THE 1RR1GA1ION AGE. 17 



expensive for individual undertaking. The impression is made that 

 considerable capital and engineering skill are necessary to success; 

 but as a matter of fact proff table irrigation is easily obtainable by 

 small effort. It lends itself readily to small individual or co operative 

 undertaking, developing water whose presence may be almost unsus- 

 pected, or utilizing water which ordinarily is either wasted or is a 

 positive detriment when not turned to profitable service. It is the 

 purpose of this bulletin to present suggestions for irrigation of this 

 kind. 



Small irrigation works usually require neither greater skill, labor 

 nor outlay than other farm improvements which are readily under- 

 taken. They do not require as exect engineering as underdrainage 

 by tiling, and the whole system, both for development and storage of 

 water, often costs much less per acre of the area irrigated than does 

 tiling. The work is more readily comparable to ilne construction of 

 open drains, coupled in some cases with reservoir building, which is 

 no more difficult than cellar excavation and is accomplished with a 

 similar outfit of teams, plows and scrapers. The man of ordinary 

 skill in handling these tools, who can turn a straight furrow or build 

 a straight piece of fence, and can do these things well, needs only a 

 suggestion of the feasibility of securing a home water supply for irri- 

 gation, providing his conditions are favorable. 



The first thing to be done in all cases is to make a careful study of 

 the whole situation, the location of the water supply, the lay of the 

 land, and its requirements of water, etc. 



DETERMINING LEVELS. 



A fundamental requirement in irrigation on whatever scale is the 

 determination of grades and levels. On small-scale irrigation works 

 such approximation as can be secured by careful use of very simple 

 appliances answers the purpose very well. Although the surveyors 

 level is desirable, this can be dispensed with by using the simple- 

 sighting levels described in books on drainage, and even these are not 

 essential, for a home-made appliance can be made to give satisfactory 

 results. Such a device is described below, which, although in con- 

 stant use in some parts of the country, does not seem to be widely 

 known. It will be found useful in nearly all kinds of farm engineer- 

 ing where the location of grades and levels is necessary and no special 

 hindrances intervene, but it must be borne in mind that its usefulness 

 depends entirely upon the care with which it is operated. 



The use ftf a leveling triangle (fig. 1) was suggested to small irri- 

 gators in California many years ago by a prominent irrigation engi- 

 neer, Mr. C. E. Grunsky, of San Francisco. It is constructed in this 

 way: 



The three pieces A B, B C, and C A are made fast to each other 



