The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-04-02


these we are enabled to irrltate BY
bitches We we're at first greatly pug
zled to know how to get over the raw
ines and bitches In the field. for We
could not be all the time moving that
heavy iron pipe We finally hit on
plan 10 rake water run up hill We
did that by means OF a big homemade
hose constructed OF duck We put this
duck hose on the end Of an iron pipe
and lead the water where We want Il.
Il Is 80 constructed that We can couple
II quickly. We have about 800 feet Of
this hose In use, and II answers the
purpose very well. but Of course will
not stand much pressure We have
had little experience in trying this or
bearing fruit trees. We tried Il on 400
peach trees. and those trees bore fruit
much more heavily than usual We
also waiered an orchard OF cherry and
plum trees with Strawberries between
the rows. The strawberry plants were
about ruined when we began the water
ing, but they revived at once Most Of
our irrigating this last year has been
on young growing trees and on common
Held crops, such rs peas. beans and po-
tatoes. We now have our machinery
and fields ready TO begin operations
the coming year. While we realize that
some Of our work Is yet In the expert
mental stage. yet we are not dlscour-
aged for the future. We believe that
II the profit to our young trees coule
be shown. II would be seen that water.
ing them was very profitable.
Q.-lIow do you irrigate corn9
Ave run the water aleng the rows
Of corn and can thus water about four
acres per day In watering trees. we
can water about eight TO ten acres pes
day. Tho cost Of running the engina
and tank Is s. TO SO per day.
Q.-What Is the total cost Of a plant
like yours with capacity to water twenty
acres?
Ave have machinery 20 lrrlgate
eighty acres and the cost for engine.
pump and pipes would fall between Ss0Q
and $1,000 ordinarily but we got O
secondhand engine. a Si.0OO-plani
should irrIgate about eighty acres.
Q.-ln surface irrigation. at what
time Of day Is II best TO make the april
cation OF water9
Alt any time OF day. II we could
run our plant all night we would make
the application during the latter pant
OF the day.
Professor Tracy.-I would like 10 say
that II Is not so much the contour OF the
land as Il Is the character OF the soil
that concerns irrigation. Some people
think that because they have a stream
that is In a good position for irrigating
therefore they can surely lrrigate.
Q-ls Il possible 10 irrigate from q
two or three-inch well, where you have
10 draw the water for seventy feetg
Professor Taft think So and II
you can't do Il with one well, drive
three or four and have a reservoir. But
that 7O-foot lit Is rather hard quos.
ton to consider.
Professor McCleur.-There IL one
place In Illinois where irrigating Il be.
ing done. and that Is a, the insane asy.
lum at Kankakee. They have there one
pump. and they pump water from the
river. They have not done any expert.
menting. They got a man from the
West who was perfectly familiar with
the work Of water. happened to be
there this fall. and saw them irrigatlng
cabbage field They wero running
the water between every two rows.
each row being forty rods long. The
water must have been six to eight
inches In depth. They had watored
that field from one to three times. and
they said that was enough. They said
In general way that there was no
doubt but that their crop was at least
double that OF last year. They used 80
much water each time that the ground
was too soft TO walk on. One could not
step on it without sinking down some
distance. The water ran between the
rows, which were rounded up pretty
well. They seemed to rstain the moist
ure for long time.