Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-16
THE IRRIGATION PROBLEM
Wells and Pumps Used to Good Advantage
by Mr.. Joseph Tuckett Of MapIston,
The Droutb a Blessing in Disguise a.
IL has Taught More Economical
Use OF Water.

Mapleton, Utah Co., March 13.--In an
interview with a News" correspondent
Mr.. Joseph Tucket said that the pros
pect for fruit and general farm produce
was never better FOR Napoleon. Mr.
Tuckett owns and operates fourteen
acre fruit farm, besides his grain and
lucern lands, on a choice spot on the
Mapleton bench. Continuing he said:
On the 18th Of March, last year, we
started to water our lucern, while this
year the ground Is saturated with wat
er to a great depth My large wells
have six and half feet OF water IN
them, where last season at this date
they only had two feet. | have three
large wells, the largest ten feet square.
the other two, eight feet square each.
i use three wind mills and kept my
fourteen acres Of small and large fruit
In thrifty condition, all through the
most trying season which we have yet
experienced.
spent about four hundred dollars in
machinery and developing my wells last
year. which are now about thirty three
feet deep. The hose use for convey
| ing the water from the wells TO the
tree rows, is home made. / use heavy
duck cloth, making the hose five inches
| In diameter. stitched on our ordinary
sewing machine, after which soak II
In boiled linseed oil, and dry II In the
sun, use the ordinary fire hose coup
ling, and my home made hose is cheap
and decided success for carrying the
water to my garden truck. strawber-
ries and trees. When the wind fails, I
operate Hayes three cylinder pump
with one-horse power. costing about
one hundred and ten dollars. which
throws q stream large enough 10 irri-
gate two rows and would exhaust the
water In my largest well In four hours
last season,
A fruit farmer from Provo bench
visited me last week, and after inspect
Ing my machinery and wells, departed
well pleased at my success, and deter
mined In his own mind 20 stay by his
home and farm, and there and then
gave up all notion OF selling out and
migrating to Oregon.
Without the new ideas and methods
now In vogue for saving and increasing
the water supply, there Ia no need OF
leaving the lands which have been more
recently improved and which are only
entitled 10 a surplus water right
or course II will take labor
and money, but this expenditure
will pay with an intelligent
and proper cultivation OF the soil.
Again, the scarcity OF water as expert
enced for two or three seasons past may
not occur again for many years. but
the scarcity OF the water has taught
Us TO economize; that We must not al.
ways expect nature 20 be propitious.
The drouth has emphasized the need
OF reservoirs and the digging OF wells
for water. The past three seasons OF
scarcity OF water is blessing In dis
guIse, for II has taught us many points
in regerd 10 the economical use Of wat
er. and how 10 coax II out OF mother
earth got little anxious last year
over O patch OF small fruit and paid my
neighbor $3.50 an hour for the use OF
his water. In regard 10 coaxlng the
water out Of the depths. a Mr.. NAL
strom up here discovered a damp spot
with bunch OF willows close IN, right
under tine foot hills above his farm. He
followed in with tunnel and found a
small stream. He has continued tunnel
Ing. and today he Is IN about two hun.
bred feet: has a well tlmbered tunnel.
track laid for HIS truck 20 carry out the
dirt above his water channel. which
now carries enough water 70 lrrigate
forty acres. Another gentleman named
Schaffer Is working on another such
prospect and will no doubt be success
full.
All this grand farming land. which
now produces such large crops OF lu.
Germ, fruit and bets. was not used until
1sso. when a Mr.. Sanford led out with
what was known az the Union Farm.
but the attempt was soon abandoned.
My land. now 80 well ret with fruit,
repnlsed four or fve attempts At its
reclamation. The toll and labor ex.
pended by the people here In those ear.
~ days 10 overcome the sterile nature
Of the soil win never b known. Today