40 



For crops like strawberries, when the water must be run between 

 the rows, these should extend up and down the slope. Only a 

 slight slope is needed to give free movement to the water ; from 3 

 to 6 feet for every 100 feet is better than a greater fall. With a 

 heavy fall, and especially if the soil is sandy, serious washing will 

 often result. In case mulch is used on strawberries it is found to 

 interfere badly with the flow when the water is applied by surface 

 flowage. If mulch is thought to be necessarj' to keep the fruit 

 clean, water should be applied freely just before the picking season 

 begins, and then the mulch be applied. Wooden troughs may be 

 used for distributing the water. These are made of rough boards 

 10 and 12 inches wide, nailed together v-shaped, and are supported 

 on stakes across the upper ends of the rows in such a way as to 

 give a slight fall across the field. By means of small auger holes 

 the water can be made to flow out between the rows. With small 

 strips of tin, gates are made over these holes so that the amount of 

 flow can be regulated. 



If the water supply is limited, iron pipes may advantageously 

 be used in distributing the water to the points where needed. The 

 water may either be allowed to flow from these over the surface or 

 be applied by sprinkling. Unless the fall is very great (100 feet 

 .or more) these pipes should be at least 2 inches in diameter. Con- 

 demned fire hose 2 to 3 inches in diameter can be bought in most 

 of our large cities, and if the fall from the reservoir or tank is 50 

 feet or more a heavy spray can be obtained by their use. A flow 

 of twenty-five to forty gallons per minute seems to be necessary 

 in using iron pipes and hose, in order to apply the water as rapidly 

 as is desirable for strawberries. 



In case a fall of 200 to 300 feet can be obtained, and the water 

 can be conducted in pipes, it may be applied by means of lines of 

 perfoi-ated pipes laid on wires over the fields. Or if the pipe is 

 laid beneath the ground a series of small nozzles may be placed at 

 intervals along the lines of pipe and the water be applied in the 

 form of a spray. 



