The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-06-09

the Tacoma match and the consn, u.s
ton came to speedy termina.. ''a'
with the homemade article s,,n
the market. W
IRRIGATION BY MEANs0F
WH|RL|NG SPR|NKLERs
Spokane, June 6.-lrrigation ~
means of whirling sprinklers is to \.
carried out on an extensive sca,o :.
the Quincy district in Grant coun,r
Wash. upon large tract of land
few miles south of the town of wv.
chester. The apparatus, specially a.
signed for the experiment, is larss,
and Of greater capacity than ~.
sprinklers ordinarily used On o;,.
lawns. Water will be lifted from .
deep well by a double-action pumn
driven by a gasoline engine.
In making the foregoing announoo
ment at his headquarters in Spokane
Stephen 0. Jayne, irrigation invest
gator for the United States department
OF agriculture, said that owing to tho
irregularity of the land and the SANDY
character of the soil large expense
would be involved to properly grade Il
for irrigation by ordinary methods
and. he added, it is to avoid this out.
lay, as well as to secure a more eco.
nomical use of water than would no
possible otherwise that the experiment
is to be carried on.
"The irrigation branch of the depart.
ment of agriculture is conducting ex.
periments throughout Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Montana and other
states" Mr.. Jayne continued, with
view of determining the practicability
of the various methods, and it is be.
lieved that the knowledge so gained
will result in a material saving and in.
creased efficiency in the use of valu.
able water supplies.
while irrigation by the use Of
whirling sprinklers is not a new idea.
having been successfully and profit.
ably practiced in various places in con-
nection principally with truck farm.
ing operations, it is something of an
innovation to undertake the watering
of general field crops by this method
Apple growers in the vicinity of
Chelan, Wash, are. this season in.
stalling sprinkling systems also, and
during the summer the whirlers will
be going in many orchards.
albert Setter, successful orchard.
list of Moran Prairie, near Spokane,
last year installed such a system and
was greatly pleased with the results,
also demonstrating to his satisfaction
the advantages of applying water in
this way. A novel idea was to place
a light dressing of straw beneath the
trees to prevent the sprinkling from
beating the ground so as to compact
and crust the surface. He has some
old Jonathan apple trees which never
produced fruit of marketable size un'
til last year, when by irrigating them
with sprinklers a very heavy yield
was obtained, most of the apples being
larger than fourier.
Another system of sprinkling that
is meeting with much favor and being
widely adopted by truck farmers, berry
growers and greenhouse men through
out the eastern, central and southern
states consists of running parallel
lines of galvanized pipe. elevated hign
enough above the ground to permit
free passage of men and teams DE-
meath in carrying on the cultural oper'
atoms. These pipes, or nozzle INES ~
as they are called, are usually SET ~
to 60 feet apart and supported on top
of posts about seven to eight lee'
high.
Small brass MOBILES are screwea
into the parallel pipes at Intervals VI
from three to four feet and when INC
system is in operation thousands VI
tiny streams shoot forth, producing
result almost like natural rain ovel
the area between the nozzle lines. Inc
pipes are SO arranged that they can
be revolved to give the jets wna'e,s,
angle is desired in leaving the nozzio1 ,,
"The state of Washington has noN
about dozen installations OF TINS '.p'
and the system also is growing III p0p
ularity in Oregon and California :.
.Sprinkling by whatever system =. .
q more expensive way OF lrrisa.me
than by means so far commonly gu
ployed, and 1t will doubtless De sun, o
time before it is very generally pra :.
ticed: but in places where wave, ..
very expensive or where the lanu -
either too irregular to permit OF sia ~
ing or so sandy that heavy losses ~ w
cur by deep percolation, irrigatlou. .o ~
some system Of sprinkling may ol, w.
be probably done. Costs OF ins.a ,,cn
ton and operation are heavy LOT oru
systems, however, and intensive 10 are
ing, yielding large returns per ling
must be the rule where sprlnA
systems are employed"