THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 463 



were uudertaken in the same locality, including the formation of a 

 drainage district of 1,000 acres. One of the farmers in the tract sub- 

 jected his land to a thorough leaching process and was confident of 

 general success. The acre-cost in this experiment was $14.02. 



Experiments Near Fresno. 

 It is not necessary to multiply instances from other states of success- 

 ful experiments in draining irrigated land injuriously affected by the 

 rise of ground water and alkali accumulations. This is especially the 

 case since, as already mentioned, experiments have been conducted in 

 the near vicinity of Fresno. The first work done here was on the Taft 

 and Hansen farms at Fig and Central avenues, three miles south of the 

 city, and was under the Bureau of Soils of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. The plan was to drain into a sump and then lift the drainage 

 water into Central Canal by means of a 3-inch centrifugal pump 

 operated by a water wheel in the canal. The first tile installation was 

 partially unsatisfactory, but it was replaced by a larger one. The 

 pump was operated for several years whenever there was water in 

 Central Canal to turn the water wheel. This was not sufficiently 

 steady, however, to hold the ground water at a sufficiently low level, 

 because during the season of high ground water here a few hours only 

 are required after stopping a drainage pump to have the ground water 

 reach its former level. In 1908, owing to the unsatisfactory power 

 supplied by the current wheel in the canal, a portion of this tract was 

 connected with a new drainage system on the west and north, which 

 was installed in that year on the farms of J. and Fred W. Hansen. 

 This new system will be considered later. 



Fresno Drainage Survey of 1902. 

 In 1902 a general drainage survey was made in the vicinity of Fresno 

 I'.y Prof. 0. V. P. Stout, under the general direction of Mr. Elwood 

 Iviead, then Chief of Irrigation Investigations in the Department of 

 Agriculture, in order to understand the engineering problems involved 

 in the proper drainage of this region, the necessity of drainage being 

 so evident that it was assumed. As a result of this survey two general 

 plans for the relief of about 18,000 acres south and west of Fresno 

 were prepared by Mr. C. G. Elliott, then Chief of Drainage Investiga- 

 tions. One plan involved 8 parallel open drains one half mile apart, 

 extending from the eastern boundary of the district west to an inter- 

 cepting drain leading to Fresno Slough, 20 miles distant. The second 

 plan considered dividing the proposed drainage district into 18 sub- 

 districts, averaging in size from 800 to 1,700 acres. Parallel lines of 

 tile from 8 to 22 inches in diameter were to take the place of the open 

 drains in the first plan. Instead of being carried 20 miles in a drainage 

 channel leading to Fresno Slough, the drainage water was to be pumped 

 from collecting sumps to the various irrigation canals. The estimated 

 acre-cost of the tile system was $13 to $14, with that of the open system 

 possibly a little larger. No action was taken by the Fresno farmers as 

 a result of this survey and report. 



