Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1917-12-14

prepared by the United States Depart
ment OF -agriculture)
Reservoirs suited TO the needs of
individual farmers and small groups
of farmers form the subject of this
! article. The main purpose of such
reservoirs is to store water for. the
irrigation of gardens, orchards, and
truck farms, but they may also serve
TO store water for stock and to provide
domestic supplies for farm dwellings,.
Farm reservoirs are used most COM
monty in conjunction with pumping
plants operated by gasoline engines,
wind mills or electric motors. Many
pumping plants have been installed
in recent years for irrigation purposes,
and this development has created a
demand for storage facilities to retain
the water lifted by the pump over
night, and thus provide large irriga-
ton stream for the following day.
Purpose of Building Reservoir.
The purpose which a farmer has In
mind in building a reservoir will go
far to fix its essential features. If he
intends to use any part of the stored
water for drinking or even culinary
purposes, the entire supply must be
kept free from pollution.
On the other hand, if the supply is
intended for irrigation only, the pur-
ity of the water need not be cOnSid-
cred. In building a reservoir for use
in connection with pumping plant,
the size, elevation and location of the
former should be adjusted carefully TO
the needs of the latter and to the land
to be Watered, one essential feature
being that the outlet be somewhat
higher than the area served. When
the main purpose is to store the small
flow of a spring or the discharge of
q small pump until enough water can
be had to form a large stream or head,
as it is called, and thus water a larger
area in a shorter time, the outlet Of
the reservoir should be large enough
to permit this to be done. Again, If
the reservoir is intended for both ir-
rigation and the watering of farm
animals, care should be taken in plan
ming and building the reservoir to pre-
vent damage being done by the tramp
ling of stock.
Water Supply for Farm Reservoirs.
The most common source of supply
for such reservoirs is the well, from
which water is raised to the neces-
sary height by a windmill, internal
combustion engine, or electric motor.
yJyI-z
practicable to the well, and the dis
charge from the pump leads directly
to the reservoir with a branch to the
head of the supply ditch, thus permit
ting the we'll water either to be stored
or used directly on the land.
The flow from springs, brooks, flow
ing wells, and small creeks forms an
other source of supply. This is often
too small for rapid and effective irri~
CATION when used continuously, and
storage is reSOrted to in order to OBJ
tain a large head and also to collect
the flow overnight for use the fol-
lowing day or over several days for
use during a drought. Springs and
other small sources of running water
may be made to serve variety of use
full purposes if the proper equipment
is provided for their full utilization.
Where there is sufficient fall, a part
of such water may be piped directly
to the house and barn and the balance
allowed to flow into a pond or small
reservoir, from which it is conveyed
by pipe to an irrigated field, orchard,
or vegetable garden. In cases where
there is no fall or not enough, the wa
ter may be pumped first TO the house
and then allowed to flow by gravity to
the barn and corral and thence to
pond, from which it can be withdrawn
for irrigation purposes.
Owing to natural causes or the care
less use of water in irrigation, fertile
fields often become water-lOgged. In
the majority Of cases it is feasible to
drain these low marshy places and ap-
ply this water to other tracts that may
be too dry If the amount of water
withdrawn is small, a reservoir to
store enough to make an irrigation
head often is profitable investment.
In that bOrderland between humid
ity and aridity, known as the Great
Plains area, and throughout the arid
region. the so-called "dry creeks" carry
considerable water at times. Part
Of this run-Off often can be led into
reservoir and stored for future use
in watering stock and irrigating land.
In the Atlantic and east central
states, and, in fact, throughout the en-
tire humid region, water to fill farm
reservoirs generally can be obtained
readily at low cost from springs, lakes,
streams, and shallow wells. Boys or
muck beds of limited areas also abound
on eastern farms. particularly in the
Atlantic coast states. These often can
be converted at small cost from mos
quito-breeding grounds into service
able reservoirs.
Selection of Site.
The location of the reservoir viii
| depend largely on two factors-the
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