44 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



wutor Tno:isui"(MiuMit and tho workinj^ out of s^-stoms of diNision of tlie 

 wattM" supply Ix'twi'cii the canals and resorvoirs and tlio connniinities 

 dop(Mid(Mit on tlicni arc hocoiniiiii' nior(> and nioiu* ini])ortant foatur<'s of 

 th(> work of this Ollicc. 



'l'h»^ stnu'turos used in the nioasurcincnt and distribution of water 

 ar(> under jroinji' as important chanffos as the methods omploypd l)y 

 farmers in ai)plying water to tlieir fields. Theu.se of wood in Humes, 

 head ^ates, and measuring boxes is beinj^ done away with, and metal, 

 stone, and concrete structures arc being substituted. The pioneer canal 

 ])uilders had to construct w^ooden Humes and wooden head gat^s, because 

 this in many cases was the only available matcn-ial, and it was always 

 the cheapc^st. Experience, liowever, has shown that wooden flumes are 

 leaky. exj)ensive to maintain and operate, and their rapid decay makes 

 their ai)i)ai-ent econoiuy a matter of grave (piestion. Along with the 

 growing appreciation of their disadvantages has come a remarkable 

 advance during the last four or five years in the manufacture of con- 

 crete structures, especially of concrete strengthened ])v metal. The 

 increasing use of this material in l)uildings promises to be duplicated in 

 irrigation, and it bids fair to largcl}^ displace wood in the cotistruction 

 of flumes, pipes, culverts, and in many sections in the lining of canals 

 to prevent excessive losses from seepage. This Office can render irri- 

 gation developnuMit no greater service than to collect and collate the 

 results of practical experience in the use of concrete, stone, and metal, 

 and in making tests to determine their efiiciencj' and cost in cases where 

 improvements wait upon more definite information than is now available. 



IRRIGATION IN THE SEMIARID REGION. 



In the semiarid region which extends from Canada to Mexico, 

 through the western parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Okla- 

 homa, and Texas, the rainfall in many years is sufficient to produce 

 good crops, but in other years it is not, making agriculture, where 

 rainfall is the sole dependence for moisture, a hazardous industry. 

 This is a region of few streams, and the water supply must therefore 

 be obtained from other sources, such as the storage of storm waters, 

 pumping from wells, and from, artesian wells. Experiments were 

 carried on at Hays Cit}^ Kans., and data as to the cost of artesian 

 wells and the profits from their use in the James River Valley, South 

 Dakota, were collected. Both in Kansas and South Dakota irrigation 

 has proven very profitable, and it is believed that the methods used in 

 these two localities have wide applicability to the semiarid region. 



IRRIGATION IN THE IIUIMID REGION. 



The importance of irrigation in the humid portions of this country 

 is illustrated by the efl'ectof its adoption in the rice districts of Loui- 

 siana and Texas. In 1903 more than half a million acres of land was 



