I saw this in the northern Philippines, irrigating the famous rice terraces.
Who needs rubber hose or plastic pipe?
Bamboo is used this way in many parts of the world. For example, the Muktapur region of India bordering Bangladesh:
… Attempts have been made to introduce modern pipe systems but farmers prefer to use their indigenous form of irrigation. The new systems have met with suspicion. Local farmers do not trust the new materials nor the people who supply them. …
Rick McCharles 
Hi Rick, this was really interesting. Bamboo works great for curtain rods, too, looks good and you can get it at the dollar store instead of $35 for metal at the home building centres. Maybe bamboo would make good eavestroughs on Canadian roofs? It tends to split when it dries, though, and I’m not sure what winter ice expansion would do to it. Worth an experiment.