The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-08-01

and vine crops, will be demonstrated
on a 15-acre tract in the Spokane Val.
ley within a stones throw of the city
limits in connection with the 18th
session of the National Irrigation Con-
gress in Spokane, August to a. The
purpose is to afford the delegates to
the congress and visitors an opportu-
nifty 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 DEM
onstrations by manufacturers of appa-
ratus used in modern irrigation. Ten
acres of land has been set aside for
displays of machinery.
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
drainage in that the pores and joints
of the pipes give out sufficient water
to supply the plant life above them.
This plan is declared to be practicable
in supplying moisture for fruit trees,
vegetables, berries and almost every
that the water carried by the pipes is
discharged directly below the roots
of the plants, instead of on the sur
face of the soil.
In comparison with the foregoing
plan there will be shown the primitive
method, practiced by irrigators before
it was learned how to distribute water
economically and to the best advantage.
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 distribute
itself over the ground. The idea in
this is to show waste of water and
soil by washing and erosion.
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 tree to discharge water
into a circular ditch or basin built
around the tree. This method is de-
sirable in districts where small
amount of water is desired to do
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 flume sys-
tenn, but the difference is soon made
up on the cost of water or where it is
paid for by the acre-foot.
Sub-irrigating 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 advanta-
geous where soil has a tendency to
bake or become crusted after watering.
Two tracts will show the practical
bility of watering steep land in open
bitches. The inclines on one tract are
from 80 to As degrees. The other shows
the terrace system, water being drop
ped from one terrace to the other 1t
will be demonstrated that land can
be irrigated by this plan without wash
ing 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 applied to soil where the land slopes
bitches spread out in fame shape over
the land.
Another plan of the so-called CORFU
cation idea, best adapted to sugar
beet, alfalfa and grain lands with a
gentle slope, shows water distribution
by means of V-shaped bitches or rills,
21a inches deep and about Is inches
apart. The marginal dixie or basin
system of irrigation shows bitches
built surrounding the tract Of varying
size running from one acre to 10 acres
in area. To practice this method sue