DUTY AND DIVISION OF WATER 367 



This chief worker should be assisted by water-masters 

 to whom various duties could be assigned. Some, taking 

 the place of the old ditch-rider, should supervise the 

 admission of the right quantity of water from the main 

 canal into each lateral; others could well be used to 

 supervise the up-keep of the main canal and its laterals. 

 Ditch-tenders, as assistants to the water-masters, should 

 be employed, if necessary, to supervise the farmers' ditches 

 drawing water from the laterals. The water-masters and 

 the ditch-tenders should be somewhat trained for their 

 work. Especially should they understand water units, 

 the relation between soils, crops and water, and the 

 common methods of measuring and dividing water. 

 Moreover, they should be experienced in the practice of 

 irrigation so that the farmers 7 side may be understood 

 by them. 



Where the farmers under a lateral have formed a lateral 

 organization they could well employ their own water- 

 master, who, like the company water-masters, should be 

 trained for the work. The day of the untrained man for 

 water-distribution has passed. The superintendent, water- 

 masters and ditch-tenders, must know their work, and 

 must especially be familiar with the use of water in irri- 

 gation. Then will the work be done well. 



The cost of such supervision of the distribution of 

 water and of the maintenance of the system, including 

 the keeping of records, is not great. According to Adams, 

 for thirteen of the best-known canals in western America, 

 it varies from 9 cents to $1.30 an acre, with an average 

 of 41 ^2 cents an acre, a year. This is not at all prohibitive 

 if one considers that by the unwise or dishonest distribution 

 of water crop failures or crop diminutions may easily 

 occur. 



