The Ordway new era., 1909-10-08
ELF-PUAlPED WATER
Hydraulic Ram Best Irrigation
System for Small Farms.
Small Stream May Dc Capable Of
Watering Good sized Tract Of
land-opsn Up Great PossI.
bllities for Cheap Supply.

or the various irrigation systems
Tor the small individual farmer the by.
draulic ram. where 1t can be applied.
is perhaps the most attractive. The
use Of the ram pre.supposes the pres
ence OF waterfall: not necessarily q
cataract. but q. stream OF water with
4 fair fall. which. might. as an ex-
ample. be used for running q grist
mill. says the American Cultivator.
The stream may be q very small
one. and still be capable Of irrigating
a good.sized tract. In various irri.
CATION plants the water is pumped up
by rams into reservoir excavated
on n clay hill. or made by throw
Ing dam across ravine. and thus
backing the water up into a little
lake. Its situation being higher than
the land 10 be irrigated. The water
thus accumulated for months is held
until needed. when 1t Is run through
open bitches on 10 the fields below
tho reservoir level. A tiny stream
having n flow OF 80 gallons a minute
and a fall OF 20 feet will operate q
ram that will pump $1,000 gallons a
day to n height OF 100 feet above the
ram. This amount OF water. stored
as stated. will furnish all the neces-
sary irrigation for from ten to fifteen
acres. A ram OF this size takes its
water from four.inch drive pipe.
The improved rams OF to-day open
up great possibilities for cheap water
supply. Their first cost Is very
moderate. and they pump by water
power. requiring no attendant. They
are manufactured OF large capacity.
and can be relied upon for pumping
water to any desired elevation for ir.
rigating comparatively high lands
They are made from a one-inch size.
using three gallons a minute. to a du-
plex 12.inch ram, using two 12.inch
drive pipes One Of the latter placed
on n stream having flow Of $500
gallons a minute. which Is. by the
way. very small creek-with a 20
foot fall-will pump nearly 100000 gal.
Ions day to height OF 100 feet
above the ram. Such creeks or
branches with nearby irrigable lands
are very plentiful in any Of the hilly
sections OF the country. and where
they exist should be recognized Us the
basis of certain wealth. 1t may be
necessary to construct small canal.
just as In the establishment OF the
old-fashioned overshoot mill Wheel In
fact. old. abandoned mill sites. where
much Of the work has already been
done. can sometimes be utilized. Any
amount OF fall. from four feet up to
40 feet. can be utilized. Incidentally,
water for house and stock can often
be provided.
1t may. therefore. pay to look into
the question Of water supply on the
farm and to figure out a plan to use
this greatest Of natural resources. The
certainty OF production and the great
ness OF the yield under irrigation
make 1t worth while to go to consid-
cradle trouble to benefit by the water
supply. II the farm is SO fortunate
as to have good-sized one. Even the
flow from a good-sized spring may be
utilized. In the west every opportu-
nifty for using water in this way is
quickly grasped, and It Is an astonish-
ment to the eastern traveller to see
with what ease and at what little ex-
pense he could have always used the
waters of the small stream flowing
through his farm back home.