128 The Sugar-Beet in America 



head of such a canal is sometimes many miles from the 

 farm ; at other times the land to be irrigated is along the 

 banks of the stream. 



When irrigation water is secured directly from a river, 

 only part of the water can be used, since the irrigation 

 season occupies but a few months out of the year, whereas 

 the stream flows continuously, often having its greatest 

 flow when the water is not being utilized. In order to 

 make more water available, storage reservoirs are built. 

 These receive the water at times when it is not being used 

 and hold it until the irrigating season. As more land is 

 farmed and as water becomes less plentiful, increased 

 provision for storage is made. 



The pumping of water for irrigation from wells and 

 ponds is increasing rapidly. The depth from which it 

 can be pumped economically for beets depends on the 

 expense of fuel, or power, and a number of other factors. 

 Many beets are raised with water pumped from a depth 

 of fifty feet ; and in some cases a part of the water used for 

 beets is pumped more than one hundred feet. 



Measurement of water. 



Irrigation water, as well as land and crops, should be 

 measured. In the past, guessing at the amount of water 

 used has been more common than making accurate meas- 

 urements. This has led to endless disputes and trouble 

 concerning water rights. In the future, those concerned 

 with the use of water will need to be familiar with methods 

 of making measurements and expressing quantities. This 

 will be especially true on sugar-beet farms where land and 

 water are usually high-priced. 



