312 SUCCESS WITH SMALL FRUITS. 



to cause much injury. Such methods may answer very well 

 for small and well- mulched fruit gardens, making the home 

 supply certain and large, but it is inadequate from a business 

 point of view. Distributing water through pipes laid under- 

 ground, beneath the plow, does not work well at all, practi- 

 cally, and is not in accordance with nature. Most of the 

 water is wasted. 



Mr. Philbrick continues : — 



" The only method of distributing water much used in gardens 

 where pumping is practised is the system of iron pipes laid 

 underground, with hydrants distant 200 feet asunder, from which 

 the water is distributed by 100 feet of India rubber hose. This 

 is also the plan adopted by gardeners who make use of the pub- 

 lic water supply." 



When practicable, such iron pipes should be carried along 

 ridges and headlands, so as to let the water flow where we 

 wish it by gravity as far as possible. 



" Where the water has to be distributed by hose and sprink- 

 ler it will be found good economy to use a powerful pump, that 

 will give a head of at least thirty feet, and to use for distribution 

 pipes of not less than one and a half inches in diameter; pro- 

 vided, of course, that any considerable area — an acre or more 

 — is to be watered. Thus, for example, we will suppose that 

 it is required to water five acres of land, and that we have near 

 by a never-failing pond or river ; we can locate a steam pump 

 near the river, and, while at work watering, we load the safety- 

 valve upon the delivering water pipe at fifteen pounds per square 

 inch, which corresponds to a head of about thirty feet of water. 

 We have 300 feet of iron pipe, two inches in diameter, and 100 

 feet of India rubber hose, one and a half inches in diameter, for 

 the delivery of the water. This apparatus would be capable of 

 delivering 45 gallons per minute, or 27,000 gallons per day of 

 ten hours, — enough for the thorough wetting of one acre per 

 day, or every acre of the five once in five days ; by running 

 nights, ten acres could be watered. 



