THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



water is forced through 

 these small nozzles it 

 breaks into a mist of ex- 

 ceeding fineness, so that 

 the impact of the water 

 on the plants beneath is 

 very light, while every 

 particle of the surface of 

 the earth and the plants 

 are saturated. The com- 

 pany reports that this 

 form of irrigation is far 

 more beneficial to the soil 

 and plants than the nat- 

 ural rainfall. 



The supply lines of 

 pipe are placed 52 feet 

 apart, and the water, 

 when thrown horizon- 

 tally, overlaps in the cen- 

 ter of the intervening 

 space. In other words, the water of each pipe line 

 is thrown horizontally a distance in excess of 28 

 feet. When it is desired to throw water upon the 

 plants nearer the pipes, this is accomplished by a 

 special pipe turning device, by means of which 

 the nozzles may be turned to any desired angle. 

 When the nozzles are turned directly upward the 

 water, of course, falls on the plants directly under- 

 neath. 



The power plant consists of a building 12x15 

 feet, inside measurements, built of concrete blocks, 

 and has a cement floor. The water is taken directly 

 from the river through a fine meshed screen. The 

 pump was manufactured by The American Well 

 Works, Aurora, 111., and is an 8-inch, Type DTMD, 

 horizontal, single-stage, double suction, split shell, 

 turbine centrifugal, designed to deliver normally 

 1,050 gallons of water per minute against a 176 ft. 

 total head. The pump is driven by a 75-horse- 



Intertor of pump house. 



power, 3 phase, 60 cycle, 

 J20 volt, slip ring Gen- 

 eral Electric motor, oper- 

 ating at 1,740 revolutions 

 per minute. A feature of 

 this pump is that while it 

 maintains a mechanical 

 efficiency of 73.5 per cent 

 at its most economical 

 delivery, it is so designed 

 that it has an efficiency in 

 excess of 70 per cent 

 through a range of deliv- 

 ery of from 750 to 1.300 

 gallons per minute. The 

 broad efficiency curve ob- 

 tained on this pump espe- 

 cially adapts it to this 

 class of service, on ac- 

 count of the variation of 

 capacity demand on the 



quantity of water pumped, due to the varying num- 

 ber of nozzles in service. 



The operation of this system is divided into 

 three shifts, of approximately equal acreage, and 

 when operating one-third of the system, the pres- 

 sure gauge indicates 75 pounds pressure at the 

 pump. When in operation, 60 gallons of water per 

 minute are required for each acre, and it requires 

 about four hours to thoroughly saturate each 22 

 acre tract, or about 12 hours to irrigate the entire 

 65 acres. 



Owing to the unusual amount of rainfall during 

 the last summer, cost data covering the operation 

 of the plant for a considerable period of time under 

 normal conditions are not yet available, but the 

 company expresses the highest satisfaction with 

 the installation, and asserts that it can now "make 

 rain while the sun shines," and thus defeat the in- 

 fluence of the drouths which have so frequently 

 caused it serious loss. 



