Sprinkler System 

 Increases Yields 



Light Weight 

 Aluminvun Pipes Can 

 Be Moved Easily 



AN improved sprinkler system 

 which gives promise of increas- 

 ing yields considerably on Illi- 

 nois farms was demonstrated 

 recently on a farm near Wood- 

 stock in McHenry county. One of the 

 most important factors in this new irri- 

 gation system is ease of movement or 

 mobility. This is due mainly to the fact 

 that the pipe is made of lightweight 

 aluminum. 



The system generally calls for the 

 laying of about a 5-inch main through 

 the field with about 500 feet of three- 

 inch line running out laterally from 

 the main line. This 500-foot line con- 

 taining the rotating sprinklers is usual- 

 ly all that needs to be moved by being 

 disconnected from the main line and 

 dragged by tractor to another connec- 

 tion on the main line. 



Equipment for a 40-acre field, 

 enough to spray a 3 1/2-inch rain in 

 11 days would cost about $2,800. All 

 of the equipment can be moved to other 

 40-acre tracts. 



The system has a good use in being 

 able to distribute such fertilizers as 

 nitrogen and potash dissolved in water. 

 Mention was made at the demonstration 

 of high yields obtainable from this com- 

 bination of moisture and water soluble 

 plant foods. 



Dr. R. H. Bray, University of Illinois 

 soils nutritionist, said farmers can in- 

 crease 80 to 90 bushel-an-acre yields 

 of corn to 150 to 180 bushels by using 

 sprinkler irrigation, planting thicker, 

 and adding sufficient nitrogen. The in- 

 ventor claims that properly used the 

 irrigation system will raise alfalfa 

 yields to five tons to the acre and give 

 700 pounds of beef off an acre of pas- 

 ture. 



McHenry County Farm Adviser 

 W. H. Tammeus said he thought the sys- 

 tem as demonstrated has big possibili- 

 ties for corn, grass, and legumes. 



It is also believed that the system can 

 be used to spray DDT for corn borers 

 and 2-4-D to kill weeds. 



The advantage of being easily moved 



22 



trnle Stevent of the 

 Pell-Bar farms of Mc- 

 Henry counfy shows 

 how easy It Is to con- 

 nect the feeder llrte 

 to the main line 

 f background j on the 

 Irrigation system. 



Aug. 19 Designated Farmers' Day 

 At 1949 lUinois State Fair. 



is offset somewhat by the fact that when 

 corn usually needs water most — in late 

 July and August — it has reached a 

 height that makes the movement of a 

 tractor in the field well nigh impossible. 

 To move the pipe laterally, therefore, a 

 500-foot line would require about a 

 half dozen men to lift it up over the 

 corn to move it to another location. 

 Corn, however, would probably be the 

 only common crop where this disad- 

 vantage would occur. 



Probably the greatest disadvantage 

 to the whole system is the answer to 

 the question "Where do we get the 

 water?" Unless you have a handy 

 source of water, that is, a lake, river, 

 creek, or underground supply which 

 will yield approximately 200 gallons 

 of water per minute, this system is not 

 for you. 



With large sources of water, and the 

 investment of more money the system 

 can be made more extensive, cover more 

 land, and sprinkle more water in a 

 shorter period of time. 



AUGUST 19 has been designated 

 Farmers' Day at the annual Illinois 

 State Fair which opens August 12 



in Springfield and closes August 21 . 



The Illinois Agricultural Association 

 will sponsor the Farm Bureau tent 

 again this' year. It will be set up in the 

 same location as it was last year. 



Farm Bureau people visiting the Fair 

 are invited to use the facilities of the 

 Farm Bureau tent for resting, eating 

 their picnic lunches or to obtain re- 

 freshments. 



During Farmers' Day, a number of 

 officials of the Illinois Agricultural As- 

 sociation, including the board of direc- 

 tors, will be on hand to welcome Farm 

 Bureau people. 



Fifty-five Illinois farm people will 

 leave Aug. 17 for a 48-day tour of 

 eight European countries — Britain. 

 Norway. Sweden, Denmark. Germany, 

 Holland, Belgium, and France. The 

 group will present concerts in England, 

 Norway, and Sweden. 



Improved Pastures Pay Off in Moultrie County 



Improved pastures are paying off for 

 two Moultrie county dairymen, and a 

 third has cut his milking time by wash- 

 ing each cow's udder before milking. 



That's the word from Blaine Erhardt. 

 dairy herd improvement association 

 tester in Moultrie county. He says that 

 Ralph Emel and Wayne Wilson used 

 rye for early spring pasture, and for 

 summer a permanent pasture of Ladino 

 clover and other legumes and grasses, 

 plus a separate field of Sudan grass. 

 This program has given excellent re 

 suits. 



And Lloyd Sharp has been washing 

 the udders and teats with warm chlorine 

 water just before milking. He found 

 the cows gave their milk down better, 

 and he has done away with stripping 

 after the cows are milked by machine. 

 Sharp has a bucket of chlorine solution 

 and a clean cloth behind the cows when 

 he begins to milk. 



J. G. Cash, Illinois College of Agri- 

 culture dairyman, says that pasture is 

 the cheapest feed there is. He also rec- 

 ommends the separate-cloth-for-every- 

 cow system for washing udders. 



I. A. A. RECORD 





