IKllIGATION FARMING 237 



trickle down these furrows in such small amounts that 

 Avashing of the soil does not take place and is allowed to 

 run long enough so that the soil between the furrows is 

 thoroughly wet. This method is not used on the prairies 

 in Western Canada with grain or hay. 



187. The Bedding System. — This is a method employed 

 on land which has little fall. The banks or dykes are 



Fig. 83. — Making Borders for Border System of Irrigation. 



raised so that the areas enclosed, from a fraction of an 

 acre to an acre or more, are all covered with w-ater. This 

 is then drained into the next bed lower down. 



188. The "Check" System is a form of bed irrigation 

 and is used quite extensively on hay lands in the Cypress 

 Hills district. The method followed is to dam the stream 

 by building a dyke across the valley. By this method 

 the water, especially during the spring freshets, is 

 checked and forced back over the creek bottoms. The 

 dykes are placed at different intervals, depending upon 

 the fall of the stream, so that the bottom land may be 

 completely submerged while there is sufficient water in 



