The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-01-17
IRRIGATION AEAHSBS.
The New System Fully as Prac-
ticabIe as the Ditch.
Commissioner TOmbIin Tells His Experience
to the Topeka Advocate.
Lifted Water $50 Feet Successfully by
Wind POWeT-sOme Figures on
Costs and Returns from
His Plant.

interesting article upon irrigation IN
Che New Years issue of the Topeka
Advocate. He says:
The fact that the irrigator in Kansas
must derive his water supply chiefly
FROM the so-CaIled underfiow, raised by
msans of pumps, and stored in reser-
voirs for future use, instead of from
streams, as is generally practiced else
where, has made our people slow to ad-
opt this method and caused people out
side the state and indeed outside of
the immediate neighborhood of where
irrigation by means of the pumping
plant is pFacticed to doubt its praetica-
bilitY, but today probably 1000 farmers
pumping water from 10 to 200 feet can
testify that with the pump and reser-
vOiE irrigation is not only practicable
but exceedingly profitable.
To show what can be done where the
water lift is something over $50 feet is
the object Of this paper. What l have
done any farmer in western Kansas can
do who has the necessary capital to put
in the plant. 1t consists Of fiVe-inch
tubular we'll, operated by a sixteen-foOt
steel, baek-gssred windmill, built ex-
pressly for this kind of work. The res
.ervoiT into which the pump discharges
is eighty-two feet in diameter at the
base, inside measurement. The walls
are six feet high on the outside, seven
and one-hslf on the inside. The bottom,
IS well as strip about eight feet wide
under the walls, was thoroughly pud-
died and the reservoir seems to hold
water perfectly. In a good wind the
pump discharges about twenty gallons
minute. Everything connected with
the pump and windmill is of the most
solid and substantial character. A
much lighter and cheaper plant could
have been purchased, and would prob
ably do the same work, for time, at
least, but the fact that the mill is turn
ed loose to the wind at all times, stormy
as Weifas fair weather, and has cost me
less than 81 for repairs during the year
and to-day is apparently as good as
ever, oonyinces me that I made NO mis-
take in choosing the very strongest and
best material throughout. The plant
cost q little less than $500. When
farmer can do greatshare of his work
himself, such as building the reservoir,
helping the we'll men, and the like, the
cost can probably be reduced 500. The
tract selected for my experiment was
seYen-aore orchard of young trees, and
athree-acFe plat adjoining.
did not get my plant in operation
until late in April, and consequently
did not have an opportunity this year
to give it fair test. However, the
results are so satisfactory that l feel 1
have no cause for complaint. I planted
potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, celery,
cabbage, beets and on a small scale
many varieties of garden vegetables,
that I might test what was best adapted
to our soil and climate under irrigation.
My early Ohio potatoes yielded at the
rate Of something over 200 bushels an
acre, Late potatoes did not do so we'll
Tor the reason that just at the time
when they should have had water the
wiud-Would not blow, and as I did not
commence the season with full reser-
voiror the ground thoroughly saturated,
the crop suffered in August. My onion
crop yielded at the rate of 1900 bushels
an acre, Ibelieve I can increase this
yield to at least 1900 bushels to the
acre, [ grow the large varieties by the
new method. Sweet potatoes did not
do SO well, possibly because l did not
knew how to grow them. Celery does
we'll and the quality is excellent and in
every respect will compare with the
MichlgsA product. Cabbage is a good
crop, as are the beet and all root veget-
ebles. Melons and tomatoes do not do
so well on account of the cool nights
incident to cur altitude. Trees make a
wonderful growth.
I sold from this plant about $500
worth Of truck, besides what was con-
samed by two families, and had I
planted more early potatoes, onions
and celery and done less experimenting
l would have several times increased
my Income. The beets and refuse from
my garden, together With little grain
I fed 20 my hogs, and they have made
profit Of Sl0O already this year. My
reservoir was stocked with fish and
now affords me a much better article
than the market supplies; another year
] eaR take from it q thousand pounds
Of fish ard still leave it well stocked
for The following year. The reservoir
viii saoTs ne 100 tons Of ice this win
Ter, Furnishing an abundance for my
owR nss snd some TO sell to my neigh
bcFa.
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