
IRRIGATION IN CONNECTICUT. 231 
‘from the surrounding hills. Ata depth of about three feet is 
a gravelly clay hardpan, beneath which is a stiff clay. The 
land is naturally quite fertile, but a compact subsoil has pre- 
vented the escape of surplus water, while in case of drouths 
the land has baked and cracked badly. The physical condition 
of the soil has been greatly improved by drainage, and in case 
an excess of water is used in irrigating it will also readily pass 
off through the drain pipes. ‘The texture of the soil is firm 
enough to prevent washing, and the fall is about three feet to 
one hundred, so the conditions are favorable for surface flowage 
from open ditches. 
A small stream of water that would, in times of an average 
flow, readily pass through a 5-inch pipe, enters the farm 
through a narrow ravine and makes a fall of about twenty-five 
feet for the first thirty rods back from the irrigated area. 
About fifteen rods up this ravine has been built a dam and a 
small storage pond, from which the water is conveyed in open 
ditches to different parts of the field. The whole area has 
been laid out in three lots in such a way that water can be 
conveyed to the ends of the fields and allowed to run down 
between the rows of crops. The water has, in a small way, 
been used ona variety of garden crops, but quite extensively 
on strawberries and celery. Mr. Leek is so well pleased with 
the results on these crops that he is planning to enlarge his 
storage pond and to use the water more extensively in the 
future. 
The conditions on this farm are similar to those found on 
many Connecticut farms, in that the water can be obtained for 
irrigation at a nominal cost. ‘There are farms all through the 
State through which pass small streams having their source on 
higher ground near by, and all that is necessary to utilize the 
water is to build a storage pond and carry the water from this, 
by means of open ditches, to the lands to be irrigated. 
IRRIGATION ON THE FARM OF W. A. LEIGH, THOMASTON. 
This farm is located in the Naugatuck Valley, at the base of 
a bluff that rises, quite abruptly, some 350 feet above the val- 
ley. Over this bluff pours a small mountain stream that is 
quite constant, and of volume about sufficient to fill a 6-inch 
pipe in times of average flow. This stream is fed by springs 
