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XXIX. — New System of Irrigation. By Joseph Druce. 

 To the President. 



Dear Sir, — The first season being nearly passed since you recom- 

 mended me to make a trial of Mr. Bickford's method of irrigating, 

 I have thought you would like to know the result of the experiment. 



I had two plots of land laid out of about 4^ acres each. 



The first was on land in ridge and furrow shape, the sizes of 

 which were small, so that m.ore cost was required to lay it out, 

 trenches being wanted both at ridge and furrow. The supply of 

 water is had from two yard ponds, and a liquid-manure tank 

 connected by a pipe-drain of 70 yards long, to convey it to the 

 main trench ; and enough can be got from once emptying the 

 tank and ponds to flush an acre ; and I have found between 50 

 and 60 hogsheads sufficient for that purpose. 



The farm buildings are on a hill, so that when the plug is 

 taken from the pond, a man pumps at the tank and the water is 

 nicely diluted for the purpose, and the flow is steadily dis- 

 tributed by having a man on the spot to regulate the flow by 

 stops in the trenches. The result on this plot has been satis- 

 factory, for I found the grass grow much earlier in the spring 

 than it did before ; a greater quantity was produced in the 

 summer, and evidently now the quality is much improved. 



The other plot has not been so marked in its improvement, 

 which I attribute to pond water only being used without any 

 liquid manure; there was, however, a greater crop of hay on it 

 than where no water was used ; and I believe if I could command 

 more water to flush with a corresponding benefit vi^ould ensue. 



The cost of the outlay for laying-out was 15.s'. an acre, and 

 \0s. an acre more for extra labour in removing the turf from the 

 trenches and levelling the ground, and pipe-tiles to convey the 

 liquid from the homestead ; and I believe the future annual cost 

 to put it in order for irrigating will be from 25. to 35. per acre. 



The great advantage this system has over the old method is 

 economy of water, requiring but shallow and narrow trenches 

 instead of wide and deep ones, thereby making a small quantity 

 go over a large tract of land ; a very small loss taken up by the 

 trenches, for I find the grass grow in most of them, and they are 

 not of a. size to hinder the usual occupation of using the hay- 

 making machine and carting across them. 



It has only to be more generally known, and this system will 

 be followed, and I believe found beneficial arid useful, in apply- 

 ing water from small streams to enrich adjoining lands, where it 

 is often found rich with the washing from the soil near. 



I am, dear Sir, yours most faithfully, 



J. Druce. 



Eynsham, Oxo7i, Nov. 11, 1853. 



