54 



BULLETIN 304, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



pumping plant more money was spent in commissioners' expenses 

 than in the construction of the storage house. An examination of 

 Table 13, showing the costs of the various items for pumping per. 

 acre per year, will show that the lowest cost of operation and also of 

 administration is found on the Des Moines County No. 1 District. 

 This district employed engineering supervision and the business of 

 the district was all in the hands of such supervision. 



While the need is great for such supervision over all of the drainage 

 improvements it is especially great for the pumping plant. A good 

 pumping plant will often be wasteful, because it is improperly oper- 

 ated. After installation it should be thoroughly tested at various 

 stages of the river, so that the proper operating conditions can be 

 definitely determined. A competent engineer should be placed in 

 charge of the plant, and he should report daily to expert supervi- 

 sion by a complete system of records. From such records it may 

 be possible to devise improved methods of operation or ways of 

 securing greater economy. Without such records it is impossible for 

 anyone to tell in what particulars the operation of the plant is waste- 

 ful or is susceptible of improvement. Such a record should show the 

 time of starting and stopping the pumps each day, the heights of the 

 water levels within and without the district, the speeds of the pumps 

 or engines, and the amounts of the boiler feed water and fuel con- 

 sumed. It should set forth all incidents of importance in the opera- 

 tion of the plant, and may be kept in a form similar to that shown 

 in Table 19. One page should be used for each day. The gauges 

 should be read before the pumps are started, again as soon as the ditch 

 level has reached a fairly steady state, and at every hour during 

 operation. If more than one pump is in operation the speed of each 

 should be recorded. All additional matters should be recorded in 

 the remarks column. An accurate rainfall record should be kept at 

 every plant. The expenses of operating the plant should be carefully 

 kept under, the following headings: Fuel; labor; supplies, such as 

 lubricating oil, waste, etc.; repairs; and superintendence. These 

 expenses should be totaled for each month and for the whole season. 



Table 19. — Formjor daily pumping records. 



Date, 



Hour. 



Ditch 



gauge. 



River 



gauge. 



Lift. 



Speed of 

 pump. 



Steam 

 pressure. 



Rainfall. 



Remarks. 





Feet. 



Feet. 



Feet. 



R.P.M. 



Pounds. 



Inches. 





































































