12 



LANCASTER COUNTY. 



B. Caskey irrigates 7 acres, whicli yield 2 Ions of hay to the acre in 

 two cuttings. Water is run continuously over the same piece for 

 about three weeks. 



David Martin and four others irrigate 19 acres from Blue Ball Run. 

 The water is diverted into a partnership ditch 3 feet wide and 2 feet 

 deep, nearly a mile in length, which was built seventy years ago. 

 Water is usually applied twice before each cutting and once immedi- 

 ately afterwards and runs continuousl}" for three or four days for each 

 irrigation. It is distributed over the land by means of small cuts in 

 the side of the ditch, 12 to 15 feet apart. Wliere the ditch runs on a 

 steep grade, boards or stakes are inserted to clieck the water. Repairs 

 are said to cost $5 a year. Three acres yielded 10 tons of hay or three 

 times the yield of unirrigated land. 



A. H. Weaver irrigates 2 acres from a spring. Water is run continu- 

 ously for five days on the same piece of land, being applied in eight 

 irrigations a month apart. After each irrigation the land is allowed to 

 dry for two days, when stock is turned in to graze for the next three 

 weeks. Irrigated land will pasture 3 head of stock per acre, whereas 

 nonirrigated land will support only 1 head. The owner estimates the 

 value of irrigated pasture per head per month at $2, and of nonirriga- 

 ted pasture where the quality of grass is not so good at $1 .50. Hence, 

 allowing for the week during which irrigated land is not available for 

 pasturage, the annual value of irrigated meadow land in the seven 

 months from the middle of April to the middle of November is $31.50 

 per acre, while the annual value of nonirrigated meadow land per acre 

 is $10.50. The annual cost of applying water to the land is but $4; 

 hence the net annual return is approximately $17 per acre for irrigated 

 land. 



Amos Hostetter irrigates 10 acres, which is cut twice and pastured. 

 The 3aeld per acre is about 3 tons. Irrigation is begun about the 1st 

 of June, and the first crop cut about ten days later. W^ater is nm con- 

 tinuously from one to two days on the same piece of land and is usually 

 applied every week. The crop of hay on nonirrigated land is hardly 

 worth cutting. It takes one man two and a half days to clean the 

 ditch each ye-dv. 



J. W. Morrison irrigates l^ acres, which yield 5 tons a year in two 

 cuttings. Irrigation fully doubles the yield. Water is applied every 

 ten days and runs continuoush^ on the same piece of land for five days. 

 The cost of the irrigation per year is about $5. 



BERKS COUNTY. 



At the Reading poorhouse there are irrigated 30 acres, yielding 1| 

 tons to the acre in one cutting in June, after which the land is pastured. 

 Water is run continuously from the middle of March to the middle of 



