The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-08-26
SUB-IRRIGATION.
Why and How an Irrigation
Drainage System should be
Installed-The Sanford

|
iondrainagc which has been demon
Strated and proved successful under all
conditions where irrigation and drain.
age are essential to produce quantity as
well as quality of vegetables. Ii is
known that drainage is just as essential
in wet weather rs irrigation in dry
weather. Experience has taught us that
too much wafer is just as harmful as too
little water; therefore, system that will
take care OF both of these conditions
should be OF interest to the truckers in
this state The Sub-irrigation system
originated in the Sanford celery delta,
but is now being used extensively in all
parts of the state where trucking is done
on large scale.
The first question is, how does syS-
TEN of underground drain tile operate so
as TO prevent crop failure? Simply this:
The land can be moiStened when il is
dry and drained when it is wet.
Wherever the ground is underlaid with
this system, il can be safely said that the
surface soil is retained entire instead of
the finest and most fertile parts being
carried off with every considerable rain
fail Any plant food in manure or other
fertilizers deposited upon the soil is car
ricd into it with the wafer as il pcrco.
lateS downward from the surface and so
becomes thoroughly incorporated with
the soil. 1t decreases the effects Of
droughtS, as has been found by expert
ence, owing 10 the enlarged and deep
cned soil bed and 70 the more favorable
conditions for preventing excessive
evaporation of moisture. II aids in max
ing new soil out of the unprepared Gle
mcntS, since ii permits frccr entrance
of air and atmospheric heat, which dis
intcgratcS soil material hitherto unavail
able for use of plants Stubborn and
refractory soils, when drained, are fire.
qucntly so changed in texture and me-
chanical structure that they become
easily managed and respond TO cultiva-
lion with abundant crops. Ii opens the
pores OF the soil allowing free air circu.
lation among the roots: this alone is
sufficient reason for filing land. Then,
10 thrive vegetables must have water and
The only way TO supply this is through
lines OF tile.
Now as to how the irrigation-d drainage
system should be installed. The ncceS-
sary materials per acre are:
1000 feet 81 Drain tile, fl. lengths
Pieces s" Sewer pipe pcckets)
D #. lengths.
1 piece 1872 Sewer Pipe pockeD d
fl. lengths.
7 Stone Pockets, II" s" "a"
200 feet 4" Sewer pipe, 2 #. lengths
1 Load Fibre For covering joints OF
tile
2 sacks of cement.
The IS" pipe connects the four inch
pipe, or main water supply pipe, with
the well. The three inch tile is con
nectcd with the four inch pipe by using
the eight inch pockets as inlet boxes
The water is distributed over the field
through the three inch tiles which are
laid in rows 20 feet apart and from II"
10 IS inches under the surface. In lay.
ing the tile, great care should be taken
in getting uniform fall the entire
length of the field. This guarantees
good results from the system. The fall
should be about one inch TO the hun
dred feet, yet in some cases a greater
fall than this is required. Whenever
possible the water supply should be al
the highest corner of the field, so that
the fall can be obtained very easily.
The irrigation or drainage is controlled
by means of the stone pockets at the
outlet end of the tile These pockets
have partition in which there are three
holes, one on the level of the tile,
another about half way and the other
about an inch from the top. For drain.
age the bottom hole is left open; or if ii
is desired to flood the land, the second
hole is closed and the water flows out
at the top. To prevent the soil from
getting in al the Joints of the tile a small
bundle of fibre is placed over each joint.
All connections should be made abSo.
lrtely watcr-tight, SO as 10 prevent any
waste OF water and 10 get the quickest
results.
With the sub-irrigation system the sup
ply of water can be regulated SO as 10
irrigatc the entire field simultaneously,
or confined TO single row of tile, or as
many as desired; hence, with perfect
safety, in the same field can be grown
a variety of crops, though some may re-
quirc a very wet soil and others the
contrary.
The cost of this system averages about
$1,000 per acre, while in a great many
cases the system has been installed com
plctc for considerably less than this.
This cost is considerably cheaper than
any other system known and is the only
one that works as we'll for irrigation as
for drainage.
In former years, it was generally be-
lieved that good drain tile should be
porous. Nova days, this theory has
been discarded and the drainage experts
of the U. S. Department of Agriculture |
agree that the water does not go through |
the body of The tile, but in or out at the |
joints. 1t is readily seen that the less |
water the tile will absorb the better the |
quality of the tile; therefore, whenever |
purchasing material for this system, a
thorough investigation should be made, |
since the better quality of tile can be |
had at the same prices rs inferior grades. |
In the Sanford district when The sub
irrigation system was first installed |
wooden boxes were used for lille, but |
these soon dccaycd. Then cement tile
was used to some extent but this was
failure as the acids in the soil soon
caused il TO diSintcgrate which resulted
in loss 10 the landowner. In some
cases the cheap cement tile is known
10 have disappeared entirely within
twelve months. Mr.. L. J. O'Bcrry of
KiSSimmcc was persuaded to try cement
tile and did so with disastrous results.
The vitriiied uhat is, hard burned
glazed clay tile is now being used almost
as vitriied clay is one Of the
most durable materials known. Sewers
and thing used in construction have
been unearthed in the excavation OF
Pompeii and Hcrculancum, which cities
were destroyed by an eruption of NeSu-
yiuS, A. D. ~ Here it was in general
use and the tombs are drained by clay
pipes as sound as when laid 1900 years
lgo. The advantage of salt glazed clay
lie over any other material is that il
asts forever: the first cost is the last
COST