THE IKRIGATIOX AGE. 



175 



PREPARING LAND FOR IRRIGATION AND METH- 

 ODS OF APPLYING WATER. 



From Bulletin 145, courtesy United States Department of Agriculture. 



(Continued.) 



COST OF PIPE AND HOSE. 



One 40-acre tract, which is eighty rods square, is 

 successfully irrigated with 1,300 feet of pipe and hose, 

 which is just sufficient to convey the water to the lower 

 end of an 80-rod strip. Of the 1,300 feet 500 is gal- 

 vanized-iron pipe, eight inches in diameter. The re- 

 maining 800 feet is canvas hose, most of which has 

 been treated with an impervious coating. This propor- 

 tion of hose to pipe is much larger than is used in 

 many other cases, and it is doubtful if it is economy 

 in the long run to have so much hose, as it is extremely 

 short lived. The first cost is less, but the necessary 

 replacing of the hose every year or two brings the ulti- 

 mate much above that of yietal pipe. The galvanized- 

 iron pipe is made of No. 24 iron in 12-foot sections 

 and costs 20 cents per running foot. This price is some- 

 what low for this grade of pipe. The average price k 

 nearer 25 cents per foot, the variation being due to fluctu- 

 ations of the market. At 20 cents the cost per section 

 is $2.40, or $100 for the entire length of 500 feet. The 

 canvas hose is an inch larger in diameter and cost 7 

 cents per foot for the plain duck and 9 cents per foot 

 for the prepared duck. The total cost for the canvas 

 hose was $68. For the entire tract, therefore, the 

 necessary pipes and hose cost in the neighborhood of $168, 

 or $4.20 per acre. This cost per acre on larger tracts 

 would, of course, be somewhat reduced, as larger tracts 

 than the one taken as an example are just as success- 

 fully irrigated with no more pipe. On larger tracts it 

 is possible to keep the pipes in use all the time, irri- 

 gating the sections in turn. 



In the two tables which follow the current prices 

 of pipe and hose on the Pacific Coast are given: 



PRICE PER FOOT OF GALVANIZED-IRON PIPE RIVETED AND SOLDERED 



IN 12-FOOT SECTIONS, SAN FRANCISCO MARKET. 



DECEMBER, 1903. 



Diameter 



of pipe. 



Inches. 



3 



5 



6 



7 



8 



9 



10 



No. 20 

 iron. 



Cents. 

 18.5 

 25.0 

 28.0 

 30.0 

 37.0 

 40.0 

 45.0 



No. 22 

 iron. 



Cents. 

 17 

 22 

 25 

 28 

 33 

 37 

 40 



No. 24 

 iron. 



Cents. 

 11 

 15 

 18 

 21 

 25 

 28 

 31 



No. 26 

 iron. 



Cents. 



9.5 

 12.5 

 16.0 

 18.0 

 22.5 

 25.0 

 28.0 



PRICE PER FOOT OF CANVAS HOSE, LOS ANGELES MARKET, DECEM- 



Diameter 



of hose. 



Inches. 



4 



6 



9 



13 



BER, 1903. 

 Plain duck. 



Cents. 

 3.0 

 3.5 

 4.5 

 6.5 

 8.0 

 12.5 



Coated with pat- 

 ented preparation. 

 Cents. 

 3.5 

 4.5 

 5.5 

 8.0 

 10.0 

 17.5 



I 



The hose quoted in the table is made of 12-ounce 

 double-filled duck, in lengths of 100 feet. Shorter 

 lenghts are made at the same rate, except that an extra 

 charge of from 10 to 25 cents is made for each extra 

 coupling inserted. On orders of 1,000 feet or over it is 

 customary to allow a small discount. Prices, of course, 

 are subject to wide variation, and definite estimates can 

 not be given. It is believed, however, that the figures 

 given represent the average cost of pipes and hose, 



based on prices which are current in the section where 

 this means of irrigation is most used. 



The preparation of land for irrigation with pipe 

 and hose costs about the same as for open ditches and 

 varies from $2.50 to $10 per acre, depending upon the 

 conditions of the lands. While the expense of leveling 

 a field is always money well spent, from the manner 

 of application lands irrigated with pipes require less 

 leveling than those to be irrigated by flooding from 

 laterals. The cost of irrigating alfalfa with pipes and 

 hose may be summed up as follows : With an average 

 stream of seventy inches of water one man can irrigate 

 from one and one-half to two acres per day of ten hours, 

 in addition to tending the pumping plant, where a gas 

 engine is used. This area, of course, will vary with 

 the nature of the land and also with the stage of growth 

 of the crop. The cost of labor for each irrigation, 



Citrus Orchard Irrigation Scene. Riverside, Cal. 



however, will not exceed $1.25 per acre, and should 

 in most cases fall below $1. On the assumption that 

 six irrigations are necessary during the dry season, the 

 annual cost for labor should come inside of $7.50 per 

 acre. When successfully grown alfalfa will yield from 

 five to seven crops each year where it grows continu- 

 ously, and each crop will yield from one to two tons 

 per acre, according to local conditions. This gives an 

 annual yield of from seven to twelve tons per acre, 

 which, at the current price of $8 and $9 per ton in 

 the field, produces an annual gross return of from 

 $56 to $108 per acre. 



SUMMARY. 



The advantages of irrigation with pipe and hose 

 may be brieflv summarized as follows: 



(1) Losses which would otherwise occur by seep- 

 age in the conveyance of water over a field are prevented. 

 Further loss in application due to gopher and squirrel 

 holes is also largely eliminated. 



