
IRRIGATION IN CONNECTICUT. 229 
the fruiting time in seasons of severe drouth. An observa- 
tion that he made several years ago may be of value as 
indicating the importance of a good water supply for this crop. 
At this particular time Mr. Hale had two large orchards, one 
on the home farm, and one about two miles away, both being 
upon soils of rather dry character. Shortly before the picking 
season began he made an estimate of the fruit that he expected 
to get from the two orchards. Very shortly after a severe 
thunder storm with drenching rains occurred at one of the 
orchards, but no rain fell at the other. Otherwise, the season 
was generally dry. At the end of the harvest he found that 
his estimate for the two orchards was just reversed in the crop 
actually obtained. In other words, the crop on the orchard 
which received the heavy rainfall was just about double the 
estimate, while the crop on the other orchard fell off one-half 
fron the estimate. 
IRRIGATION ON THE FARM OF JOSEPH ALBISTON, 
SOUTH MANCHESTER. 
Mr. Albiston probably has the oldest irrigation plant in Con- 
necticut. The privilege was granted in 1796, the water being 
taken from a small stream ata point about sixty rods above 
the limits of the farm. ‘The stream is of sufficient size to about 
fill a 10 or 12-inch pipe in times of an average flow. The 
brook passes through part of the farm, and about seven acres 
of land either side of the stream can be watered. ‘There are 
two small irrigation plants now in use on the farm. In the 
older the water is conveyed in an open ditch. ‘The fall of the 
stream is such that at a very small expense for a dam practi- 
cally all of the water can be turned into the ditch. About five 
acres can be watered by this means. This plant was very 
extensively used in irrigating grass for many years, fine crops 
being obtained each season, but during the past sixteen years 
Mr. Albiston has used it for small fruits and vegetables. Of 
the area watered from the canal, about three acres are nearly 
level, having a fall of less than five feet in 4oo feet. The water 
can be conveyed by a branch ditch along one end of this area 
and then turned down between the rows of small fruits and 
vegetables as needed. About one acre, on quite a steep slope 
just below the main ditch, is thoroughly watered by seepage 
