500 REPORT OF OFFICE. OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



as drainage outlets. The plan of discharging tile drains into sumps 

 about 10 feet deep, located at a convenient supply lateral or canal, 

 and establishing a small pumping plant at each to lift the water 

 into irrigating canals was proposed by the writer in 1903, and is 

 described in circulars Nos. 50 and 57, and further in Part IX of 

 Bulletin 158 of this office. This method Avas put in operation experi- 

 mentally in 1906 and 1907, under the supervision of irrigation inves- 

 tigations of this office, in which the owners of the land upon which 

 the plants were located and the State of California cooperated. The 

 results of this investigation and experiment are set forth in Office of 

 Experiment Stations Bulletin 217. The plan, briefly stated, is to 

 discharge the water from a sj^stem of tile drains into a sump or well 

 9 feet or more deep. A vertical centrifugal pump is placed at the 

 bottom, the shaft extending to the surface, where it is operated by an 

 electric motor connected to the pulley by a belt, a power line through 

 that section making the use of electrical power possible and practi- 

 cable. The water which is pumped is not sufficiently charged with 

 alkali to unfit it for irrigation, especially when diluted with the water 

 supply of the canal into wdiich it is pumped. As a result of this 

 investigation and trial of the plan originally proposed, which was 

 successful, the method is now used on two fruit ranches where drain- 

 age systems and a pumping plant have been installed entirely at the 

 owner's expense, and the land is being effectually reclaimed from the 

 evils of both seepage and alkali. Since this land is 20 miles distant 

 from a gravity outlet, the ability to accomplish drainage in this 

 manner makes it possible for individuals to drain their lands without 

 being dependent upon the organization of a large cooperative outlet 

 scheme, which, however, ought to be worked out whenever it is 

 possible to do so. 



It may have occurred to the reader that there are some striking 

 characteristics in the development of drainage methods for irrigated 

 land when compared with ordinary practice in the humid sections. 

 The ineffectiveness of drains which are laid 3 or 4 feet deep has been 

 repeatedly demonstrated. The many failures in the West of methods 

 which are commonly practiced and are successful in the East at one 

 time gave abundant support to the belief often expressed by those 

 who made the attempt that such land could not be drained. Costly 

 experience has fairly well established the fact that 6 feet is about the 

 minimum depth at which drains should be placed under the condi- 

 tions which usually prevail in irrigated fields. Instances might be 

 mentioned Mdiere a series of shallow drains which failed to accomplish 

 the expected result have been replaced by drains 6 and 7 feet deep 

 Avith satisfactory results. Two reasons for this increased depth may 

 be given. First, if the drains are not deep they will not intercept the 

 underflow, and therefore will have no effect in diminishing the vol- 



