THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



369 



and thought he might have to change engines again. 

 By this "cut and try" process a satisfactory plant 

 may be ultimately obtained, but the process itself is 

 ruinous. 



PIPING AND CONNECTIONS. 



There are many seemingly unimportant details 

 which are under a purchaser's control and which if 

 neglected cause great leakages of power and increase 

 in cost of pumping or decrease in amount of water 

 pumned. It has been our observation and experience 

 that the worst features of recently installed plants have 

 been in these minor details, and the consumption of 

 fuel has been found doubled in many cases from this 

 cause. 



The pulleys ordinarily found on centrifugal 

 pumps are so small that with the irrigator's usually 

 loose belt the loss by slipping is very great. Larger 

 pulleys for both pump and engine should be specified 

 in the original order. Idler pulleys should be avoided, 

 and friction clutches are unnecessary. 



The belting best adapted to this country has been 

 found to be a six-ply canvas stitched belt of the Gandy 

 make. It is a perfect outdoor belt, while a leather 

 belt rapidly goes to pieces if allowed to get wet and a 

 rubber belt does not stand a hot and dry climate. 

 The Gandy belt may be estimated at about eight cents 

 per foot per horsepower, assuming that it is run at an 

 economical speed. A belt connection should not be 

 less than 16 feet center to center of pulleys. 



The foot valve with strainer, usually unsuspected, 

 is undoubtedly a great offender. The strainer rarely 

 has sufficient waterway. It should be of very ample 

 and generous size, and the foot valve should be aban- 

 doned. -Either a check valve placed immediately above 

 the discharge opening of the pump, or, even better, a 

 flap valve which can be lowered over the outlet of the 

 discharge pipe, should be used. In either case the 

 pump can be quickly primed by means of a pitcher- 

 pump attached to the pump casing or by a steam siphon. 

 The siphon, or ejector, is recommended for all plants 

 operated by steam power. 



SUCTION AND DISCHARGE PIPES. 



The suction and discharge pipes should be materi- 

 ally larger than the pump openings. Doubling the 

 diameter of a pipe reduces the internal friction loss to 

 about one-thirty-second of its value, assuming the dis- 

 charge to remain unchanged, and reduces the energy 

 head of the escaping stream to one-sixteenth of its 

 value. The advantage, therefore, of large size piping 

 is readily apparent. The following sizes of piping are 

 recommended for the more common makes of cen- 

 trifugal pumps: 

 Diam. of Diam. Suction Diam. of Diam. Suction 



Pump and Discharge Pump and Discharge 



Opening. Pipes. Opening. Pipes. 



Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. 



3 5 6 10 



4 6 8 12 



5 8 10 15 



Where two suction pipes are used the diameter of 

 each should be that of the pump opening. The dis- 

 charge pipe should be connected through a tapered in- 

 creaser about four feet in length, and the suction pipe 

 should be connected through a reducing elbow or a 

 straight increaser. 



The pump should be placed low so that the suc- 

 tion lift is as small as possible, or it may run sub- 

 merged in the case of vertical centrifugal pumps. 

 When the pump and pipe joints are well packed there 

 is no advantage in the lower lift except for the easier 

 priming, but when a gland packing becomes worn the 

 efficiency of the pump is lowered by a high suction 

 head. Suction of more than 20 feet is difficult to 

 maintain with any pump, but more especially with 

 centrifugals. The suction pipe, however, should be 

 considerably longer than 20 feet to prevent air from 

 being sucked down the side of the pipe. 



If elbows are necessary they should be of the 

 "long sweep" type. Steam fittings have usually been 

 employed, but a column of water does not change 

 direction with the same ease as steam. The cost of 

 the long sweep fittings is no more than that of standard 

 steam fittings. 



CATTLE SPRAYING. 



It is common knowledge (hat the mosquito, the ordi- 

 nary house fly and like insects, are carriers of many kinds 

 of dangerous diseases among members of the human race. 

 Consequently, radical means are adopted for their pre- 

 vention and extermination as far as possible. But if they 

 are carriers of disease among humanity, a vast number 

 of the insects that infest cattle are diseases in them- 

 selves. 



Clinging closely to the skin of the infested animals, 

 they will suck their blood and rapidly sap them of all 

 vitality. Unless some other extremely apparent cause is 

 discovered, weak and emaciated cattle can be attributed 

 to the presence of lice or other similar parasites. This 

 is one of the chief causes of troubles that are sometimes 

 placed at the door of another source, showing itself in 

 different ways, but really being due to the poor condition 

 of the cattle so affected, making them susceptible to dis- 

 eases they would not otherwise contract. 



Spraying the cattle themselves with a low solution 



Kerosene Sprayer. Oil and Water Are Thoroughly Mixed in the 

 Plunger Tube in any Percentage Desired. 



of kerosene, or prepared solutions manufactured for this 

 purpose, has accomplished surprising results in ridding 

 stock of insect troubles. A regular spraying of all barns, 

 kennels and poultry houses does much to eliminate such 

 troubles. 



In the South, considerable trouble is experienced from 

 the tick, which is a great carrier of the Texas or "accli- 



