422 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 8, 1924 
You know how good it is to come in from the bitter cold and 
feel the comforting warmth of a well heated home! 
And then what a pleasure it is to entertain your friends where 
it’s so snug and cozy, that they’re sure to enjoy a real good time! 
Think what that means to the joy of winter living. 
For that reason alone, many an International Onepipe Heater 
owner would not part with his Heater for twice' its cost! 
Then, think of all the other advantages it brings. Steady, 
even warmth throughout the whole house, all winter long. 
Warm rooms, night and morning. Warm floors, safe for the 
children to play on. Continually circulating moistened air that 
protects health, and prevents that dull feeling which comes from 
stagnant indoor air. 
And—the end of the stove nuisance, once and for all! No 
more lugging coal and ashes over the carpet. Never again 
the setting up and taking down of stoves. No more giving up 
good space to them and getting unsatisfactory results in return. 
Then why not decide to get your International 
Onepipe Heater ? 
Delay only means that much loss of all the 
pleasure, happiness and comfort it brings into 
your life. You are safe and sure in its choice. 
So have one in your home! 
Send Now for Free Catalog 
Gives all the interesting facts about the In¬ 
ternational Onepipe Heater. Write for it to¬ 
day. 
INTERNATIONAL HEATER CO. 
6-26 Monroe St., Utica, N. Y. 
MTERNdTIOndL 
InreirnArioiML 
OnepiK 
Hexte* 
me. u.*. pat. orr. 
BOILERS, FURHACESaxoOIIEPIPE heaters 
■‘Makes the 
Hard Jobs Easy 
sturdy, compact, “big-job” tractor built for the small 
** farm and country estate. Put it to any power job on 
your farm—plowing, harrowing, seeding, cultivating, feed 
grinding—and watch it wade through without a halt. 
Centanr Satisfaction 
"Am highly pleased 
with the Centaur. 
There is not another 
tractor of its size to 
compare with it. I can 
cultivate an acre for 
31 cents, including in¬ 
terest and deprecia¬ 
tion, which is impossi¬ 
ble with horse labor." 
HARRY J. MARX 
Ohio 
"Have done cultivat¬ 
ing with the Centaur 
and it had ample pow¬ 
er to pull the load and 
to spare. It is heavily 
built and a far better, 
stronger outfit than 
we had expected to 
see. Plow and cultiva¬ 
tor are fine.” 
C. M. LONG, Mich. 
Addresses on request 
Plows 7 Inches Deep in Clay Sod 
The Centaur pays for itself in the 
time, labor and horse feed saved. 
And note these features not found 
on any other small-farm tractor: 
“New-Way” Air Cooled Motor— 
Automatic Governor—Bosch Ignition 
— Hyatt Roller Bearings. 
Has Reverse—Backs 
On Its Own Power 
Here is an all ’round farm power machine that 
costs but 8 to 10 cents an hour to run. Five 
years successful performance is your assurance 
of satisfaction. Sold under Money-Back Guar- 
ntee. Liberal terms can be arranged. Write 
for illustrated catalog. 
THE CENTRAL TRACTOR CO. 
63 Centra] Ava., Greenwich Ohio 
Overhead Irrigation for Small Areas 
Xruck-growi xg Necessity.— Overhead 
irrigation for vegetables and small fruits 
is well known to most readers of The 
R. N.-Y. A large number of vegetable 
farms or market gardens which specialize 
in intensive crops, such as lettuce, onions, 
celery, etc., are equipped with this device 
for supplying water to the crops. Most 
men who grow vegetables will agree that 
on a large vegetable enterprise it is neces¬ 
sary to guarantee results. They regard 
irrigation as a form of crop insurance, 
for although it may not be necessary 
every year, the years that it is needed 
will abundantly pay for it. The past 
season furnished a good proof of this, 
for though the dry weather made it un¬ 
profitable for most farmers, many market 
gardeners with irrigation made more 
money than in any other year. While 
crops were small and poor on unirrigated 
land, where there was abundant moisture 
the growers had normal crops of high 
quality. 
