AGRICULTUKAL ENGINEERING. 295 



the St. Vrain, from Lyons to the Platte, and its tributary, Left Hand Creek; the Rio 

 Grande, from above Del Norte to tlie State line, a distance of al)Out 100 miles; tlie 

 Arkansas, from Canyon City to the Kansas State line, a distance of 200 miles; nearly 

 500 miles of river measurement in all for this particular purpose. . . . The general 

 results of previous measurements are confirmed. A tendency to increase in the 

 amount of water returning to the river is noticeable, especially on those streams 

 where the return waters have some distance to pass to reach the stream. The Rio 

 Grande is an exception in that a marked loss is noticeable at the rim of the valley. 

 There is then a gain, but not enough to balance the loss." 



A record in continuation of that of previous years is given of the 

 weekly measurements (April 18 to November 2S), by means of auto- 

 matic instruuKMits. of the flow during 1S9S and 1S99 of tlie Cache la 

 Poudre River at a point a]>out 12 miles from Fort Collins. The water- 

 shed above the point of measurement exceeds 1,000 square miles. The 

 average of the weeld}' measurements was 431 cubic feet per second in 

 1898 and 860 in 1899, the normal for 1.5 j^ears being 708 cubic feet per 

 second. Of the quantity so measured an amount not exceeding 150 

 cubic feet per second is water diverted from other watersheds than that 

 of the Cache la Poudre. Weekly bulletins of the flow have been pre- 

 pared for the local use of papers in northern Colorado. 



The results of several years' observations on the duty of water are 

 being prepared for piiblication. 



The efl'ect of forests on the preservation of snow is illustrated by 

 reproductions of photographs. 



The use of -water in irrigation in Wyoming, B. C. Buffum ( U. S. 

 Dejjt. Agr.^ ^^ffi<-*^ of Experiment Stations Bui. 81, j?jj. 56, pis. 8). — 

 This bulletin describes studies bj^ the author during the past 9 years 

 on the use of water in irrigation in Wyoming, and gives his conclusions 

 regarding certain measures and methods needed to secure the largest 

 service from the available supply. It discusses the application of 

 water to crops, water measurements in Wyoming, duty of water, the 

 irrigating season, and continuous flow as a basis for appropriation. 



"In the region under discussion irrigation is chiefly from small streams, and nearly 

 all of the water supply which can be diverted is appropriated, but large volumes of 

 water still run to waste in the larger rivers. It is along these that we must look for 

 future develoi^ment, but the utilization of this supply involves questions outside the 

 scope of this investigation. These large rivers as a rule drain the mountain summits 

 and have a more uniform How than the small streams, as the snows which feed them 

 melt slowly. The small streams, on the contrary, fluctuate so widely in volume that 

 it usuall}' happens that more water runs to waste before irrigation of cultivated croj^s 

 begins than is availaljle for use in July, when the need for such crops is greatest. 

 It is also an unfortunate circumstance that the most remunerative crops are those 

 which require late irrigation. Sugar beets, potatoes, alfalfa, and orchards all require 

 irrigation in August and September, which is the season of the least supply. These 

 crops, while bringing large returns, require, as a rule, but little water, and their cul- 

 tivation will secure a much higher average duty than now prevails; but to greatly 

 extend the area of these products will involve comprehensive measures to increase 

 through storage the present volume available for use in July, August, and September, 

 because on three-fourths of the Wyoming streams there is now a scarcity in these 



