"RAINFALL" IN AUSTRALIA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 16 July 1915, Page 6

"RAINFALL" IN AUSTRALIA

2S!EW SYSTEM OP IRRIGATION. A*? INTERESHNG INTERVIEW. A visitor to ISew Zealand at the present time is -j: Frank J» Goote, of Melbourne, who is making a flying trip to the Dominion, and found! time to come across from Wellington to Nelson to see his sister, Mrs A. R. Dyson. A regret sentative of the **Mair' met Mr Cootei and on gathering that he was actively concerned in irrigation systems in Australia, requested permission to pass on - some of the information received to our leaders. -Mr Coote consented, and proceeded to give a highly interesting- ac count of the latest system of irrigation in the States of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. This is called . fche_ spraying system, and consists of applying water in imitation of rainfall 5 and Mr Coote, as consulting engineer to Messrs Newell and Co., of Melbourne, has advised an regard to the instalment of the system on: a large number of areas. The system is, briefly, this: A centrifugal pump operating by any power available—petrol, oil, steam, suction, gas, electricity, or hot aar—lifts water from tie supply,-be it well, bore> river, lagoon or State's Rivers Department channel, and drives it through a main pipe, which reaches to the opposite side of the area. A3one this pipe at intervals of 35 feet * re Plf* 6 * crosses. Sufficient valves are applied! for the day's run-, and from the valve a branch, pipe runs out to the right snri left, along w-hich are placed spravs, <eacfe controlled by. its own valve, which deliver the water a distance of 20 feet all Tound the spray. These spravs are about 12 feet apart along the pipe, and the .water.from each covers the whole area, Tlie sprays are made with different sizes and different numbers of coles, aH" to standard gauges, and the ■operation can place anything from a . gtferter of ran inch of "rain." up to four inches an hour, according'to the absorbing power of the soil. These systems are worked to the minute to ensure an «ven "rainfall" over tihe whole area. The application of this system to areas of 'nscerne, *«> which the flooding system has fartherto been- applied, has resulted in two additional cuttings per year. The principal- Teason.'for this increased production is that nitrogen is collected on the globules of water being forced through the atmosphere—certainly da- an infinitesimal amount—and carried to the crop as a nitrate, or in a form, readily assimilable. The benefits of the svstem are not confined, to lucerne crops ; but in its application to-deciduous and citrus orchards the leturns in the following vear have been doubled, as compared with" the Kicreased; returns following on the old *orrow method! .of irrigation. By an-ingenious contrivance chemical solutions are added to the water passing to the trees, and thus the spraying if orchards can be made a part of the sysThe cost of producing the "rainfall" varies per acre, according to area, but each scheme is considered on its own , rf? 6 ' and^, snre and ' satisfactory results 2?° W ;™P- e S5 * steni *** been" running eince 1906 m Australia, and there arl now upwards of 400 plants in use in the commonwealth on areas "from a tenth of an acre.up to -2200 acres, the average area being from- 40 to 50 acres. An important feature of the new system is that no grading is required, and no channelling, while tlereis absolute control of the water applied, even distribution and a use of only one-sixti or -BrX I T- tl l e flood - n g or furrowing methods of irrigation. . ♦t,?^-? P*M«ntalfy- mentioned that the drought in Australia, last season was toe -worst -,» the. history of Australia. The riv«s had never been so low, and even the Murray, he said, could at places be crossed on fodfc without one getting thing Lfee-eo per-cent:/ and the Cont-monwealth-was faced with a meat Sr D h ♦ trem *" P«ces are- being pafdfor what fat stock is offering, but most of iL ° W s*"* is out 2L.&5 teitJ Another point touched on, and one of interest to NelMelbo^n? e shards m Australia. Near stored are co-operative 1* S ?ut further- out the stores are erected in-private orchards.