RURAL ENGINEERING. 187 



supply (Uiriiis tho siinunor is extroinoly limited. Larse quantities of water are 

 api)lie(I tt) Ilic land when llie streams are lii.tjh in the spring, and with this 

 heavy irri.uation lliree (•r(>|)s of alfalfa ar(> raised and orchards are also suc- 

 cessfully maintained. The success of this form of irrigation is attrihuted to 

 the impervious subsoil and peculiar formation of the valley which prevents the 

 ground water from draining out. 



.Seepage measurements were made in a number of canals, showing lai'ge losses. 

 The efforts made to check these losses in the Irrigon Canal are described at 

 (■•ome length. Plowing and harrowing the silt in the bottom of the canals was 

 tried without benelicial effect. Later a homemade device called a chain puddler 

 was tried, with good results, the seepage loss after the use of this puddler being 

 less than half that before it was used. This puddler consists of heavy chains 

 attached to the euds of a beam placed across the running gears of a wagon 

 and extending across the ditch. The chain drags on the bottom of the ditch, 

 tears u]) the vegetation on the bottom of the canal, and puddles the silt. 



The circular gives directions for preparing land for applying water by various 

 methods, together with estimates of the cost of these operations. 



Irrigation in the North Atlantic States, A. J. Bowie, Jr. {U. 8. Dcpi. A (jr.. 

 Office E.ri>t. Ktas. Bid. 167, pp. oO, figs. 7). — This report includes data collected 

 during .July and August, 1905, in a study of irrigation as practiced in Maryland, 

 Delaware, Pennsylvania. New Jersey, New Yorlc. Khode Island, and Massachu- 

 setts. 



The territory investigated lies in the humid district of the Lnited States, 

 where the ainiual rainfall is between 40 and 50 in. and where irrigation is 

 not always necessary for the growth of crops and has been confined to truck 

 farms and meadow lauds. Truck farmers in the vicinity of large cities fre- 

 quently use city water at a cost of .$1 to .^1.50 per 1,000 cu. ft., or .$44 to $05 

 per acre-foot. In spite of this prohibitive price when compared with western 

 practice, those farmers practicing irrigation in the district covered seem to find 

 it profitable. This is probably due to the fact that the yearly value of the 

 truck crops is estimated as being increased 30 to .50 per cent. "As the cost of 

 irrigation usually lies between .$.30 and ,$100 per acre it is fair to assume an 

 acreage profit of $200 or more per acre due to irrigation." 



A large number of irrigation plants in the States covered are described in 

 detail and from the study the following conclusions are drawn : 



"The irrigation of meadows and truck farms is an established and i)rofit- 

 able practice in the North Atlantic States, while the profitable irrigation of 

 field crops has not been demonstrated as yet. 



" The methods employed are very expensive compared with western practice, 

 liut are the outgrowth of peculiar conditions and meet the re(iuirement of very 

 small ai)plications of water. 



"The quantity of water required by truck crttps either as rain or irrigation 

 is about 1 inch in depth every week, and in the light sandy soils generally used it 

 should be applied in (juantities not exceeding 1 inch at a time." 



An underflow canal used for irrigation at Ogalalla, Nebraska, C. S. 

 Sliciitkr (IJ lit/ill. Xeirs. .'>(] (1906), Ao. 1. pp. '/. -T, /?f/.s-. 6). — The writer gives the 

 results of an investigation of this canal made during 1905. 



The canal excavation is about 12 ft. wide at the bottom and about f!..jOO ft. 

 in length, extending along the south bank of the South Platte River and reach- 

 ing a total depth in its upper portion of 5 ft. below the bed of the river. This 

 is the only successful instance of a large number of such constructions which 

 have from time to time been tried, and in the jiresent case the writer thinks 

 success is due to the small size of the canal and the unusually large slope of the 



