Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-09-04
TIPS ON |RR|CAT|NC,
Plan of Demonstration at Ma
tionaI Irrigation Congress.
FOURTEEN APPROVED WAYS.

rum ZEN At TnOVCO SSHl ~.
Delegates and Visitors to Spokane,
; Wash, Will Be Able to Study Best
Known Means Of Supplying Moisture
ArtificiaiIy to Crops In Orchards,
Fields and Vineyards.
Fourteen approved methods Of irri-
eating, adapted to practically every
kind Of land and the various tree, root
and vine crops, will be demonstrated
on a fifteen acre tract in the Spokane
valley within stones throw of the
city limits in connection with the sew
enteenth session Of the national irriga-
ton congress in Sokane, Wash, on
Aug. 8 to IA. The purpose is to afford
the delegates to the congress and WIS.,
itors an opportunity to- study the best
known means of supplying moisture by
artificial means to orchards, berry and
sugar beet fields, vineyards and hay
and grain lands. There will also be
demonstrations by manufacturers OF
apparatus used in modern irrigation.
What is considered by experts to be
the acme Of scientific irrigation and at
the same time the most economical
method will be shown In the use OF
porous tile pipe laid under the ground.
The principle is the antithesis of drain
age in that the pores and joints OF the
pipes give out sufficient water to sup
ply the plant life above them. This
plan is declared to be practicable in
supplying moisture for fruit trees, veg
etables, berries and almost every kind
Of product, the advantage being that
the water carried by the pipes. is dis
charged directly below the roots Of the
plants instead Of on the soils surface.
In comparison with the foregoing
plan there will be shown the primitive
method practiced by irrigators before
it was learned how to distribute wa
ter economically and to the best ad-
vantage. No grading or leveling was
done on this tract-in fact, In contour
it is as nature left it. Water Is taken
to the highest point on the land to dis.
tribute itself over the ground. The
idea In this Is to show waste Of water
and soil by washing and erosion.
Piping Water to Trees.
The individual system, also to be
demonstrated, calls for piping water
to every tree. To make it effective the
water must have a head. The pipe,
which may be small, is run to within
three feet of a tree to discharge water
into a circular ditch or basin built
around the tree. This method is de-
sirable in districts where a small
amount of water is desired to do a
large amount of irrigating. There Is
no loss from evaporation or seepage,
and only the ground in which the tree
grows receives the water. The cost OF
installing this system is much larger
than for the open ditch or fume sys-
tenn. but the difference is soon made
up on the cost of water or where it is
paid for by the acre foot.
Subirrigating by means of open
bitches will also be shown. The
bitches are of such depth that the wa
ter is absorbed without moistening the
surface. This method is advantageous
where soil has tendency to bake or
become crusted after watering.
Steep Land Watering.
Two tracts will show the practicable
ity of watering steep land in open
bitches. The inclines on one tract are
from thirty to forty-five degrees. The
other shows the terrace system, water
being dropped from one terrace to the
other. 1t will be demonstrated that
land can be irrigated by this plan with
out washing or erosion.
One..form Of the corrugation system
is applied to soil where the land slopes
in more than one direction, the bitches
being made to. follow the natural con-
tour, which needs no, grading. Water
is supplied through one box and the
bitches spread out in fan shape.
Another plan Of the so called cor
rugation idea, best adapted to sugar
beet, alfalfa. and grain lands with
gentle slope, shows water distribution
by means Of v shaped bitches or rills
two and one~half inches deep and
about eighteen inches apart. The mar
ginal dixie or basin system Of irriga-
ton shows bitches built surrounding
the tract of varying size, running from
one acre to ten acres in area. To prac-
tice this method successfully the land
must be level or have only a gentle
slope. Sufficient head may be had in
the water itself to cause 1t to spread
over the ground.
Two Dixie Systems.
On another tract Is the dixie system,
which follows the natural contour Of
the land. This method is adapted to
ground with a slope, but is not prac-
teal for level land. 1t is similar to
the side dixie system, but the first cost
is less and the results not as satfsfac-
tory. y. /"
The side dixie system Is used to best
advantage on ground with uniform
slope. The method Is to build bikes.
100 feet apart from eight. to twelve
inches high. depending upon the char
acter Of the soil. Water is taken from
the head ditch and spread in sheet