MAKING CHECKS FOR IRRIGATION 169 



trees are grown about 40 feet apart. After this is done the ridger should be 

 run entirely around the outside of the piece to be irrigated, so as to have as 

 perfect a ridge as possible on the outside. One man will ridge about 15 acres 

 in a day. The ridger should be built with a steel plate extending along the 

 bottom on both sides, bolted to the inside and projecting about 2 inches, so 

 as to take good hold of the ground. Then with one horse attached to what is 

 locally known as a "jump scraper," one side of the checks should be closed 

 up, for the ridger in making the cross ridges breaks down the first ridge at 

 its intersection. These repairs were at first made with a shovel, but the jump 

 scraper, also called locally the "horse shovel," closes up the gaps very 

 quickly. The practice generally followed is to close up the high side of the 

 checks if the land does not cut by running water, but if it cuts, close up the 

 lower side. 



After closing up the checks the ditches are plowed out and then the V-- 

 shaped "crowder" is run twice through them. On lands inclined to cut it is 

 advisable that the length of the rows to be irrigated should not be over 250 

 feet, but in heavy land this distance can be considerably increased, if neces- 

 sary, without danger of cutting the ridges by too long a run of water. 



If the checks have been closed up on the low side of the ridge, it is better 

 to run the water to the ends of the ditch and water the last row first; but if 

 the high side has been closed up, it is best to water first the row nearest the 

 gate or the main ditch, as the case may be, as in each instance dry earth will 

 thus be available, if necessary, to close up the checks. The water is run 

 down the row to the end tree, and as soon as the last check is filled it is 

 closed up, and so on till all are filled and closed, when the water is turned 

 down the next row. 



To do good work it is usual to allow three men for every 50 inches of 

 water, but in our own practice we have had much better results by dividing 

 up our water and running from 35 to 40 inches to a ditch and allowing two 

 men for such streams. In doing this we get better work and find it much 

 easier for the men. If everything is well in hand, each man will irrigate 

 about 30 acres in a day. 



For turning the water from the ditches into the checks metal dams or 

 tappoons are used. Some of these have a gate for the division of the water 

 when the stream is too large and is divided, and two rows are watered at 

 the same time. The gate is not a great success, as the water is apt soon to 

 cut its way under the tappoon, but it may be much improved by having a 

 shelf for the water to drop on after it passes through the opening. The 

 common practice for dividing water is to throw a tappoon partly across the 

 ditch, putting a gunny sack on the opposite side to prevent cutting by the 

 water. This is, on the whole, fully as satisfactory as using the tappoon with 

 a gate. 



All who follow this system should get ready for the water before it 

 comes. A great many seem to think that if they ridge up their land, close 

 up the checks, and plow out their ditches, everything necessary has been 

 done. Such is not the case, as ditches that are liable to cut should be fixed 

 in the weak places with brush or burlaps. Old gunny sacks cut open and 

 spread out are excellent for this purpose. Occasionally there are places 

 where it is impossible to get a perfect ridge. These should be looked up 

 and fixed with a shovel. The jump scraper will not entirely close up a 

 check; it generally requires a shovelful or two to complete it. It is usual 

 after the water is turned down one row to fix up the next one, but it is an 

 excellent plan to have a few rows fixed up ahead, for there come times when 

 breaks occur and there is not time to make the necessary repairs, and when 

 water once gets the start there is apt to be much trouble, and hard work 

 before it can be put under control, besides doing poor work . 



After the ground is dry enough to work, the ridges are split with a listing 

 plow or furrower attached to a cultivator. Then the ground should be run 

 over with a harrow, setting the teeth to go well in, so as to pulverize the 

 surface thoroughly. By using the harrow the ground can be worked about 

 one day earlier than with the cultivator, and it also prevents the ground 

 from baking till such time as it can be worked with the latter implement, 

 besides doing far better work than with the cultivator alone, especially when 



