Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1912-11-22
(coNrISusD FROM FIRST rAeE.)

dDOut uliStf. tOf hi cuuCcitSu.
Mr.. Waters is an engineer Of skill.
one Of the foremost men in West
ern America in technical know
ledge. and he ignored the words of
i'll omen Of his acquaintance and
others and installed the engines,
the cost being $1,000 each. f. o. b.
New York. The engines are run
ming perfectly today. The fact
they, as 80 h. p., are costing only
$3.50 for fuel for twenty-four
hours means revolution in power
cost in the west where water power
is net available.
SOLVE POWER PROBLEM.
These engines will solve the pow
er for irrigation problem in the
west, say engineers, and It was
Mr. Waters who recently suggested
that farmers in any given district
where the underhow was TO be had
at depths consistent with profitable
pumping, could cooperate with sue.
cess by organizing. establishing a
central power plant equipped with
crude oil engines, generate electric
power, and transmit the same to
the individual holdings. Loss in
transmission is a vital factor and
the distance to be carried must be-
regulated to fit the amount of pow
err generated. the amount of power
generated depending on the size
and capacity Of the engine
Transmission of power ten miles in
all directions from a central station
is happy medium, say those who
are authority on the subject, as
there is small loss in l0-mile trans
mission.
COST OF PUMPING.
A close estimate Of cost for irri-
CATION from wells is fifty cents an
acre foot for each foot of lift.
As illustration, to lift ten feet and
cover one acre of land one foot
deep in water will cost a farmer
% an acre. For some products
more water than one acre foot is
needed, the extreme being three
acre feet, hence a farmer must
consider what is to him the most
profitable product under the cost
conditions. Fruit trees and or
chards are considered about the
lowest cos. to irrigate, the maxi.
mum of water needed for orchards
being far below that needed for
products of the other extreme
Judgment must enter in and reign
supreme if success is to he as
sured.
COMPARED TO CANALS.
Cost of irrigating with pumping
plant, using crude oil as fuel, will
be on general parity with ditch
charges, say engineers, this esti-
mate not taking into consideration
fixed charges and deterioration.
advantage that a farmer would
have with a small plant of his own
is that there would be no overhead
charges, that is, cost Of maintain
ing a staff Of expert officials of a
corporation and like charges which
would enter into corporation
maintaining a large generating sta
ton. The farmer, if one of a me-
chanical turn of mind, could care
for his own engine and the time
needed each day or each week
would be little.
CLEAN LAND WOULD RESULT,
An important factor in irrigat.
ing by wells and pumping is that a
farm would not be a recipient of
weed seed and Johnson grass from
other regions, hence could always
be cultivated with a minimum Of
cost.
The crude oil burning engine has
come to stay" and the ambitious
land owner who wishes to irrigate
farm where irrigation is not to be
had. and where he has a shallow
underground flow, could not do q
more profitable deed for himself
than to investigate and study the