MODES AND RESULTS OF IRRIGATION. 579 
plow. Sod land requires double the quantity of water needed on old ground, also 
much more labor; and if you average fifteen bushels of wheat per acre on sod, you 
wiJl accomplish more than I have done. , 
If your ditch company issues water to its customers with any pressure, you must 
look out for leakage; that is, if you give your customers water with a five-inch pres- 
sure, the ditch will shrink one-third; so if your ditch carries 1,500 inches, you can fur- 
nish but 1,000 with such pressure. Less pressure, more water to furnish; greater pres- 
sure, less water. This fact we did not learn till this winter. 
Captain Boyd, of Greeley, states that he has had much conversation 
with Mr. Eaton, who worked in New Mexico, where there is a light 
sandy soil, and flooding is generally practiced, and that he thinks this 
mode will have to be followed in Colorado. He adds: 
Generally, the land lies to the south and east, and it is necessary to throw up sev- 
eral furrows. Much will depend on the fall of the ground and width of the lands, In 
flooding, a large amount of water is required, but a larger amount on ground quite 
sloping would have a tendency to wash away the soil; still the soil does not wash 
much. Mexican land is of a black color, not gray like that of the Platte. North of 
the river are several intervals of black soil. Water penetrates moist soi] much more 
readily than dry soil, for the reason that particles of water have affinity for each other, 
and on the principle that particles of matter move more easily among themselves. We 
met the difficulty of a dry soi] last year, and along time was required to moisten it. 
A dark-colored soil absorbs heat; a light one reflects it; hence, mucky soil is more 
readily watered by furrows than a light soil. Muck contains fixed carbon or charcoal. 
The particles are separated from each other, and hence it isa powerful absorbent. 
Muck is analogous to charcoal, and the particles of water move through it as through 
sand. Where there aro a great many pebbles and gravel, the soil is moist; they seem 
to have the power to raise moisture. If there is a gravel knoll, the water will gen- 
erally rise to the surface. 
Mr. L. K. Perrin furnishes the following in regard to irrigation in 
Jefferson County, Colorado: 
The Table Mountain Water Company, of which I am superintendent, sell their 
water for $1 50 per cubic iuch, to be taken out of the ditch with spouts or boxes at 
right angles with the ditch; no spout being allowed to take more than thirty inches in 
one body. These boxes are 3 by 10 inches in the clear, are set edgewise and just un- 
der the water,so that the center will give an average of 5 inches’ pressure. Last year, 
and every year since the ditch was built, the water was run throngh a spout into a 
square box one foot deep, with holes. cut 3 by 5 inches, giving a pressure of 5 inches 
over these holes, and each party was required to put in his spout and box. Some put 
in larger spouts, giving them a pitch of 5 or 6 inches in as many feet, and these being 
near the bottom of the ditch, the water came through in great force, and freqitently the 
measuring boxes were found running over; hence we made a change to the effect of 
giving every one a spout just large enough to take what water he wants, and not give 
2 chance to steal. , 
Under the old measurement system, the average supply for three or four years was 
three-fourths of an inch to a cultivated acre. Farmers putting in one hundred acres 
had 75 inches of water for the season. We sell from May 1 to October 1; that is, if it 
is called for so eariy in May. The water runsday and night, but not more than three- 
fourths of the time during the season. The average cost for water with us is 
$1 12} an acre. On the old: farms grain is not irrigated more than twice in a season; 
on many not more than once. ; 
The Smith Ditch Company, of Denver, charge this year $3 an inch, measured in our 
way: for three previous years they charged $5 an inch. The farmers on Ransom 
Creek are charged $2 an acre. 
Judge Osborne delivered an address before the Greeley Farmers’ Club 
which seems to be specially applicable to Colorado farming. He said: 
I came to this country to mine, and undertook it for about four months, and within 
that time I found the gold and silver very much mixed with rocks and dirt, and in many 
places hard to get at. I turned my attention to other business which was quite Inera- 
tive fora few months, and then I turned face about for the valley, and found “ Paradise 
Lost” on Big Thompson. There I gave attention to stock-raising and farming, in 
which I have been quite successful, thongh not so much so as many that have had 
more means. I find there is nothing like sticking to business. The first year or two 
were seasons of experiment. I knew nothing of irrigation, and could not find anybod+ 
who did. I thought we conld raise a crop on the islands and bends of the creek, and 
in tact thought it was the only land that was rich enough to produce. In 1862, 1863, and 
1864 I farmed these lands, but that was the year of high water, which flooded my en- 
