39 



severe and all the parts must be securely and strongly made. But 

 few styles of rams manufactured in this country are powerful 

 enough to supply water for anything but small areas (four to eight 

 acres). 



Winclmills. — If wind is the form of power to be used the mill 

 should be constructed of the best materials, and be strong and 

 secure in all its parts. Cheap forms of mills should be avoided in 

 all cases. The best steel mills are the cheapest in the end. The 

 mill should be located on high ground, so it will " catch" the wind 

 from all directions and so that the place of storage may be suffi- 

 ciently above the fields to be irrigated to give a good fall. The 

 average velocity of the wind in New England is about twelve miles 

 per hour. A 14-foot wheel will do good work with a wind of ten 

 to fifteen miles per hour. Of course the movement of the wind is 

 very irregular, but there is usually sufficient to furnish power for 

 pumping water for three to six acres, by having a large storage 

 tank. Wheels of lai'ge diameter are to be preferred in order to 

 utilize light breezes. 



Steam Power. — When water is wanted for a short time on one 

 or two crops which generall}^ give good profits, some form of engine 

 and pump may be economically used. The Wisconsin Experiment 

 Station has watered a variety of crops in this way aud has shown 

 this method of irrigation to be a profitable one. For crops like 

 strawberries, raspberries and some vegetables which give large 

 returns per acre and require water only for short periods of time, 

 steam may be advantageously used as a source of power for pump- 

 ing. On many farms a portable engine might be profitably rented 

 for a few weeks during the strawberry season. This is a time 

 when farm engines are seldom wanted for other purposes. Naph- 

 tha or gasoline engines of five to six horse-power are economical 

 of fuel, can be easily operated, are of lighter weight than coal 

 engines, and as a source of power they are worthy of careful con- 

 sideration. 



Application of Water. — The oldest method of distributing the 

 water over the fields to be irrigated is by means of small ditches. 

 These can be made by turning a furrow with a plow along the 

 highest part of the field to be watered. By having a number of 

 lines of these ditches parallel to each other along the slopes of the 

 land the water may be let out on the lower side of the highest ditch 

 and distributed over the land between this and the next ditch, 

 while the second ditch will catch the surplus water. A man with 

 a hoe removes obstructions and directs the water by opening small 

 water courses. With a little attention the water can be made to 

 touch nearly all parts of the field. 



