20 



the farm throun:h 500 feet of 1-inch pipe, the vertical head being 30 

 feet. The hind is watered by means of a water witch fed through a 

 f-inch hose. The water witch covers a circle 20 feet in diameter, and 

 is moved every half-hour. Water is applied once a week in dry- 

 weather. The water stored in the ])arrels and the flow of the spring is 

 suflicient to operate one water witch for 3^ hours. The owner thinks 

 that irrigation has doubled the value of crops in average years. 



On a farm near East Stroudsburg, at the time of the writer's visit, 

 the celery crop had been set out only a^hort time, and was burning up 

 in spite of attempts to irrigate by hauling water a short distance in a 

 barrel. The time recpiired was one hour per barrel. Eight barrels of 

 water, holding 32 gallons each, or 34 cubic feet in all, were applied in 

 two irrigations to one-quarter acre. This would correspond to a depth 

 of 0.02 inch per irrigation, which is not sufficient to be of any advan- 

 tage whatever. Figuring the time of a man and team at 32 cents per 

 hour, the water cost $10 per 1,000 gallons, or over $3,000 per acre foot. 

 This case is cited to show the folly of this method of irrigation except 

 in setting out plants. 



Xo. 13. R. F. Schwarz, of Monroe County, irrigates 5 acres of truck 

 with water obtained from a spring on a sidehill near his farm. A tim- 

 ber dam 25 feet long forms a reservoir for the spring, from which the 

 water runs to the farm through a half mile of 2-inch pipe, under a head 

 of 150 feet. Part of the tract is irrigated every day and part every 

 other day. With a flow of 10 gallons per minute, 1^ acres can be irri- 

 gated in twenty-four hours. The furrow system is used, a hose sup- 

 plying water to the ends of the furrows. Sometimes the ground is 

 sprinkled, a large round sprinkler with small holes being used. 



The crops irrigated are celery, cabbage, beets, lettuce, asparagus, 

 raspberries, strawberries, radishes, and rhubarb. Cabbage is planted 

 15 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart. It sold in 1905 for 5 cents per 

 head wholesale, and 6 to 8 cents retail. Celery was planted 6 inches 

 apart in 3-foot rows. It sold for 5 cents per stalk, three-fourths of the 

 crop maturing. Lettuce was planted 6 by 9 inches. In 1905 it 

 brought 5 to 7 cents per head, and four crops were grown. Without 

 irrigation it would be impossible to raise lettuce. Three crops of rad- 

 ishes were raised on the same land, spaced 7 inches apart. The cost of 

 the entire system was $200. In dry years irrigation pays many times 

 the interest on the investment. 



No. 14. M. Garrahan, of Luzerne County, irrigates 9 acres in celery 

 with water pumped from a slough, with a direct-acting steam pump 

 driven by a 1 5-horsepower portable steam boiler. The fuel used is an- 

 thracite coal, costing $4 per ton. The fuel consumption in ten hours, 

 the usual length of run, is 800 pounds. Labor costs $1.50 per day. 

 The pump operates against a vertical lift of 13 feet, and delivers water 

 into a 2^-inch pipe 900 feet long, provided with outlets for distributing 



