrow scraper canvas dams metal tap or other similar devices are inserted laserte in the head ditch to raise the surface of the water opposite that part of the orchard where furrows have been made and which Is about to be watered the chief difficulty in this mode of furrow irrigation arises in withdraw withdrawing ing water from the ditch and in distributing it equally among a large number of furrows A skilled tor may adjust the size and depth of the ditch bank openings so as to secure a somewhat uniform flow in the furrows but constant attention Is required in order to maintain it if the water is permitted to flow tor for a short 5 J 5 ra F K A V mr 1 1 41 Z I 1 1 4 4 I 1 making furrows previous to irrigating an apple orchard time unattended the distribution Is likely to become unequal parts of the ditch haul bank become sort soft and as the water rush rushes s through the earth Is washed away permitting larger discharges and lowering the general level of the water in the ditch so that other openings opening gs may ha e no discharge some of the of san diego county call insert in niches cut in the bank pieces of old grain sacks or tent cloth the water flows over those these NIt without hout eroding the earth another device Is to u use se a board point pointed ed tit at the lower end bend and containing a narrow opening or slot through which the water P passes asses to the hie furrow furro w shing shingles oes a lire r e also used to regulate the flow in the file furrows the thin ends ot of these are stuck into the ground at the heads of furrows formerly head flumes blumes for orchards were vere built of wood but the steady increase in the price of lumber and the decrease in the price of portland cement have induced many fruit growers to use cement instead A head flume composed of cement sand and gravel costs as a rule about twice as much as a wooden flume of the file same capacity but the early d decay cliv of wood especially if it comes in contact with earth makes the cement flume cli cheaper caper in the end am |