The Skinner System. — Although 
many men who grow a small area of 
vegetables are familiar with overhead ir¬ 
rigation on larger places they do not 
know whether it would pay to irrigate 
under their conditions. While all vege¬ 
table farms in the East cannot be ir¬ 
rigated profitably, there are niany small 
places where it would pay to install some 
irrigation. Overhead irrigation, or the 
Skinner system, as it is often called, con¬ 
sists of lines of pipe fitted with small 
nozzles at intervals of three or four feet, 
and spaced about 50 ft. apart. These 
nozzle lines may be either permanent or 
moveable. All the larger irrigated farms, 
and many of the smaller ones are fitted up 
with permanent lines supported on posts 
at a height that varies from 3 to 7 ft., 
depending upon the preferences of the 
grower. 
Moveable Nozzle Lines for Small 
Areas. —The cost of the system with 
permanent lines will usually amount to 
$400 to $500 per acre, including the 
pumping outfit. Where the farmer already 
has some means of supplying sufficient 
water, a small area may be equipped with 
a few movable lines that can be shifted 
to various parts of the land. This will 
cost considerably less than purchasing 
pipe for the whole area, but requires a 
little more labor to operate. Under aver¬ 
age growing conditions a plant requires 
about 1 in. of water every 10 days. The 
Skinner system will discharge this amount 
with 40 lbs. pressure in about nine hours. 
Consequently it is not necessary to water 
the entire area at one time; if it can be 
irrigated once in four or five days that 
will be sufficient to allow for all emer¬ 
gencies. The movable lines need only be 
large enough to cover one-fourth or one- 
fifth of the area at one time. One line, 
210 ft. long, will water one acre by shift¬ 
ing it four times. This line will cost 
about $80. A line of this length should 
be divided into sections short enough to 
bo carried conveniently by the available 
labor force. If one man works alone this 
means that it must be separated into the 
original pipe lengths, which are about 
,20 ft. If the couplings that come with 
' the pipe when it is purchased are used 
for joining these sections the threads will 
become worn after being disconnected sev¬ 
eral times, and when the pipes are screwed 
up tightly the nozzles will not be in line. 
By using any of the various types of pipe 
unions the lines can be taken apart and 
put together any number of times, and the 
nozzles still remain in line. 
Importance of Adequate Water.— 
Before installing an irrigation system, 
the grower should be sure that he is 
able to supply enough water to the nozzle 
lines. Water for overhead irrigation is 
obtained from various sources. City 
water mains, brooks, and ponds are all 
being used. If city water can be ob¬ 
tained it is the most satisfactory, for it 
eliminates the expense of a pumping out¬ 
fit. and requires no attention. A good 
well can be used successfully in irrigat¬ 
ing small areas. An irrigation line 100 
ft. long, with 25 nozzles will require 
about seven gallons per minute. The 
pressure at the nozzle lines should be 
at least 25 lbs., though 35 to 40 lbs. are 
required for the best results. If the 
farmer has a water system on the farm 
which will furnish the necessary amount 
of water and keep up the required pres¬ 
sure. no extra pumping outfit need be 
installed. 
Construction of the Irrigation 
System.— Unless- the area to be irrigated 
immediately adjoins the water supply it 
will be necessary to lay a main to the 
place. This should be 1 in. for a line 200 
ft. long and % in. for a line 100 ft. long. 
If the space is large enough to require 
several set-ups of the nozzle lines the 
main should be run along one side of the 
field, and should be fitted with valves 
with hose connections every 50 ft. The 
main should be at right angles to the 
rows to permit cultivation, and to al¬ 
low irrigating only those crops that need 
it. The water is carried from the main 
to the nozzle lines with a length of 
hose. With movable lines the patented 
turning unions which are inserted at the 
beginning of the nozzle lines are not re¬ 
quired. They are required on stationary 
lines to insure a tight joint where the 
pipe turns when it is set at different 
angles to throw the spray on various por¬ 
tions of the strip which the line waters. 
With the movable line the hose, being 
flexible, allows the pipe to be turned, 
and the pipe is often held in position by 
taking a grip on it with a Stillson 
wrench, and resting the end of the wrench 
on the ground. The free, or lower end of 
the pipe should have a valve which will 
permit flushing it to remove dirt and 
scale that collects in the pipe. When the 
plants are very small the nozzle line 
may be laid on the ground, but when the 
leaves of the plants begin to obstruct the 
spray from the nozzle it must be sup¬ 
ported. It may be laid upon crates, or 
special tripods, or supported on strong 
stakes driven into the ground. With 
tripods or stakes the pipe is often held 
in place with hooks or wire. 
