FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



September 



The districts in which irrigation is 

 practiced are widely scattered. Com- 

 mencing in the extreme northwestern 

 portion, they extend through the central 

 part, with numerous areas on the east 

 and Gulf coasts. In northwest Florida 

 irrigation is applied in the growing of 

 Sumatra tobacco, while in other sections 

 it is utilized in the cultivation of truck 

 and small fruit farms, orange groves, 

 pineries, and nurseries. The water for 

 irrigation is obtained from streams, 

 lakes, and non-flowing wells, by various 

 pumping devices, or from artesian wells 

 having a strong surface flow. 



IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. 



Pumping Plants. Florida's streams, 

 while large and of great volume, have 

 little fall, and irrigation by gravity 

 ditches is not practicable. Hence the 

 water from the streams and lakes is 

 pumped into reservoirs on the higher 

 lands and thence diverted to the fields. 

 The expense of installing and operating 

 a plant is the only limitation upon the 

 growth of irrigation, but the initial 

 outlay is so great as to prohibit its ap- 

 plication to anj- except special crops 

 which yield the largest returns. 



The pumping plants are reported 

 chiefly from the vicinity of Ouincy, in 

 Gadsden county, where Sumatra wrap- 

 per tobacco is grown, and from Gaines- 

 ville, in Alachua county ; but others 

 are scattered throughout the state. The 

 systems in Gadsden county are the 

 largest and most expensive in the state. 

 The water for these plantations is pumped 

 from creeks and rivers to reservoirs, 

 sometimes 120 feet above and nearly 

 a mile distant from the streams. These 

 reservoirs are cement lined and hold 

 from 500,000 to 2, 000,000 gallons. The 

 capacities of the pumps range from 

 fort}- to sixty thousand gallons per 

 hour. In some cases the water is 

 pumped directly into troughs and led 

 upon the fields, while in others the ele- 

 vation of the fields necessitates two lifts 

 and two reservoirs. On one of the 

 plantations two turbine wheels- are used, 

 one of 45-horse power coupled direct to 

 two triplex pumps. One pump delivers 

 water 1,500 feet west of the river to 

 fields 40 feet higher. The other delivers 



water 4,200 feet to a reservoir 50 feet 

 above the stream. 



At Gainesville the pumping plants 

 are used in the irrigation of truck, 

 principally lettuce and cucumbers. The 

 water is pumped direct to the fields in 

 iron pipes and applied by means of hy- 

 drants and hose connecting with the 

 main supply pipe, or by overhead 

 sprays arranged on stand-pipes in vari- 

 ous parts of the fields. 



Many of these pumping plants are 

 in operation in other parts of the state, 

 but are used mostly in the orange groves. 

 Irrigation is keeping pace with the rapid 

 increase in the areas devoted to this fruit, 

 as it has been found of great value in 

 promoting the growth and health of the 

 trees during the dry season. 



Artesian Wells. The artesian basin 

 of Florida, which is now being devel- 

 oped by wells, is already a very impor- 

 tant factor in intensive agriculture. 

 The great extent of the basin and the 

 accessibility of its waters presage a 

 much greater utilization of this method 

 of irrigation in the future. 



The water horizons vary somewhat, 

 but are nowhere at great depth, flowing 

 wells being obtained by borings from 20 

 to 500 feet. Many of the deeper wells 

 reported are on the Island of Terra Ceia 

 on the Gulf coast, and in Brevard county 

 on the east coast. The greatest varia- 

 tions in the horizons are noted in the 

 Gulf coast area. Nearly 100 wells are 

 reported from Hillsboro county, most of 

 them in or near Tampa. These wells 

 are from 25 to 120 feet deep and have a 

 comparatively strong flow. In Manatee 

 county, and particularly on the Island 

 of Terra Ceia, 60 miles south of Tampa, 

 the wells have depths of from 240 to 

 500 feet. 



A large number of wells are reported 

 from Orange county with depths vary- 

 ing from 80 to 200 feet. In this county, 

 a considerable area near Sanford, on the 

 St. Johns River, has been developed by 

 these wells. This district affords one 

 of the best concrete illustrations of the 

 results of irrigation in connection with 

 the cultivation of garden crops, which 

 in the neighborhood of this place has 

 become the principal industry of the 

 people. 



