THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
19 
OVERHEAD IRRIGATION IN ORCHARDS OF THE WEST 
By AUGUST WOLF, Spokane, Wash. 
Irrigation by means of whirling sprinklers is to be carried 
out on an extensive scale in the Quincy district in Grant 
County, Wash., upon a large tract of land a few miles south 
of the town of Winchester. The apparatus, specially 
designed for the experiment, is larger and of greater capacity 
than the sprinklers ordinarily used on city lawns. Water 
will be lifted from a deep well by a double-action pump, 
driven by a gasoline engine. 
In making the foregoing announcement at his head¬ 
quarters in Spokane, Stephen O. Jayne, irrigation investiga¬ 
tor for the United States Department of Agriculture, said 
that owing to the irregularity of the land and the sandy 
character of the soil a large expense would be involved to 
properly grade it for irrigation by ordinary methods, and, 
he added, it is to avoid this outlay, as well as to secure a 
more economical use of water than would be possible other¬ 
wise, that the experiment is to be carried on. 
“The irrigation branch of the Department of Agriculture 
is conducting experiments throughout Washington, Oregon, 
Idaho, Montana and other states,’’ Mr. Jayne continued, 
“with a view of determining the practicability of the various 
methods and it is believed that the knowledge so gained will 
result in a material saving and increased efficiency in the 
use of valuable water supplies. 
“While irrigation by the use of whirling sprinklers is not a 
new idea, having been successfully and profitably practiced 
in various places in connection principally with truck¬ 
farming operations, it is something of an innovation to 
undertake the watering of general field crops by this method. 
“Apple growers in the vicinity of Chelan, Wash., are this 
season installing sprinkling systems also, and during the 
summer the whirlers will be going in many orchards. 
“Albert Seiter, a successful orchardist of Moran Prairie, 
near Spokane, last year installed such a system and was 
greatly pleased with the results, also demonstrating to his 
satisfaction the advantages of applying water in this way. 
A novel idea was to place a light dressing of straw beneath 
the trees to prevent the sprinkling from beating the ground 
so as to compact and crust the surface. He has some old 
Jonathan apple trees which never produced fruit of market¬ 
able size until last year, when by irrigating them with 
sprinklers a very heavy yield was obtained, most of the 
apples being larger than four-tier. 
“Another system of sprinkling that is meeting with much 
favor and being widely adopted by truck farmers, berry 
growers and greenhouse men throughout the eastern, central 
and southern states consists of running parallel lines of gal¬ 
vanized iron pipe, elevated high enough above the ground 
to permit free passage of men and teams beneath in carrying 
on the cultural operations. These pipes, or nozzle lines, 
as they are called are usually set 40 to 60 feet apart and 
supported on top of posts about seven to eight feet high. 
“Small brass nozzles are screwed into the parallel pipes 
at intervals of from three to four feet and when the system 
is in operation thousands of tiny streams shoot forth, pro¬ 
ducing a result almost like' natural rain over the area between 
the nozzle lines. The pipes are so arranged that they can 
be revolved to give the jets whatever angle is desired in 
leaving the nozzles. 
“The state of Washington has now about a dozen installa¬ 
tions of this type and the system also is growing in popularity 
in Oregon and California. 
“Sprinkling by whatever system is a more expensive 
way of irrigating than by means so far commonly employed 
and it will doubtless be some time before it is very generally 
practised; but in places where water is very expensive or 
where the land is either too irregular to permit of grading 
or so sandy that heavy losses occur by deep percolation, 
irrigation by some system of sprinkling may often be profit¬ 
ably done. Costs of installation and operation are heavy 
for such systems, however, and intensive fanning, yielding 
arge returns per acre, must be the rule where sprinkling 
systems are employed.’’ 
A GIFT WITH A THOUGHT IN IT 
What other Christmas present costs so little and means so much as 
a subscription to The Youth's Companion —52 weeks for $1.75? It is 
a gift which benefits not only the one who receives it, but every member 
of the same household. 
If you do not know The Companion, if you are at all uncertain, 
just send us a postal card asking for sample copies. 
Not only is The Companion the best gift you can choose for the 
money, but the easiest to choose. Keep the loving Christmas thought 
bright and unwearied by making your gift The Youth's Companion. 
The one to whom you give the subscription will receive free The 
Companion’s Calendar for 1912, lithographed in ten colors and gold,, 
and you, too, as giver of the subscription, will receive a copy of the 
Calendar. 
The subscription price is now only $1.75, but on January i, 1912, 
it will be advanced to $2.00. 
The Youth's Companion, 144 Berkeley St., Boston, Mass. 
New subscriptions received at this office. 
NEWBURY’S FORM $100,000 COMPANY 
Pierre, S. D.—Articles of incorporation have been filed for a new 
nursery firm in tins state, at Mitchell, under the name of “The New¬ 
bury’s’’. The new firm is capitalized at $100,000, and is incorporated 
by Charles E., Edwin C., Elizabeth A. and Jessie E. Newbury, and 
Frank J. Herrick, of Mitchell, where the Newbury family has built up 
a large greenhouse business. 
The Roswell Nursery Co., at Roswell, N. M., has prepared for an 
enlargement of its business by establishing a sub-nursery at the corner 
of Fifth and Main streets. Wyatt Johnson, manager of the nursery, 
will have-charge of the branch. 
CALIFORNIA NURSERYMEN ORGANIZE 
The nurserymen of California recently effected an organi¬ 
zation for the purpose of “advancing the material and social 
sides of the nursery business.’’ Among the promoters of 
the organization are F. H. Wilson, Leonard Coates, Fred H. 
Howard, Almon Wheeler, Thomas Chisholm, George C. 
Roeding, John S. Armstrong, and E. Gill. Mr. W. V. 
Eberly of Niles, California, was elected president. 