Managing the Irrigation System.— 
In operating an irrigation system it is 
well to consider what crops are to be 
grown. There is no magic about irriga¬ 
tion—it merely increases yields- by in¬ 
suring an abundance of water. Crops 
must be grown which respond to an abun¬ 
dant supply of moisture, and with a high 
enough acre value so the increased yields 
will pay for the money invested in the 
irrigation system, and the extra labor of 
irrigating. Quick-growing crops which 
enable a man to secure two crops a year 
are especially desirable. The list of 
crops that are now being irrigated by 
commercial growers consists of beets, 
early cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, 
kohl-rabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, 
radishes and spinach. Crops which have 
a low acre value, or occupy the land the 
entire season, or are easily injured by 
excess water are not irrigated on large 
places unless they are grown in a rota¬ 
tion with crops of the first group. These 
crops are asparagus, beans, sweet corn, 
cucumbers, horseradish, melons, okra, 
peas, peppers, pumpkins, rhubarb, ruta¬ 
bagas, squash, tomatoes and turnips. 
Soil Requirements. —The soil which 
is to be irrigated is also an important 
factor in the success of an irrigation sys¬ 
tem. A fine, mellow, sandy loam which 
is naturally adapted to vegetables is ideal. 
Heavy clay soils, or coarse open sands 
often cannot raise good vegetables even 
with abundant moisture. Irrigation is no 
cure-all; it cannot take the place of any 
of the points necessary to secure good 
crops. With irrigation more manure and 
fertilizer must be applied to the soil than 
on unirrigated ground, because the 
larger crops which abundant water gives 
require heavier feeding. 
Operating the Irrigation Outfit.— 
The actual handling of an irrigation sys¬ 
tem is now learned by experience. In 
general, it is a safe rule to water thor¬ 
oughly and seldom. One inch of water 
applied every 8 or 10 days, when there 
is no rain will be sufficient for most 
crops. Even when there seems to be no 
lack of rainfall and the soil appears 
moist it will pay to water thoroughly 
after sowing seeds, or setting plants. 
When plants are set during the Sum¬ 
mer very often the soil is very dry. If 
the soil is well irrigated a day or two 
before transplanting, so the surface has 
an opportunity to dry, a little better re¬ 
sults will be obtained than if the plants 
are set in dry soil. Even when the soil 
is wet in advance some water should 
be given after the plants are set. Should 
the soil become too dry to plow when the 
time for preparing for Fall crops arrives, 
a good watering for one day will put it 
in excellent shape. 
Day or Nigiit Watering. —Some men 
prefer not to irrigate during the hottest 
part of the day, because they are afraid 
of burning the foliage if it is wet when 
the sun is shining. Lettuce is a crop 
of which they are particularly careful 
because it sutlers badly from‘ tip-burn. 
But when the weather is favorable for 
the development of tip-burn, and the 
plants are in the right stages of develop¬ 
ment. the trouble will be found on the 
unirrigated crop as well as where it has 
been given abunlant water. On large 
farms irrigating is done at any time dur¬ 
ing the 24 hours of the day that is con¬ 
venient. Night watering and day water¬ 
ing each have some advantages and dis¬ 
advantages. If irrigation is applied dur¬ 
ing the day, some water will be wasted 
because of evaporation from the spray in 
the air and the water on the ground be¬ 
fore it soaks into the soil. But it has the 
advantage that a more uniform distribu¬ 
tion of water is made, beeause the opera¬ 
tor can see what he is doing. Watering 
at night saves water, but does not result 
in an even distribution of water, because 
of the darkness. 
Methods Employed.— When turning 
on the irrigation most operators open the 
flush-out valve to wash out any scale or 
rust that may have collected in the pipe. 
Nozzles occasionally clog when the line is 
running, but can usually be cleaned by 
rapping on the pipe beside them with 
a piece of heavy iron or by inserting a 
pin, or piece of stiff wire in the nozzle. 
Several of the irrigation supply com¬ 
panies sell small water motors that turn 
the lines slowly, and distribute the spray 
_ evenly over a strip 50 ft. wide. But in 
most places the operator sets the lines in 
the desired position and changes the ad¬ 
justments about every hour. There are 
a number of companies handling irriga¬ 
tion supplies and equipment. 
H. F. HUBER. 
