THE DIVISION OF WATER. 



69 



CONTINUOUS FLOW NOT DESIRABLE. 



This, then, is the way in which water is delivered 

 by all companies that understand their business. An 

 inch of water never means continual flow unless ex- 

 pressly stated. The consumer don't want it in that way 

 and the company don't want to be bothered measuring 

 it in that way. An inch does not mean one inch for 

 365 days any more than it means 365 inches in one day. 

 One is almost as great a nuisance as the other. It 

 means the equivalent of it, or 365 24 inches, 

 taken in such quantities and at such times, and for 

 such lengths of time, as may be consistent with the 

 rights of other consumers, to be determined by the 

 rules of distribution laid down by the company for the 

 accommodation of all. I know but one exception to 

 this, the San Diego Flume Company, which, con- 

 trary to the intentions of its projectors, limits its con- 

 sumers to a continuous flow. Human ingenuity could 

 devise nothing better adapted to torment consumers 

 and drive a company into bankruptcy. No one of 

 sense will have anything to do with water delivered 

 in any other way than large heads. Fortunately 

 there is but one such company in the world, so the 

 reader runs little danger. The world can produce 

 only one such set of brains in one era. In some 

 companies the rules provide that the gate shall not 

 be opened for less than 50 inches. Ten inches 

 is the smallest head that will be delivered in 

 Southern California outside of the Flume Company 

 above mentioned. No other company will be bothered 

 with anything less and nearly all of them are land 

 owner's companies, too. An irrigator limited to the 

 continuous flow of a single inch is driven to the use 

 of hose and basins. He can use his water only in the 

 day time so that the device is a good one if a company 

 wants to sell twice as much water as it has. He can 

 avoid this only by an expensive reservoir; for one to 

 do much good on ten acres worked for profit should 

 have about a hundred thousand cubic feet of space. 



You can now readily understand how your mode of ir- 

 rigation is limited by the irrigating head, or the amount 



at your disposal at any one time, as well as by the 

 quantity you may have for the year. Suppose you can 

 get one hundred inches, twelve hours run, seven times 

 a year. This will give you 350 24-hour inches, or 

 very nearly your inch for the year. With such a 

 head you can flood your ten acres to bed rock if the 

 texture of the soil or other consideration makes it 

 advisable to flood. Suppose, however, that you can 

 get thirty inches two days run six times a year. Here 

 you see are 360 24-hour inches, or very nearly your 

 whole inch for a year. Or, suppose you can get 

 twenty inches three days run six times a year. You 

 then have the same amount and under almost all 

 systems you can get it in this way. You can in either 

 case, if the nature of your soil permits, use the small 

 furrow system, which for many things is so superior 

 to all others that it is folly to be content with anything 

 else, however effective it may be. 



SELECT LAND CONTIGUOUS TO WATER. 



But suppose you cannot get it in this way and have 

 to take a small dribbling stream. It by no means fol- 

 lows that you must not irrigate. But you must deduct 

 from the price of the water the cost of a decent res- 

 ervoir to give it its full value. Or, if you are getting 

 it from a spring of your own, or from a well by wind- 

 mill or other power, you must figure out the cost of 

 all these things before you invest your money and you 

 may find it will pay you to go somewhere else. But 

 the great American irrigating tenderfoot rarely does 

 anything of the sort. He picks out a fine piece of 

 land, or a fine view, or something else that is fine, and 

 after getting anchored by the investment of so much 

 hard cash, paying of ten aw<?/pricefor^/rj/land,he looks 

 around to see where the water is to come from. If you 

 are going to cultivate the soil for amusement or care 

 only for a pretty place this may do. But if you intend 

 to work the ground for profit take the advice of one 

 who has probably seen more sorrowing tenderfeet than 

 any other man living and reverse this policy. Hunt 

 up a " fine piece " of water first and then look around 

 for the dirt to put it on. 



THE DIVISION OF WATER. 



METHODS OF DIVIDING WATER IN CANALS AND DITCHES. 



BY L. G. CARPENTER. 



N order to divide the water in a canal according approximately near enough to prevent dispute. 



1 to any assigned proportion, it is frequently pos- 

 sible to arrange the ditch so that there is a partition 

 or board in the ditch, which divides the cross-section 

 of the ditch in the same ratio as it is desired to di- 

 vide the water. This division is not entirely exact, 

 but it is usually close enough for the immediate pur- 

 pose of those wishing to divide the water, and is 



The division of water cannot be made exact under 

 such conditions without a great deal of trouble and 

 more expense than most users are now willing to in- 

 cur. In order that the division made in this manner 

 shall be exact, it is necessary that the water shall 

 have the same velocity across the whole cross-sec- 

 tion of the ditch. 



