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JHE DIVERSIFIED FARM. 



9 '.Tn diversified farming by irrigation lies the salvation of agriculture. 



THE AGE wants to brighten the pages of its Diversified Farm department and with 

 this object in view it requests its readers everywhere to send in photographs and pic- 

 tures of fields, orchards and farm homes; prize-taking horses, cattle, sheep or hogs, 

 Also sketches or plans of convenient and commodious barns, hen houses, corn cribs, 

 etc. Sketches of ^labor-saving devices, such as ditch cleanei's and watering troughs. 

 A good illustration of a windmill irrigation plant is always interesting. Will you help 

 us improve the appearance of THE AGE? 



AN ANSWER FROM DR. GAPEN. 



[In answer to the correspondent from 

 Texas, who last month wrote to the AGE 

 for information regarding irrigation, es- 

 pecially as to the manner of conducting 

 water from a main reservoir to different 

 parts of the ground, we give the following 

 contribution from Dr. Clarke Gapin, of 

 Madison, Wis., who is authority on irriga- 

 tion. ED.] 



Your subscriber does not give sufficiently 

 full information as to the relation of the 

 water available to his land. I infer how- 

 ever, that he does not need a pumping 

 outfit but a method of conveying water. 

 The most economical method is by the 

 open ditch this costs only the surveying 

 and making. To attempt to convey any 

 large amount of water through a pipe 

 would be quite expensive. The best and 

 most economical pipe for the purpose, 

 however, is the spiral weld steel pipe 

 pipe made by Abendroth & Root, of Pitts- 

 burg, and which ought not to cost laid 

 over 25 cents per foot for 6-inch pipe. 

 Such piping, however, is rarely necessary 

 when pumping is not required. If pump- 

 ing is required and he has a reservoir or 

 can make one, he can depend upon a good 

 sized windmill to fill his 'reservoir with 

 sufficient water to irrigate ten acres or less. 

 But he must have a reservoir if he uses a 

 windmill. If he has no reservoir and 

 must use a pump, a small gasoline pump 

 will answer his purpose. 



As to the practical work of irrigation, 

 that is very simple. By whatever method 

 he brings his water to the land he there 

 empties it into, a main ditch which must 



be so located that water will flow from it 

 on to the land to be irrigated, remember- 

 ing all the time that practical irrigation 

 depends upon the familiar fact that ' 'water 

 will run down hill." To control the flow 

 of water he needs some galvanized iron 

 dams one or more of a size sufficient to 

 extend across his main ditch, and several 

 of a smaller size for the furrows. The 

 former should be about 2-J to 3 feet 

 across and the latter about 15 inches. 

 Both should be cut convex on the lower 

 end and strengthened by a board handle 

 riveted across the iipper side. 



With the larger size placed across the 

 main ditch he diverts the water between 

 as many rows of vegetables as he wishes, 

 usually five or six at a time, and with the 

 smaller ones placed across the ditches be- 

 tween the rows he prevents a too rapid 

 flow of the water, if his land slopes rapidly. 

 If the slope is gradual he will rarely need 

 to use the smaller dams, as by the time 

 the water has flowed the length of a row 

 it has sufficiently soaked the ground. 



To make the ditches between the rows 

 he needs what is termed a "middle break- 

 er," or in place of this an old style shovel 

 plow will do very well. This he runs be- 

 tween the rows of potatoes, corn, sweet 

 potatoes, etc, Inirrigating onions, beets, 

 etc. , which are planted in rows close to- 

 gether, it is customary to leave out every 

 sixth row and use that space for the ditch. 

 The water is then dammed at intervals 

 across the five rows from ditch to ditch, 

 and made to flood the space between till 

 the ground is well soaked. The dams are 



