74 REPORT OK oFFrCE OF EXPERIMENT RTATIONS. 



(1) 'I'lic collection of <i:il:i froiii j^rowors as lo the amount of water 

 used and their uielhod.s of aj)|)lyin<,'' it. 



{'2) The determination of losses from soepa<;e and evaporation fiom 

 jj^round covered l»y vines as well as from reservoirs. 



(8) 'I'he determination of the elloct of standing water at difTercnt 

 temi)eratui('s on Iterries and \ ines in various stages of development 

 and under \arious conditions of weather. 



(4) The determination of the coefKcient of resistiince of jieat ditches 

 used for caiMTini^ water to and from the vines. 



(5) The determination of the most ell'ectiN'e methods of usinji^ water 

 to j)revent injury from frost. 



(()) The etl'ect upon the cranherry mai'sjies of the draina<;e of adjacent 

 areas for farm purposes. 



The results of the present year, while not conclusive, show how 

 greatly the success of this industry will be promoted hy an efficient 

 system of canals for getting the water onto the ground and getting it 

 ort". On June 11 of this year there was danger of frost. Those who 

 had proper ditches saved their croj)s. Those who were not so pro- 

 vided lost them. A conservative estimate of the loss in the Cran- 

 moor and Mather regions places tliis loss at ^25,000. The damage due 

 to im})roper drains in this region, which prevented the removal of 

 the Avater in time, was greater than that from frost, so that from 

 these two items in the two districts there was a net loss this year of 

 over $75,000, a sum whicii would probably ))c nearly sufficient to con- 

 struct a S3\stem of canals to meet the demands of both districts. 



The investigations in Missouri were carried on under a cooperative 

 arrangement with the Missouri State Experiment Station imder the 

 direction of Prof. V. B. Mumford, acting dean and director. The 

 results of this season are in accord with those of previous years, and 

 tend to prove that irrigation will pa}' in the cultivation of orchard and 

 garden crops. 



In New Jersey Prof. E. B. Voorhees, director of the State experi- 

 ment station, continued his experiments for this Office in the irrigation 

 of garden crops and small fruits and in the best means of preventing 

 losses from ditches in the irrigation of sandy lands. He also collected 

 the results of practical experience in irrigation of a large number of 

 market gardeners in the vicinity of New York and Boston. These 

 reports give the results of irrigation for periods varying from one to 

 twenty-tive years, and all those who have irrigation plants intend to 

 maintain them. 



The duty of water was measured in the rice district of Louisiana 

 and Texas at five different stations, under the direction of Prof. W. B. 

 Gregory, of Tulane University, and Prof. M. A. Aldrich carried on 

 some studies in legal and social questions growing out of the diversion 

 of Southern streams. Prof. Elwood Mead and C. G. Elliott were 



