510 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



The discharge from each pump is measured over a rectangu- 

 lar wier having an automatic register. This device is shown 

 in Figure 2. Small lined channels convey the water from the 

 pumps to the mam conduit shown in cross-section in Figure 

 3. The concrete lining of this conduit is composed of one 

 part cement to seven parts sand and gravel, having a thick- 

 ness on the slopes of 2 1/2 inches and on the bottom of 3 to 4 

 inches. The lining is rendered still more impervious by the 

 addition of a plaster coat one-fourth of an inch in thickness, 

 composed of one part of cement to two parts of sand. The 

 cost was 5 l /2 cents per square foot, or 55 cents per linear foot. 

 The main conduit consists of about 30 miles of lined canal 

 and 10 miles of piping 30 inches in diameter. The groves 



Figure II. 



are laid out as a rule in 10-inch tracts, and piping of various 

 kinds conveys the water from the main to the highest point 

 of each tract, from which it is distributed between the rows 

 in furrows. 



A large part of the water used by the Riverside Water 

 Company is pumped from the gravelly bed of the Santa Ana 

 River. From thence it is conveyed in a main canal to the or- 

 chard lands and distributed to the groves in cement and vitri- 

 fied clay pipes. The owner of a tract, whether it be 10, 20, 

 30 or 40 acres in extent, receives his supply at the highest 

 corner through a hydrant box. Each hydrant box not only 

 allows the water to p;.ss from the end of a lateral pipe to the 

 head flume of the tract to be irrigated, but also measures the 

 amount in miner's inches under a 4-inch pressure head as it 

 passes through. A section of the hydrant box showing the 

 adjustable steel slides to regulate the opening is given in 

 Figure 4. 



On the Gage Canal system in Riverside County, Cal., the 

 water supply for the tiers of 40-acre tracts is taken from the 

 canal in riveted :.teel pipes varying from 6 to 10 inches in 

 diameter. These larger mains are connected with 4, 5 and 6- 

 inch lateral pipes of the same material, which convey the water 

 to the highest point of each 10-acre tract. This general ar- 

 rangement is shown in the sketch, Figure 5. 



Clearing and Grading Land For Fruit. 



As a rule fruit trees are planted on land previously cul- 

 tivated and cropped. One of the best preparatory crops for 

 orchards is alfalfa. This vigorous plant breaks up the soil and 



fit SmA 



%t focft ptostrr 

 I 

 2%/nctr cancrtrt 



Figure III. 



subsoil by its roots, collects and stores valuable plant foods, 

 and when it is turned under at the end of the second or 

 third year leaves the soil in much better condition for the re- 

 tention of moisture and the growth of young trees. 



In the Bitter Root Valley, Montana, new land is first 



plowed 8 to 12 inches deep, then carefully graded and smoothed 

 and seeded to red clover for one or two seasons. On the west 

 side of this valley pine trees and pine stumps are encountered. 

 These can best be removed by burning. A hole 1 l / 2 inches in 

 diameter is bored through the base of the stump or tree in a 

 slanting direction. It is near the surface of the ground on 

 the windward side and about 18 inches above the surface on 



Figure IV. 



the leeward side. A fire is then built in the hole, using small 

 twigs to start it. As the fire burns the opening is increased 

 and larger limbs are inserted. In two or three days the stump 

 will have burned out, the fire burning down into the roots to 

 a depth of 12 to 14 inches. The cost of such clearing varies 

 with the character of the land and the density of the growth. 

 From $10 to $15 an acre will clear the land of stumps and it 

 then costs $5 to $10 to get the unburnt roots plowed out and 

 the land ready for planting. 



In recent years large areas of wooded lands in both the 

 Hood River and Rogue River Valleys of Oregon have beert 

 cleared in order to plant apple trees. One of the methods em- 

 ployed in the Hood River district to rid the land of its growth 

 of fir, pine, scrub oak and laurel is similar to that just de- 

 scribed. Another method consists' in splitting open the stumps 

 with giant powder and then pulling out the roots with a stump 

 puller. Stump pullers of various kinds are used in California 



' ~:':<~y ' ' 



^Irrigating Flume 



LINCOLN AVENUE 



Figure V. 



for a like purpose. The most powerful of these consists of a 

 portable engine, windlass and cable similar to an ordinary 

 hoisting plant. A heavy chain is fastened to the tree at the 

 proper height above the ground. To this chain the pulling 

 cable is hooked raid when the power is applied the tree is 

 pulled out by the roots. 



In New Mexico and Texas the mesquite is usually grub- 

 bed out by Mexicans, but in California, where labor costs 

 more, such shrubs as mesquite, manzanita and chaparral can 

 be more cheaply removed by a stout pair of horses and a 

 logging chain. 



An effort should be made to establish a fairly uniform 

 grade from top to hottcm of each tract. This is done by 

 cutting off the high points and depositing the earth thus ob- 

 tained in the depressions. The length of the furrows should 

 not exceed one-eighth of a mile and in sandy soil they should 

 be shorter. As a rule, it is not difficult to grade the surface 



