THE IRRIGA T1ON A G h. 115 



The evenness of the flow over the bed will determine how well you 

 have done your leveling of the land. 



If your reservoir supplies water enough for two or more beds at 

 one time, irrigate only one bed at a time, and as soon as you have fin- 

 ished one bed remove the dam which closes your ditch and move along 

 to the next ridge and put in new dam there and cut another opening 

 through the lower side of the ditch embankment, closing up the open- 

 ing first made and thus turn water off from the bed just irrigated, and 

 onto the fresh bed to be watered and continue in this manner as long 

 as the reservoir holds out. 



Those who have had experience in irrigating say the best results 

 are obtained by watering in the late evening, thus giving the water 

 time to soak into the ground before the sun scalds the plant. For this 

 reason practical irrigators prefer the evening for watering the grow- 

 ing crops. 



To make a canvas dam first measure the width of the main ditch 

 across the top of the embankments, for the length of scantling necess- 

 ary to reach across; the scantling should be 4x4 lumber; then take the 

 ducking cloth (old grain bags will do, by ripping them) a yard or so 

 wide and fasten one edge of it to the scantling with carpet tacks or by 

 nailing. 



Place the bar of canvas dam across the embankment of the ditch 

 where needed and take hold of the lower or loose side of the canvas 

 and spread it across the ditch upstream. Then with a shovel throw a 

 small amount of earth on the loose edges to hold it down, and if you 

 have had no previous experience you will be surprised with the satis- 

 factory results obtained with this dam. Its chief advantage, is the 

 ease and quickness with which it may be changed from one place to 

 another. It is a portable dam. 



When the land is too sloping to water by allowing the water to 

 run straight down the slope, in all land which slopes at sharp angle 

 it will be best to so arrange the beds that the water will flow across 

 the slope instead of down it. In this case the ditches must all be 

 properly located and the beds worked down to as perfect a level as 

 possible, and at the same time there should always be a gentle slope 

 to the beds beginning at the ditch end and continuing through to the 

 other end. This is obvious so that the water will flow readily the full 

 length of the bed. 



Uniform spread of water over the entire bed is the thing most 

 desirable. To be able to do this requires that you have the necessary 

 supply of water a full reservoir to begin with and your beds in good 

 shape, with both main and lateral ditches properly made and in good 

 order, with a sufficient flow of water out of reservoir into ditch. It is 

 the pressure of water in the reservoir that pushes the water ahead, 



