74 THE IRE1 GA TION A GE. 



much work to make it hold now as it did to make it hold in the begin- 

 ning; for the same reason do not allow the ground to freeze. Freez- 

 ing is just about as bad as leaving it go dry. To avoid freezing slways 

 keep two feet or more of water in your reservoir during winter. 



We have now learned how to maintain a reservoir full of water, 

 but to get it out onto the land is another thing. As we have located 

 our reservoir on land of sufficient elevation, it will now only be neces- 

 sary to find such a point of ground on the side that is the highest to 

 locate our main ditch, i. e.,the start of the main ditch. The bottom of 

 the main ditch should not be any lower than the level of the ground, 

 hence, it would be necessary to throw the earth up so as to make the 

 ditch walls altogether a foot above the level of the ground. This 

 keeps us above the level of the earth we wish to irrigate. If we have 

 had no experience in irrigation we may not understand the advantage 

 of keeping the water well above the level of the land that it is to flow 

 over. In leveling up the land so that water may flow readily over it, 

 you may be able to secure a sufficient quantity from the high point or 

 knoll to be carried with the scraper, or other suitable means, to the 

 land on which you are going to construct your main ditch. We will 

 give a more detailed description of ditch-building in a future issue of 

 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



To build a water- box with trap to carry the water from the 

 reservoir to the ditch, the box should be made of plank two inches 

 thick and long enough to reach through the bottom from the inner 

 side of the embankment through the embankment to the outer side, 

 so that the bottom of the box will be no higher above the ground than 

 the bottom of the ditch into which the water flows from the box. 



These boxes may be made in any width or height, such as 8 inches 

 wide and 4 inches high, or 3 2 inches wide and 6 inches high, or 16 

 inches wide and 4 inches high, or 6 inches high, or 10 inches high, as 

 may be most suitable. The capacity of the boxes should always be in 

 proportion to the capacity of your reservoir. All of the lumber used 

 in the boxes should be long enough so that the length of the board 

 will be sufficient without splicing and should never be less than 2 

 inches thick. When the box is completed thus far, then saw one end 

 of the box off at en angle of about 45 degrees, in sush a way that the 

 longest part may be on the bottom and the short side on the top and 

 the widest part of the box should always lie on the ground and not 

 edgewise. To make a trap- door for this box use a piece of lumber 

 wide enough and long enough so that it will cover the end sawed off 

 in the same manner described above. 



To fasten it to the box, take leather and make it in form 

 of a gasket and fasten the leather to the ends of the boards that you 

 have thus sawed off so that when the lid, or trap-door, which is to be 



