32 



BULLETIN 71, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



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rains the ground water 

 profile is quite steep, but 

 that it rapidly flattens out. 

 Although the silt on this 

 tract is very fine grained 

 and impervious, there is 

 evidence of considerable 

 lateral movement of the 

 water through it. It was 

 considered by the land- 

 owner that the depth of 

 drainage was sufficient for 

 the growth of crops. Corn 

 was the crop on the ground 

 at the time these measure- 

 ments were taken. 



Pumping Plant. 



The plant is located at 

 one end of the reservoir 

 canal (see fig. 6, p. 28) 

 and discharges by a short 

 wooden flume directly into 

 the commercial canal out- 

 side. There are two ver- 

 tical centrifugal pumps of 

 the square wooden - case 

 type, with impellers 32 by 

 12 inches and 24 by 8 

 inches, respectively. Each 

 pump is rope driven by a 

 slide-valve noncondensing 

 engine, steam being sup- 

 plied by a 100-horsepower 

 return - tubular boiler. A 

 feed-water heater has been 

 installed within the last 

 two years. 



As far as mere capacity 

 is concerned, when run- 

 ning continuously, this 

 plant is satisfactory. How- 

 ever, as regards reliability 

 and efficiency, as well as 

 cost of upkeep and opera- 

 tion, it is far from being 

 an ideal plant. The chief 

 trouble lies in the type of 

 pump. The wooden-case 

 pump with its rope drive 

 is constantly giving more 

 or less trouble; the ex- 

 pense for extra labor to 

 repair the rope drive 



