Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-06-12

IN the excavation 81 q reservoir In d
piece Of springy or marshy ground, Of
in laying underdrains to take their
flow and connecting them with a more
convenient reservoir site at a distance
Sometimes q spring whose flow can
not be- recovered from the area OF
Doggy ground below it can be opened
up and its water readily directed to
a single channel, or to a pipe leading
to reservoir.
Small Springs Yield Much Water.
There is, however, one matter in
connection with projected utilization
of a spring or any small outcropping
of water to which careful attention
should be given, and that is approx
mate knowledge of the amount of
water which can be made available,
This may be obtained before invest.
ment of labor or material is made by
opening up the spring thoroughly
cleaning it out to expose it's outflow,
and measuring the flow in water.
tight basin or, vessel of known
capacity. Note the time required to
fill the vessel, and it can be quickly
calculated how much the spring will
yield in twenty-four hours. Almost
everyone will be surprised at the re-:
suit Of the measurement; a trickle OF
water thought to- be too insignificant
for consumption will be found to yield
a very effective continuous flow, if the
water is collected. Al s5-gallon oil can
Is handy measure. Suppose the
spring fills 1t in two minutes, the yield
would them be $500 gallons in twenty.
four hours, or 100000 ga11ons in one
month, and this amount isEequivalent
to nearly inches of rainfall on an
acre of ground Such an amount, ii
carefully collected and applied, would
keep a garden Of small fruits and
vegetables in good growth, even with
very little rainfall, IL the soil be OF
fairly retentive character; as safety
supply against the short droughts OF
the humid region It would rescue a
crop which might be worth several
hundred dollars. ;. g
Thus a. little outflow from a spring
which might pass away unnoticed I'm.
derground or at most by surface flow
| would only make a sedgy streak
across corner of field, can be made
a potent factor in production. Oh
course, in handling water from such q
small source Of supply it must be con.
lstantly protected from loss. It would
disappear in an open ditch in a short
time. Usually it must be conveyed in
a pipe to a tank or tight reservoir and
collected in sufficient volume to cover
quite an area at each application.
Collection of Water from Ravines.
/ In the same class with DEVELOPMENT
OF. springs is the collection of water
from banks in canyons or ravines
where floods have uncovered water.
bearing strata. Water seeps out on
these surfaces and sinks away in the
debris which is usually found in such
places, reaching at length the stream
bed and passing away as surface flow
or underfiow, according to the char.
acter OF the stream bed. Sometimes
where the difficulty of making the sub.
merged dam is too great, the outcrop.
ping from the bank alone may yield as
much as a good spring and be secured
by cutting out ditch at the bottom
OF the bank, cementing it or clay-bed,
ding 1t well or bedding in plank box
and connecting by a pipe with reser.
Voir in the same way as in case of q
spring. ~. 49,,
1 Pumping for Irrigation.
Undoubtedly the most interesting
and important phase of recent pro.
gress in irrigation practice is found in
the use of the pump as source of sup
ply. Wonderful results have been
achieved in increasing the efficiency
OF pumps and motors and reducing
their cost of operation. Individual
owners have often secured water by
boring or digging wells and the use of
a pump and thus are enabled to use
more water and at more convenient
times with less outlay. For this home
supply all sorts of wells and all kinds
OF pumps and motors are being used
according to local conditions of sub.
terranean water-bearing strata and
local power supplies. The subject is
too wide and varied for discussion in
This place. It should be studied with
the help OF the best local well borers
and mechanical engineers and me-
chanics.
Several things are now very clear,
viz: That the capacity Of all open.