1903 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



441 



is ready for putting in the tiling and 

 iron pipes. Several systems are em- 

 ployed in irrigating the fields. One in 

 common use is as follows : Continuous 

 underground cement pipes are laid from 

 the wells to hydrants, plugs, or stand- 

 pipes, from which the water is distrib- 

 uted in small furrows between the rows. 

 These pipes are made and laid by the 

 same machine, in trenches previously 

 prepared, and extend without a break 

 to any desired part of the field. The 

 pipe itself is composed of two parts sand 

 and one part cement, with the usual 



it is possible to irrigate one acre and 

 leave all the surrounding acres dry; 

 Drainage is managed in the same way 

 and through the same pipes, by cutting 

 off the flow of the wells and removing 

 the plugs or cut-offs. 



Irrigation in the vicinity of Tampa is 

 largely by underground drains of wood, 

 the water being run from the wells 

 through pipes into ditches which are 

 connected with V-shaped drains run- 

 ning at right angles. By closing or 

 opening these drains at the lower end 

 the land is irrigated or drained at will. 



IRRIGATED CELERY FARM OF A. ROBBINS, SANFORD, FLORIDA. 



inside measurement of 3 inches and an 

 outside measurement of 6 inches, and 

 costs about 8 cents per linear foot. 



In one of the systems of sub-irriga- 

 tion the water is carried through pipes 

 14 inches below the surface, broken 

 every 10 inches and laid in beds of char- 

 coal. The lines of pipe are laid every 

 20 feet. These pipes run east and west 

 and are crossed every 280 feet by 4-inch 

 water-tight supply pipes. At the junc- 

 tion of these pipes is a brick and cement 

 box or pocket, into which all pipes 

 empty. The bottom of this box is 2 c 

 inches below the surface, and the flow 

 of the water is regulated by a system of 

 plugs or cut-offs. Under this system 



One irrigator near Oviedo reports the 

 use of artesian water primarily for the 

 purpose of warming a covered nursery. 

 He has hydrants 4 feet apart each way 

 and irrigates with sprays. During the 

 coldest night of 1902, when the ther- 

 mometer registered 18 F. for several 

 hours, the temperature in this shed did 

 not go below 48 or 50 at an)- time. 

 The hydrants are used also to irrigate 

 the ground, both methods of irrigation 

 being found necessarj- there, owing to 

 the remarkable porosity of the soil. 

 It is said that a stream of water might 

 play all day on one square yard with- 

 out adding perceptibly to the moisture 

 of any of the rest of the ground. 



