52 



much more water in the late summer, thus keeping the soil along the 

 stream filled with water, Avhich will gradually find its way toward 

 the stream. 



The measurements reported in the previous tables cover periods 

 only long enough to allow those making the measurements to travel 

 alonir the course of the stream and make the measurements. All of 

 these measurements have been made in the fall of the year when the 

 flow is naturally small and when it is considered that most of the 

 water in the stream comes from return seepage. These measure- 

 ments are based upon the supposition that the party making the 

 measurements will progress at about the same rate as the flow of 

 the stream, so that any changes in that flow will not affect the 

 results, but means have been adopted in each case to take into ac- 

 count any changes which might have occurred in the flow of the 

 stream — over night, for instance. A gauge w^as set at night, and if 

 there had been any change during the night new measurements were 

 made in the morning. 



It is believed, however, that records for a single day or for a few 

 days are valuable chiefly because they are the only ones available. 

 They are, nevertheless, conclusive as to the fact that there is a large 

 return to the stream from this source. During the season of 1903 

 Mr. Adams obtained from the water commissioners of the various 

 districts included Avithin the drainage area of the South Platte and 

 its tributaries daily records of the quantities of water diverted by 

 the ditches within their respective districts. These records are more 

 or less complete, some commissioners keeping records of the flow of 

 all the ditches, others measuring only the larger ditches and those 

 which it was necessary for theui to regulate. Small ditches with 

 early rights or those supplied by seepage and so located on the river 

 that their diversions interfered with no one else were not measured 

 in many cases. The records in district 8, which inchides the section 

 of the river from the canyon to Denver, are very largely estimates 

 made by the water commissioner and can not be considered as accu- 

 rate for the daily flow, although they probably approach accuracy 

 for the average flow of the ditches for various months. The records 

 in district 2, extending from Denver to the mouth of the Cache la 

 Poudre, are practically complete and are probably quite accurate. 

 The records in district 1, which includes the river from the mouth 

 of the Cache la Poudre to the east line of Morgan County, are also 

 fairly complete. Those of district 64, which extends from the east 

 line of district 1 to the State line, are much less complete and accu- 

 rate. There are a number of ditches in this district which have no 

 decreed rights and are below any ditches which have such rights. 



