Seven hundred and fifty thousand acres are
irrigated by pumping in the United States, and Mead states that
there are thirteen million acres of land in India which are
irrigated by water pumped from subterranean sources. The dry-farmer
has a choice among several sources of power for the operation of his
pumping plant. In localities where winds are frequent and of
sufficient strength windmills furnish cheap and effective power,
especially where the lift is not very great. The gasoline engine is
in a state of considerable perfection and may be used economically
where the price of gasoline is reasonable. Engines using crude oil
may be most desirable in the localities where oil wells have been
found. As the manufacture of alcohol from the waste products of the
farms becomes established, the alcohol-burning engine could become a
very important one. Over nearly the whole of the dry-farm territory
coal is found in large quantities, and the steam engine fed by coal
is an important factor in the pumping of water for irrigation
purposes. Further, in the mountainous part of the dry-farm territory
water Power is very abundant.
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