38 



It will be readily seen that even with two acres of strawberries 

 the increased returns obtained by the use of water would furnish 

 quite a sum towards covering the expense of an irrigation plant. 



Suggestions regarding Irrigation. 



The contour of most of the land of New England is such as to 

 readily admit of the conveyance and application of water for irriga- 

 tion. Streams, ponds and springs are common, and, except in 

 cases of severe droughts, furnish an adequate supply of water. 

 Many crops, like strawberries, raspberries and early vegetables, 

 need irrigating, if at all, early in the season, when the supply of 

 water is often sufficient, while, perhaps, later in the season it would 

 not be. Much of the land that would be improved by irrigation is 

 in valleys, near to streams and ponds, which in many cases are 

 high enough to give a moderate flow on the areas below, so the 

 cost of getting the water would be merely nominal. The soils used 

 for many of our most profitable crops are generally light and 

 porous and leach water readily, but are just the kind of soils that 

 most need irrigating ; while our best money crops, such as small 

 fruits and vegetables, are heavy users of water. There is no need 

 of drainage, in connection with irrigation, on soils of this class, as 

 is often the case where the surface soil is compact. 



Means of making Water Available. — The sources of water for 

 irrigation in New England are natural or artificial ponds, streams 

 and springs, and in some cases wells. In many cases ponds are 

 so located that water can be conveyed from them to fields on lower 

 ground by means of open ditches, the expense depending upon the 

 distance and the character of the ground to be passed through. 

 This often is the cheapest method for securing water. When the 

 supply is large the loss of water occasioned by soakage from the 

 ditch or evaporation is not of serious consequence. The fall of 

 many of our small streams is so great that by building a small dam 

 the water may be turned from its natural course and conveyed in 

 ditches along the outer edge of the valley and then allowed to flow 

 over the surface of the fields back to the natural stream. 



Mams. — In many places the source of supply is below the fields 

 to be irrigated and the water can only be made available by some 

 pumping device. The cheapest sources of power are water and 

 wind, although steam or electricity may be profitably used where 

 the water is wanted only for a short period of time. A ram, under 

 many conditions, is the best power. As only a small part of the 

 water that is needed to operate the ram can be pumped, the supply 

 must be quite large and the ram of heavy capacity. If the water 

 is lifted over 40 or 50 feet high the strain on the ram is quite 



