The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-12-04
IRRIGATION IN THE EAST
RESULTS or EXPERIMENTS CARRIED
ON IN NEW JERSEY.

rrrieating Plauts Would Pay BY Giving
Increased Yields to Eastern Farmers
a1,5o0.Os0 Lost in One Hay Crop by
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Of Rain.
The once OF Experiment Stations Of
the United States Department Of Agri-
culture, Washington has Just compiled
bulletin No. 81, entitled Irrigation in
New Jersey. 1t was prepared by
Prof Z. b. Voorhees,. Of the New Jer-
sey Experiment Station and describes
his experiments in irrigation for 1898.
1t is generally thought that the ne
cessity for irrigation in the United |
States exists only in the region west
of the Mississippi River but repeated
crop failures in the East and successful
farming in the West have called atten-
tion to the Importance of controlling
the moisture OF soils rather than ac-
cepting the conditions as they exist.
Prof. voorhees, estimates the loss to
the hay crop of New Jersey from the
drought in May and early June, 1899,
at S1,500,0 900, While small fruits and
vegetables were even more seriously
affected.
To show the frequency Of such
droughts as that Of 1899, the bulletin
cites the rainfall records of Philadel-
phia: "The rainfall records in Phila-
delphia from 1926 to 1895. seventy
years, show that In 9S per cent OF the
years there was deficiency OF over
one inch for one month, or that in
sixty-two years out of the seventy
there was one month in the growing
season from April to August in which
such a marked deficiency occurred as
to cause a serious shortage of crop,
and that for the same period there were
thirty-nine years in which the deli
cheney extended throughout two
months, while in twenty-one years II
extended throughout three months, OF
in 80 per cent. Of the years included in
this record there were three months
during the growing period In which the
average rainfall was deficient one inch
or more.
.'It is thus observed that wide Sc
ries Of crops would be likely to suffer
in more than one-half of the years for
which the record is available, while a
still larger number would suffer in
: nearly one-third of the years, for 1t
must be remembered that even slight
: deficiency in one month may result IN
serious reduction in yield and eonse-
ouent loss If 1t occurs at time when
the crop is making its largest deYel-
opment.
: The experiments conducted by Prof.
Voorhees, and reported in this bulletin
: were for the purpose Of determining
whether irrigation during these short
= periods of drought would result in suf-
ficient increase of yield to pay for the
K works necessary to obtain the supply
of water. The tests were made on small
fruits. Careful records were kept Of
the Yields of plats which received the
identical treatment, except that some
/ were irrigated and others were not.
The Yields of the irrigated plats over
It and above those not irrigated were as
follows: Blackberries, 1883 quarts pei
acre. worth S9S42; raspberries, S2'
quarts per acre. worth 1920; currants
S52 quarts per acre, worth $500 Ih'
increase in yield would not be SC
marked every year as in 1899, as th'
= drought Of that year was exceptional
I The bulletin contains detailtd de
scriptions and statements Of cost for
II number Of small irrigation plants II
-e New Jersey. All Of these are pumping
plants. The cost OF plants larg'
is enough to supply ten acres OF smal
i fruits and garden crops has varied
from s230 to $780, Records Of the re-
turns from these plants have not beer
kent. but the owners are all satisfied
q that their installation mas been yer.
= proftable, and in nearly every instanc'
o have stated that they have made tn
& cost Of the plant in the increased crop
5, the first year.
o So far as climatic conditions are con
is cerned. New Jersey may be considere
le tvpical of the whole eastern half OF tn
b. United States. Judging from the re
is suits reported in this bulletin there
to no question but that irrigation 70
er fruits and market gardens, even IN re
h. eions Of abundant rainfall, IS a prom
III able undertaking.
ii The work in New Jersey Is part {
le an investigation Of the problems OF i
re rigation now being carried on by th
,e Office of Experiment Stations in differ
T. ent regions Of the United States. ON
n ing to the greater Importance OF irr
! cation in the West, where farming
4 impossible without its aid, the create
~ psrt of work is being done there
= Cheyenne. Wyo.. being its headqual
ters. The results in New Jersey sho
that no agent of agriculture or hort
iii culture is more effective than waite
Is applied when needed, and that Il
no Eastern farmer can well afford to pa
ff more attention to the subject.-Ne
81 York Sun.