THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



171 



Two 48-inch Morris Machine Works centrifugal 

 pumps arranged with flexible shaft couplings for direct 

 connection to steam engine. 



Two Erie City 17x34x30 tandem compound four-valve 

 engines. Speed 120 to 160 revolutions per minute. 



Two Erie City vertical water tube boilers with individ- 

 ual stacks; full fronts; brick setting; 350 horsepower each. 



One vertical boiler of 20 horsepower for starting oil 

 burners and for washing out main boilers. 



Two 14-inch Baragwanath siphon condensers. 



One open-type feed water heater and purifier of 1,000 

 horsepower size. 



One No. 8 Morris centrifugal pump, direct connected 

 to an 8x5 Morris enclosed high-speed self-oiling engine 

 to supply water to condensers. 



Two 12x7x12 Burnham single cylinder boiler feed 

 pumps. 



Two 5x3x6 Burnham single cylinder steam pumps for 

 handling fuel oil for burners. 



The equipment, design and erection of this plant were 

 under the direction of Mr. H. A. Paine, Houston, Texas. 

 Its operation proved so satisfactory that it was accepted 

 without test. 



Fig. 3. Corner of Pump Room. Pump in Operation Supplies Water 

 to the Siphon Condensers and Consists of a "Morris" High-Speed 

 Enclosed Engine and Centrifugal Pump Direct-Connected. 



ADVANTAGES OF A PARCEL POST. 



With a low carrying charge on rural routes and within 

 the first zone, the farmer will be able to order by tele- 

 phone or postal card, and quickly obtain from nearby 

 places of business, medicines, drugs, groceries, bread, dry 

 goods, seeds, plants, small implements, tools, bolts, plow 

 points, parts of machinery, etc., also books from the 

 library. In turn he can send to merchants and individ- 

 uals in nearby cities and villages many of the smaller and 

 lighter products of the farm, garden, green house, poultry 

 yard, etc. 



There are now 42,000 rural mail routes, serving about 



2(),oou,()i;o farmers, operated at an estimated cost of about 

 $42,000,000 for the year 1912. The stamps canceled on the 

 mail matter taken from the rural mail boxes the present 

 year will amount to rather less than $8,000,000, leaving an 

 apparent deficit of over $34,000,000 for the year 1912. It 

 is hardly fair to call the latter sum the real loss, because 

 the rural routes should be credited with part of the pos- 

 tal receipts on mail the farmers receive. If each rural 

 carrier could earn 10 cents daily by carrying packages, 

 the total returns for 42,000 carriers would be about $1,250,- 

 000 annually. They should earn many times this small 

 sum, besides benefiting all parties concerned. The average 

 outward rural mail load is 25 pounds and the return about 

 five pounds; it could and should be ten or fifteen times 

 that. The rural mail carriers have petitioned the govern- 

 ment to let them render greater service. No other busi- 

 ness is conducted on such narrow lines. 



The adoption of the rural mail service was one of 

 the most beneficent acts ever placed on the statute books 

 by congress. To round out and complete our postal sys- 

 tem, there is needed a liberal parcel post service. Our 

 people can have this from the present congress if they 

 ask for it. 



The only efficient way of working is to write letters 

 to members of congress telling what is wanted, and get- 

 ting neighbors to write. 



Do not forget that March 18, 1912, is Farmers' Par- 

 cel Post Letter Day. 



WYOMING'S IRRIGATION STATISTICS. 



. The total number of farms irrigated in 1909 was 6,297, 

 against 3,721 in 1899, an increase of 2,576, or 69.2 per cent. 

 Between 1899 and 1909 the number of all farms in the 

 state increased 59.1 per cent. The per cent of the whole 

 number of farms irrigated in 1909 was 57.3. In 1899 the 

 per cent was 53.9, showing an increase in per cent during 

 the 10 years of 3.4. 



The total acreage irrigated in 1909 was 1,133,302 acres, 

 against 605,878 acres in 1899, an increase of 527,424 acres, 

 or 87.1 per cent. The irrigated area extended more rap- 

 idly than the improved area, which increased 58.5 per 

 cent during the 10 years. 



The total acreage which all enterprises were capable 

 of irrigating in 1910 was 1,639,510 acres, an excess of 506,- 

 208 acres over the area irrigated in 1909. The area in- 

 cluded in projects either completed or under construction 

 in 1910 was 2,224,298 acres, an excess of 1,090,996 acres. 

 This indicates in a general way the area which will be 

 available for the extension of irrigation within the next 

 few years and shows that the area irrigated in 1909 can 

 be nearly doubled without undertaking new enterprises. 



The number of independent enterprises reported in 

 010 was 5,577. The total length of all ditches was 13,231 

 miles, of which 10,933 miles were in main canals and 2,298 

 miles in laterals. The length of main canals reported in 

 1899 was 4,454 miles, showing an increase in the 10 years 

 of 6,479 miles, or 145.5 per cent. The number of reser- 

 voirs reported was 415, having a combined capacity of 

 2,550,937 acre-feet. The number of wells pumped for irri- 

 gation was 3, and the number of all pumping plants was 

 34. The engine capacity of pumping plants was 703 horse- 

 power. The acreage irrigated with pumped water was 

 1,615 acres. Flowing wells supplied water to 64 acres. 



The total cost of irrigation systems reported in 191(1 

 was $17,700,355, against $3,956,692 in 1899, an increase of 

 $13,743,663, or 347.4 per cent. The average cost per acre 

 in 1910 was $10.80, against $6.54 in 1899, an increase of 

 $4.26, or 65.1 per cent. The average cost of operation and 

 maintenance per acre in 1909 was 86 cents, against 16 

 cents in 1899, an increase of 70 cents, or 437.5 per cent. 



The acreage irrigated in 1909 has been classified ac- 

 cording to the state and Federal laws under which the 

 works were built or are operated, as follows: United 

 States Reclamation Service (act of congress June 17, 

 1902), 12,905 acres, or 1.1 per cent of the total; United 

 States Indian Service (various acts of congress), 4,270 

 acres, or 0.4 per cent of the total; Carey Act (act of con- 

 gress August 18, 1894), 86,252 acres, or 7.6 per cent of 

 the total; irrigation districts, 11,800 acres, or 1 per cent; 

 co-operative enterprises, 116,317 acres, or 10.3 per cent: 

 commercial enterprises, 87,935 acres, or 7.8 per cent; and 

 individual and partnership enterprises, 813,823 acres, or 



