The Supply, the Price, and the Quality of Fuel 

 Oils for Pump Irrigation 



/iv (/'. H. P. S:-itli 



IXTRODI'CTION 



The year 1920 has been an unlurtunaie one for puni]) irrigalors of 

 Arizona. With high prices for fuel oil, with unusually light rainfall, 

 and with dull markets antl low prices for crops, there has been little f)r 

 no profit in most cases. 



The Arizona Agricultural Kxperimetit Station has served in a con- 

 sulting cai)acity ft)r pump irrigators for the past fifteen years, and has 

 studied the related probleius of groundwater supply, wells, power, and 

 fuel oils. This bulletin is the result of studies of fuel oils. The studies 

 are not complete, but the publicaiion is hastened in the hopf tiiat it will 

 be available in time to be of service in contracting for the fuel oil supply 

 for 1921. 



HIST(3RY OF I'L'AIP IRRIGATION IX ARIZ(JXA 

 Although pumping water for irrigation was common in Califi)rnia 

 before 1900, only a few unsuccessful atteiupts had been made in this 

 State, the earliest being at the Hartt ranch in Pima County in 1889. 

 The development in California was due to the stimulus of an abundant 

 supply of gasoline at five to seven cents per gallon, while Arizona had 

 no available fuel oil supply at low cost. 



Between 1900 and 1910, many small puniping plants \\ere installed, 

 most of them in Pima County ; but they were confined to shallow-water 

 areas, the pumping lift being from ten to forty feet. For many of these 

 ])lants the power was derived from wood-burning steam boilers ; a 

 greater number employed gasoline engines burning engine distillate No. 

 1, which was an excellent fuel, almost the equivalent of the gasoline of 



