IRRIGATION FOR ORCHARD AND GARDEN. 233 



don't like to advocate anything of that kind unless you know you 

 have a large supply of water. 



A Member — Do you advocate drive wells? 



Mr. Fort — No, sir; I do not. The water does not enter freely. 



Question — Do you find generally that the windmill is a reliable 

 source of power so as to be depended upon? 



Mr. Fort — Yes, sir; I think west of the 100th meridian — west 

 of Cozad — taking a mean average of the 365 days of the year it will 

 average sixteen hours a day that the mill will work. 



Question — Would it be advisable to use these gasoline eno-ines? 



Mr. Fort — I don't advocate anything of that kind that requires 

 fuel and care. 



A Member — I noticed at Omaha last fall a windmill that is a mar- 

 vel of simplicity and cheapness, manufactured at Silver City. Have 

 you had any practical experience with that particular mill? 



Mr. Fort — I have never seen that mill. The mills are all too 

 high priced. 



A Member — This mill sold for about $25. 



'Mr. Fort — The old style Dutch mill with cross-sails that has been 

 in use for centuries, with some few improvements, makes about as 

 serviceable a mill for the amount of money invested in it as any I 

 know of. Our people should be encouraged in constructing some 

 cheap form of strong windmill suitable for irrigation plants. 



A Member — Why don't you call the law-makers' attention to that 

 fact? 



Mr. Fort — I tried to and didn't have backing enough. I would 

 like to have the people take that up. 



A Member — It seems to me the Society would back that up. 



Mr. Fort — The Horticultural Society of our state is the one that 

 should push that thing. We have laws for the encouragement of canal 

 irrigation, and windmill irrigation is fully as cheap if not cheaper. 

 With canal irrigation you have lots of inconveniences, while with wind- 

 mill irrigation those inconveniences are all your own. You^^have your 

 plant and can take care of it yourself and have nobody to blame if it 

 goes wrong. Another thing, we don't require the amount'of water 

 that they do in Colorado or New Mexico. From statements made by 

 some of the windmill irrigators west of our town, I believe that six 

 inches of water in connection with the rainfall would have been suffi- 

 cient to insure splendid crops. 



