ARID AGRICULTURE. 91 



off as waste will total enough to reach the depth 

 indicated if it all remained on the surface. The 

 irrigation laws of the arid states generally pro- 

 vide that the limit of a water right shall be one 

 cubic foot per second continuous flow for from 

 seventy acres to one hundred acres of land. A> 

 a general rule, it is thought that enough water 

 to cover the land to a depth of two feet is a suffi- 

 cient average for Western crops. We are learn- 

 ing more all the time about the economic use of 

 water. 



To do effectual irrigating the farmer needs a 

 good sized head of water. A very small stream 

 soaks away too fast and cannot be spread over 

 sufficient land. On land which lies well for irri- 

 gation an experienced irrigator can handle a 

 head of from two to three cubic feet per second. 

 If he only has a water right for eighty acres of 

 one cubic foot per second, it usually pays to 

 rotate in the use of water with a neigh- 

 bor in order to do his irrigating in the 

 quickest and most efficient manner. Many 

 western irrigators use too much water and 

 too little cultivation. Many injure their crops 

 and soils by allowing the water to run too long 

 on one place, drowning the plants and alkalizing 

 the soil. A quick application of water which 

 thoroughly soaks the land and then removing it, 

 to give the soil opportunity to become aerated 

 again, is best. 



