iRKICATlOX 1\ TIIH XUKTIl ATI.AMIC STATliS." 



The (lata for this report were folk'ctecl (luring .Inly and August, 

 1905, and include a study of irriii;ation as practiced in Maryland, 

 Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and 

 Massachusetts. The territory investifi:ated lies in the humid district 

 of the United States, where the annual rainfall is between 40 and 50 

 inches. Irripition is not always necessary for the srrowth of (•roj)s and 

 has been confined to truck farms and meadow land. 



FIELD FOR IRRIGATION IN HUMID CLIMATES. 



Accordint;; to the popular conception, the liekl for irrigation is the 

 arid or semiarid region in the West, and does not extend to the 

 humid East, where the supply of moisture is considered suflicient for 

 the growth of cro})s. The distribution of rainfall, however, is so uncer- 

 tain that crops throughout the East often suffer from droughts. 

 Without irrigation certain crops, such as strawberries, celery, and 

 cauliflower, may be entirely lost. It is not uncommon to see farmers 

 making frantic efforts to save their crops from destruction by hauling 

 water and sprinkling from barrels and watering pots. The water 

 applied in tliis manner is too small in cjuantity to l)e of any service and 

 is very costly. Economical and successful methods of irrigation 

 adapted to humid conditions are, how^ever, quite extensively used and 

 are described in this report. 



The advantages to be gained from irrigation are limited to certain 

 crops. Such field crops as timothy, clover, wheat, rye, oats, and corn 

 are not particularly affected by droughts of short duration. The 

 value of such crops in eastern Pennsylvania will usually lie betw^een 

 SI 5 and $30 per acre, and irrigation in such instances would hardly pay 

 under present conditions. The case of truck crops is entirely different. 

 The value of a single crop will often be $200 to $1,500 per acre, and 

 usually two to tliree crops are grown on the same land in a year. 

 Crops of this nature are much more sensitive to drought than field 

 crops. Particularly is this true in the case of berries during the 

 time when the fruit is maturing. Failure to provide sufficient mois- 

 ture during this period may result. in very great damage to the crop. 



aPrevious studies of irrigation in the East have been reported in U. S. Dept. Agr., Office 

 of Experiment Stations Buls. 36, 87, 119, 133, 148, and Farmers' Bui. 46. 



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 29606— No. 167—06 2 



