
Contribution from the Office of Public Roads 
and Rural Engineering 
LOGAN WALLER PAGE, Director 

Washington, D.C. Vv February 14, 1917 

SPRAY IRRIGATION. 
By Mito B. WitwiAMs, Jrrigation Engineer. 

CONTENTS. 
Page. Page. 
Thay eoNe (OXY ate) oes Ae is ete elie ree 1 | Stationary-nozzle spray systems......:...-- 15 
Economic conditions justifying spray irriga- Stationary overhead spray systems.......-.-- 18 
THORNS, St ais Ee Oe Erste Pe Ue OL 2 | Typesofpumps for spray irrigation........-- 25 
Farm conditions adapted to spray irrigation. - 5 | The designing of spray irrigation systems. --. 29 
Amount of water required for spray irriga- The designing of pumping plants...........- 32 
[ALON Oh soos Ses ao SEEMS EBS eS eae Se RE area 5 | Outline of procedure for installing spray irri- 
Development of water supplies...--.......-- 6 PAGTONIS SECIS etsy cents ant aoe ele a are 35 
Seneenimoawaverys Mewes ee Seve ke se Sete DIE COstid ata hae ysis ies oo yes he eer ae eRe 37 
Types of spray irrigation systems........-...- 14 
INTRODUCTION. 
Within the past 10 years the spray-irrigation method has been 
adopted over a wide area in the United States, especially in the 
Atlantic Coast States from Massachusetts to Florida. Many spray- 
irrigation plants have been installed in the North Central States, 
while scattered installations can be found in practically all southern 
and western States. 
In spray irrigation water is applied to the surface of soils and to 
crops in the form of small drops, spray, or mist.t 
The first systems of spray irrigation were an outgrowth of city 
lawn sprinkling. It was soon demonstrated that by employing such - 
systems small amounts of water could be applied advantageously to 
delicate crops, especially for supplementing an uncertain rainfall. 
This method also was found particularly well adapted for furnishing 
relatively small quantities of water to truck and small fruit crops 
throughout the humid region. 
1Use of Water in Irrigation, by Samuel Fortier. i 
Notr.—This bulletin is of special interest to truck and small-fruit growers of the 
eastern part of the United States. 
66687 °—Bull. 495—17——_-1 

