Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-11-09
COST OF InRIGATION BY PUMP
 ING.

TUCSoS, AriG., Oct. 70, iooo'
 Commissioner Immigration of Pim County.
 Answering your long neglected inqui " as to the practicsbility of stean pumping fer the purpose of irrigatipl large bodies of agricultural land in Ariz ons, and whether wind power can b depended on to any reasonable extent have to say that am thorough con vert to steam, as an economical mean of producing sure crops through steady water supply.
 Wind power, with proper storage .ac.city, can be utilized to great ad' vantage, but in southern Arizona car never be depended on alone. We have too many practical Illustrations Ct thi' ot which you are personally aware, te nesd further argument, than to call your attention to the orchard near town, where steam had to be added 10 strong windmill plants, to secure euiH- cient water for the trees As feeder to 8 steam pumping plant, am in IaVor of wind mills. I can readily realize that windmills can be successfully employed on the prairie lands of Illinois, or hsn- eas but never in Arizona. where large amount. and steady supply of water is required.
 In considering the matter of steam pumping. I shall answear you from the standpoint of a cheap pump, the SIX iach centrifugal, with which l em per fectly familiar from long practical sz- perience. The first object IS to put your land iu such perfect shape that 1t can be economically irrigated, as such course means the perpetual saving or money. Iknow of 10 ecor omy connect ed with farming, where artificial mesps are em ployed to secure water for irrlga- tion.-that equals the land being care fully prepared before tie crops are put in. The tables should not be too wide, the fall sufficient but not enough grade to wash, especially is this true in the case of alfalfa where washing is so detrim- ental.
 The pump Ct tbe Pascholy p'sce is fair sample of what can be done. Is ls @ five inch pump, with six inch suc- tiop. and a six inch discharge pipe. The lift is twenty-three feet The pump can iIrieate 190 CT 200 acres of land If run steadily. The cost of running such @ pump at the pfeveiiing price of fuel would be s4.50 for wood and sL25 per day for nar competent in the premises, making a total expense of sl72.5 per month, man familiar with the dustrlou- tion of water can be secured for S25 per month. Six irrigations will be sufficient, even for alfalfa, after it ha5 taken root, and during favorable wet seasons of course the artificial irrigation will be materially leseened. At the outside elx months of continuous pumping from @ well similar to Pascholy's (17 10 ft) will irrisate 8 farm of 200 acres if the land is favorable, at cost 10 round numbers of Sl200, which includes the labor of distributing the water. From practical experience I would prefer to pay this 212O0 on account of the certain supply of the water, than to pay $500 for 6 ditch service, if the supply was at all uncertain on account of floods or the possible effect of dry season on surface water. We'll water used in pumping plants IS not liable to be effected to any great extent by failure of rain supply.
 There is genuine bslief that well water is very detrimental to crops. The suction of centrifugal pump and it's capacity for lifting and discharging sed- iments and the large amount of nutri- tious matter in our underground flows in this section of country has obv;ated such trouble, if it exists elsewhere, which I doubt. From personal observa- tion I can safely assert that we'll water from the underfow of the Santa Cruz river cannot be surpassed in its effect on the land.
 I do not go into the value of products es the question of valuee depends on the crop, and whether there has been sufficient rain to help out the ordinary farmer who depends on surface flows, and is generally short of water.
 have taken as an argument the work of fivs inch pump, but I would recom- mend always the largest sized pump the we'll will justify for economy.
 Respectfully,
 ROYAL A. JOHNSON.