42 



Spinach, lettuce, corn, celery, and caulillower are the crops irrigated. 

 The town pressure is insullicient for the use of sj)rinklers, so the furrow 

 system is used. The cost of irrigation e([ui|)nu'nt on the farm was S3()(). 

 In dry seasons irrigation increases the yield from 20 to- 50 percent. 



On the second farm "Jl acres are irrigated from a pond, partly fed l)y 

 two 2\-inch wells 50 feet deep, which flow when the pond is lowered hy 

 pumping. A portable lO-horsepower ])()il(M- and a direct acting steam 

 pump are mounted on a wagon. At 90 strokes per minute the pump 

 delivers ISO gallons per minute through 400 feet of 3-inch pil)e, and 

 through 2^-inch fire hose in lengths up to 1,200 feet. Rubber-lined 

 canvas hose costs $1 per foot and lasts 10 years. The plant cost %\ ,700. 



The furrow system of irrigation is commonly used, the furrows being 

 210 to 400 feet long and 4 to 5 feet apart. The stream from a 2i-inch 

 hose is divided l)etween 5 to 20 furrows, according to the grade of the 

 land, the usual number being 7, in which event it requires twenty 

 minutes to irrigate them. Four acres can be irrigated in an eleven- 

 hour run. One man distributes the water, but it requires three men 

 once a day to move the pipe. Bare land is irrigated for planting l)y 

 attaching a 1-inch nozzle to the hose. Tender plants are watered with 

 a ^-inch nozzle under high pressure, which makes a hue spray. 



The soil is a santly loam 7 to 12 inches deep, with a gravel and sand 

 subsoil. The average lift does not exceed 10 feet, the pressure being 

 nuiinly due to friction in the pipe. In a day's run of eleven hours, 500 

 pounds of hard coal, at $6.75 per ton, is used, the average annual con- 

 sumption being 6 to 12 tons. The crops irrigated are dandelion, kale, 

 spinach, corn, and celery. C^elery is irrigated every two weeks in dry 

 weather, receiving about four irrigations per crop. Sweet corn pro- 

 duces 300 bushels per acre, w4th about 60 ears per bushel. The corn 

 is first harvested July 17. Irrigation increases the value of the crops 

 20 to 50 per cent, according to the rainfall. An increase of 50 per 

 cent is obtained only when the raiid'all is very light. 



RHODE ISLAND. 



No. 57. D. N. Potter, of Providence County, irrigates 22 acres in 

 beets, lettuce, celery, and cucund)ers from a pond. A duplex steam 

 pump forces the water through 400 feet of 3-inch pipe and 1,000 feet 

 of 2-inch pipe provided with 2-inch branches. The water is distrib- 

 uted by a 1-inch hose provided with ^-inch nozzles, the maximum 

 length of hose emploj^ed being 200 feet. The supply is sufficient for 

 two nozzles. In addition the greenhouse consumes 5,000 gallons of 

 water in three hours. Part of the piping is buried, and the other 

 part, which is laid on the surface of the ground, is taken up every 

 winter. The ground is usuall}^ irrigated from 3.30 p. m. to 7 p. m. 

 Four hundred j)ounds of soft coal, costing $4.10 })er ton, is used in a 

 ten-hour run, about 50 tons being used in a season. 



