THE IEEIGATION AGE. 



183 



freight alone on the equipment adds at least ten 

 per cent to its cost. 



In addition to these large pumping plants, a 

 great many of our farmers here are installing water 

 supply systems for their country homes. This water 

 is used for domestic purposes and for irrigating 

 lawns and gardens about the house. These systems 

 are greatly increasing our sales of two and three 

 horsepower engines. 



We figure that a certain amount of service is 

 sold with every gas engine. The buyer expects the 

 seller to see that the engine is properly installed 

 and he expects to be instructed in the operation of 

 this engine. If anything goes wrong he immedi- 

 ately calls upon the seller to make it right. Often- 

 times this means an expensive trip of from fifteen 

 to twenty miles in the country to make some simple 

 adjustment. Now, on a cheap engine these adjust- 

 ments are many and are not easily made on a sim- 

 ple high grade engine these adjustments are very 

 few and we do not have to give one-third the serv- 

 ice that we would with a cheaper or more compli- 

 cated engine. 



A few years ago the writer made a trip through 

 Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and other middle western 

 states. It was in the month of July in a dry year. 



I saw thousands of acres of corn burning, wither- 

 ing under the fierce heat of the summer sun. A few 

 days later a rain came but it was too late the 

 crops for that year were destroyed. Thousands of 

 farmers had seen the product of a year's hard labor 

 shrivel up before their eyes. And they were power- 

 less to prevent it. 



A little water then would have been priceless. 

 It occurred to me at that time that pumping plants 

 would have saved much of this loss. 



Since then I have discussed this matter with a 

 great many farmers who formerly resided in the 

 middle west, and while they are not all agreed, I 

 am of the opinion that pumping plants could be 

 successfully and efficiently operated in a great many 

 sections where they are not even thought of now. 

 These plants would be operated as emergency 

 plants, just as a fire engine is used to put out a fire. 

 And a pumping plant would pay for itself in one 

 irrigation in a dry year. 



Here in California we find it profitable to pump 

 from wells where the water is one hundred feet or 

 more from the surface and carry this water in gal- 

 vanized pipes for several hundred feet to irrigate 

 land that lies some distance from the pumping 

 plant. 



NEW SETTLERS! STUDY NEIGHBORS' FARMS 



By L. G. HOWELL, 



of the Farm Management Office of the U. S. Department of Agriculture 



THE man who takes up a farm business in a 

 community with which he is not familiar is 

 likely to fall into error on matters seemingly very 

 simple to the residents of the region. The new man 

 often follows the planting dates of the region from 

 which he came, and thus the crops may be injured 

 by early or late frosts or other climatic conditions 

 especially prevalent in the region. 



Accurate climatic data are often of great value 

 to a farmer starting out in a strange neighborhood. 

 Tables showing the dates of the last killing frosts 

 in the spring and the first in the fall, together with 

 rainfall by months and total rainfall for the region, 

 are usually available from the United States 

 Weather Bureau, Washington, D. C. These should 

 be consulted before deciding on the crop practice 

 for the new Ideality. It would be still better to 

 obtain such information before deciding upon a lo- 

 cality in which to purchase a farm. 



Another mistake which is often made is 

 through the endeavor to bring the type of farming 

 of the old region to the new location, where, in the 

 majority of cases, not only different conditions of 

 soil and topography prevail, but new problems rela- 

 tive to transportation and market demands are met. 

 These new conditions determine the profitableness 

 or unprofitableness of the type for the region. The 

 general, type of soils of the neighborhood should be 

 studied* and compared with the soils of the indi- 

 vidual farm and crops planted which are best 

 adapted to soil and topography of the farm as 

 shown by the general farm practice of the neighbor- 

 hood. 



As a general rule, it is the safest practice for 



any farmer starting out in a new location to grow 

 largely the same crops and keep the same breed 

 of livestock as his neighbors, unless there is an espe- 

 cially good reason for following another practice. 

 As one grows familiar with the region, experience 

 may suggest improved methods. 



If farmers, when changing to a region with 

 which they are not familiar, would give more 

 thought to climatic and soil requirements as shown 

 by the type of farming and planting dates gen- 

 erally practiced in the new neighborhood, many 

 hardships and disappointments would be prevented. 



RECALLS OPERATION CHARGES 



(Continued from page 175.) 



retary, and this paper, while opposed to the Demo- 

 cratic administration, has willingly given Mr. Lane 

 and those officials associated with him due credit 

 for the excellent judgment they have heretofore 

 shown. But we now come to a ruling that is so 

 manifestly unfair, unjust and devoid of good com- 

 mon horse sense that the water users would send to 

 Washington a mighty protest the like of which has 

 never before vibrated through the finely appointed 

 apartments of the Department of the Interior. 



"Mr. Lane has been very fair with the people 

 of the Reclamation projects and we do not believe 

 that this man whose soul pulsates in harmony with 

 the West and with Western conditions will tolerate 

 such a measure when once he is fully apprised of 

 the actual conditions." 



The cuts on pages 171 and 182 are by courtesy of the Tohn 

 Lanson Mfg. Co., New Holstein, Wis.; those on pages 178 and" 174 

 are by courtesy of the Bessemer Gas Engine Co., Grove City, Pa ; 

 that on page 176 is by courtesy of the Santa Fe Railway that on 

 page 177 is by courtesy of the D. & R. G. Railway. 



