550 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



December 



ures and gauges the flow of water. 

 These boxes are chutes for the water 

 to pass through so as not to tear away 

 the embankment. They are equipped 

 with a sliding gate, which is raised or 

 lowered according to the amount of 

 water needed, which is allowed in the 

 contract, and according to the head of 

 water on, or, in other words, accord- 

 ing to the amount of water flowing in 

 the ditch. 



There are two systems of water 

 measurement, namely, the "miner's 



tied to four inches pressure or head of 

 water that is, the water should rise 

 four inches above the lower edge of 

 the sliding gate on the outside. If the 

 water does not reach this height, the 

 farmer is entitled to raise the gate 

 enough to compensate, because the 

 amount of water passing through a 

 gate will vary considerably with the 

 pressure behind. 



The "second-foot" system, as the 

 term signifies, provides for a cubic 

 foot of water for everv second of time. 





Stacking Alfalta. 



inch" and the "second foot." In both 

 cases these are the units of measure. 

 The first is used in older irrigation 

 districts, the second finds favor in 

 newer regions. Under the "miner's 

 inch," the usual quantity of water esti- 

 mated as required for one acre during 

 one year is that amount which will 

 flow continuously for the season 

 through an aperture of one square 

 inch ; of course, this varies with the 

 nature of the soil and with the "lay" 

 of the land. The farmer is also en'ti- 



The water pressure must always be 

 taken into consideration. Water ap- 

 propriations in Nebraska for irriga- 

 tion allot a second-foot of water for 

 each seventy acres of land. These two 

 systems vary more in their methods 

 than in the final results. 



l*p to the present time, however, 

 while there are rules and regulations 

 for measuring the water and purchas- 

 ing it, more or less liberty is allowed, 

 as water has never been so scarce dur- 

 ing the seasons when most needed that 



