BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. 527 



Under agreement with the Florida experiment station cooperative 

 experiments were continued upon the station farm at Gainesville, 

 Fla., for the purpose of determining the value of sewage irrigation for 

 that type of soil. The experiments with sewage irrigation and with 

 the use of automatic valves for distributing the sewage were con- 

 tinued at Vineland, N. J. Several plans for small irrigation plants 

 on farms in humid sections liave been prepared and advice has been 

 given to a number of farmers who were operating irrigation plants 

 or desired to install such plants. 



During the year the personnel of the division changed greatly. 

 Several senior drainage engineers with long experience in the work 

 resigned to accept more attractive positions. This loss hampered the 

 work materially and prevented taking up important investigations, 

 as it was impossi})le to replace the engineers who had resigned with 

 engineers of similar experience and training. It has also been im- 

 possible to secure junior drainage engineers, although it is desirable 

 to have a number in training who* can later be promoted as vacancies 

 occur. 



RURAL ENGINEERING INVESTIGATIONS. 



As was the case during the previous fiscal year, the work of the rural 

 engineering division in 1920 was handled largely through correspon- 

 dence, and consisted in responding to requests for information and 

 advice on individual problems in the field of rural engineering. 



The plans for sweet-potato houses which had been prepared in 

 previous years in cooperation with the Bureau of Markets were 

 widely distributed throughout the sweet-potato growing sections. 

 A number of storage houses have been built from these plans. Re- 

 ports received from the owners indicate a very much smaller loss 

 from potatoes stored than that which formerly occurred. 



A design for a simple water system consisting of a cistern and 

 pitcher pump which can be cheaply installed in any home was 

 prepared for general distribution. Assistance was given to several 

 farmers who desired advice relative to water suppl}', septic tanks, 

 and in one instance a farm dam. The preparation of a bulletin on 

 Sewage and ^Sewerage of the Farm Home was nearly completed. 

 Plans for septic tanks for three large rural schools were prepared. 

 Studies were made and advice given relative to sewage disposal, 

 drainage, and water supply of the new plant-detention station of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry near Bell, Md. Plans were also prepared 

 for the installation of wash and toilet rooms for laborers at the Arling- 

 ton Expenment Farm. 



For general distribution there were prepared designs for farm 

 buildings, as follows: A sheep barn, dairy oarn, two cattle barns, 

 horse barn, implement shed, cattle feed trough, self-feeder for hogs, 

 smokehouse, and a hollow-tile sweet-potato storage house. Modi- 

 fications were made in sweet-potato storage-house plans previously 

 prepared. In addition, a numl)er of designs and drawings were 

 prepared for other l)ureaus of the department. 



Farmers' Jiulletin No. 1132, i^lanning the Farmstead, was com- 

 pleted and submitted for publication. A number of farmstead lay- 

 outs were prepared in response to recpiests for assistance. 



A paper on the "Stanchirdization of cow mangers and litter car- 

 riers" was delivered l)efore the farm equipment section of the Na- 



