DUTY AND DIVISION OF WATER 361 



one-tenth of the total area, would receive a continuous 

 flow throughout the season of one-tenth of the total flow, 

 or 1 second-foot. A farm of 50 acres, under this system, 

 would receive a continuous flow of one-third of a second- 

 foot. The system is exceedingly simple after the laterals 

 and dividing contrivances have once been established. 

 The burden of the method falls upon the farmer who must 

 use the water every day and night throughout the season. 



218. Continuous rotation. The method of distributing 

 water by rotation is by far the most satisfactory. In 

 America, it was introduced by the irrigation pioneers, 

 and since that time has been tried out thoroughly hi every 

 section of the country. It is the standard method of 

 water distribution in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. 

 Every great irrigation enterprise has either adopted the 

 method of rotation or is planning to adopt it. 



By the method of continuous rotation the farmer 

 receives a stream carrying a rather large head or volume 

 of water for a certain definite number of hours, after 

 which no water is at his disposal until his turn comes 

 again, when a similar stream is received for the same 

 length of time. The relatively large streams of water 

 thus supplied give the small farmers the advantage of 

 the larger farmers, of applying the water to the land hi 

 the shortest possible time. Moreover, the farmer is re- 

 lieved of the strain of constant irrigation. During the 

 time that the stream is at the farmer's disposal, he can 

 give himself wholly to the work of irrigation; when that 

 work is done, he may turn to some other farm operation. 

 Experience has shown this to be most satisfactory to the 

 farmer. 



This method tends to eliminate the waste of water. 

 Under the method of continubus flow, the steady care of 



