144 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



We are showing in this connection photographs of 

 scenes along this line and hope from time to time to 

 be able to more clearly exploit the many advantageous 

 opportunities which may present themselves. It is a 

 big undertaking to start out and build a line from the 

 Dakotas to the Pacific coast, owing to the fact that 

 great mountain ranges must be either tunneled or 

 crossed by tortuous lines, large rivers must be bridged, 

 and it will be necessary before the completion of this 

 line for the builders to cut their way through great 

 forests of the heaviest timber to be found in North 

 America. One of the first sections which this company 

 will attempt to open will no doubt be that of the 

 western Dakotas, and later on they will devote more 

 or less time to the colonizing of the far famed Mussell- 

 shell valley in Montana, and from there on to the Bitter 

 Root and Flat Head valleys and then over to the Co- 

 lumbia on the way to the great grain fields of Wash- 

 ington, then again through the coast range, and on to 

 Seattle. This road will no doubt at some future time 

 build many spurs into sections which are not accessible 

 under their present plans. On each side, and at no 

 great distance from their main line will be found many 

 attractive valleys, all of which this new work will 

 permit at no distant date of development in an agri- 

 cultural way. 



THE IRRIGATION AGE would be glad to secure for 

 its readers such information as they may desire which 

 is not to be obtained through other sources. Any 

 letters addressed to us concerning this field will be 

 submitted to the officials of the Milwaukee road and an 

 answer promptly forwarded. 



Lining of Ditches and 



Reservoirs to Prevent 



Seepage Losses 



By PROF. B. A. ETCHEVKRRY 

 Berkeley, Cal. 



RIVEE BOULDERS OR COBBLES SET IN CEMENT M01ITAI!. 



A good example of this work is a section 3^ 

 miles long on the main canal of the Hemet Land and 

 Water Company. One mile of this canal has a bottom 

 width of 4 feet, a depth of 3 feet, and a top width of 7 

 feet. (Fig. 2.) The remaining %y 2 miles have a 

 bottom width of 3 feet, a top width of 6 feet, and a 

 depth of 3 feet. 



The canal was excavated with scoop scrapers and 

 shovels. No form was used in the excavation, the 

 cross-section being finished, ready for the lining, by 

 the shovelers. After the excavation, the banks were 

 well moistened by letting the water into the excavated 

 canal and holding it by earth dams. When the banks 

 were thoroughly wet the water was drained out and the 

 lining put on. 



The lining consists of cobbles, most of them not 

 less than 6 inches in dimension, placed in the cement 

 mortar. The bottom was constructed first, the cobbles 

 being laid in the bed of cement mortar and the space 

 between cobbles well filled in and finished smooth and 



Pin-Money at Home. 



Your call for articles on pin-money 

 brings to mind the efforts of one girl 

 who not only earned money through her 

 own efforts to give her schooling for 

 two years, but also helped at home dur- 

 ing her father's illness. 



During a visit to a general- store, a 

 lady was making inquiry for ferns. The 

 dealer said he had frequent calls for 

 ferns, but was unable to supply them, as 

 few people cared to take the responsi- 

 bility of their raising. This was the 

 start she needed. Writing to her uncle, 

 she explained her plan and asked the 

 loan of twenty dollars. The answer 

 came, full of encouragement and accom- 

 panied by the draft. Not a few hours 

 were spent in studying fern catalogues, 

 which resulted in an order for 150 

 plants at 10 cents apiece. The express 

 on them amounted to a dollar and a half, 

 and the remainder was invested in jars. 

 Seventy-five plants were potted at once, 

 the rest being left bedded in tubs. She 

 tended them carefully, keeping suffi- 

 ciently moist and occasionally added 

 emulsion. A notice was inserted in her 

 home paper, the same bit of informa- 

 tion given those of the neighboring 

 towns to the effect that she would take 

 orders for ferns to be distributed the 

 first of September. The best of success 

 rewarded her first efforts, sixty-seven 

 dollars being cleared. By this time she 

 had had considerable experience, and 

 on the next growth she netted even 

 more. This particular girl went, from 

 this small beginning, into something 

 larger in floral culture. From The 

 Girls' Own Circle of The Circle for 

 February. 



Fig. 3. Method of Lining the Hemet Land and Water Company's Canal. 



to grade. This cement mortar for the bottom con- 

 sisted of one part of cement to four parts of clean river 

 sand. A little lime was added to this mortar. 



Closely following the lining of the bottom came 

 the lining of the sides. (Fig. 3.) For this, mold 

 frames and mold boards were used. The frames were, 

 placed 5 feet apart and so constructed that the mold 

 boards were held in place against the frames by a 



