THE IBKIOATION AGE. 



295 



Eeclamation Service for the North Platte undertaking. 

 Various subjects of interest were discussed, among 

 which was the speech of Secretary Garfield to the 

 members of the North Platte Water Users' Associa- 

 tion. We are informed that Secretary Garfield spoke 

 very plainly to the members of this association who 

 were in attendance at the meeting, and urged them to 

 work harmoniously together for the good of the project. 

 It seems that there has been more or less trouble among 

 the various individuals comprising this organization, 

 some of whom are desirous of controlling all of its 

 movements and the antagonism which this inclination 

 has created has, to a large degree, held up the work 

 along this canal. Secretary Garfield had been advised 

 of this condition and improved the opportunity at the 

 meeting which was held at Mitchell to state a few 

 facts which will, no doubt, tend to improve conditions 

 under that project. There has been more or less con- 

 flict under the North Platte project, owing to the fact 

 that the Tri-State Land Company, who own large areas 

 of land which is watered by what is known as the Tri- 

 State Canal, got in somewhat earlier than the Eecla- 

 mation Service people and made filings on the water 

 which will enable them to irrigate some 30,000 acres 

 of land. The majority of this land is held in fee by 

 the Tri-State Land Company, which is composed of 

 some of the leading financial men of the country, and 

 this company, through its general manager, Mr. Leavitt, 

 was not inclined to lay down and give the Reclamation 

 people a free hand in that section. 



It is understood now that no effort will be made 

 by the Reclamation Service to interfere with the rights 

 of the Tri-State Land Company and the government 

 ditch will irrigate land lying considerably above that 

 which is being reclaimed under the Tri-State ditch. 

 This brings to mind the fact that a more liberal view 

 is being taken by the Reclamation Service officials in 

 the matter of private enterprises which have developed 

 throughout the various sections of the west. Conflict 

 between the Reclamation Service and some of the larger 

 private enterprises in Idaho has died out and we are 

 informed that the service and those at the head of the 

 private projects will work together harmoniously for 

 the general good of the various sections under develop- 

 ment. This is as it should be and it is the hope of all 

 that no further effort may be made on the part of the 

 Reclamation Service to interfere with the projects 

 being developed by private capital. THE IRRIGATION 

 AGE has always contended that private capital should be 

 permitted to go on and develop territory wherever 

 possible and that it was the province and intent of 

 the reclamation law to work out large projects which 

 were too extensive to be handled by private individuals 

 with limited capital. 



METHODS WE USE IN IRRIGATING SIDE HILLS. 



BY JOHN G. HALL. 

 COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. 



For the inexperienced the side hill is a difficult 

 thing to contend with. The chief difficulties which 

 arise are due to the swiftness of the water which causes 

 the water to pile up in one place and renders the 

 making of a dam to throw it out on the land a very 

 hard problem. 



In planting a row crop except where there is a 

 quick fall in one direction the rows are planted 

 diagonally in order to make the grade less steep for 

 irrigating. If possible, a grade of an inch and a half 

 fall to a hundred feet is the best grade for irrigating 

 the row crop. Arrange at the head ditch to turn out 

 the water in small streams because the steeper the 

 pitch to the rows the faster the water will run, so 

 for this reason the water in each row must be dimin- 

 ished in order that it may take as long a time as pos- 

 sible to irrigate to the end of the row. Two reasons 

 are given this, first, in slow irrigating the dirt is not 

 washed away from the plant; second, the ground is 

 soaked well on steep places by the water being held a 

 long time. 



In grain fields the ditches through the field should 

 be run nearly straight down the hill with just a slight 

 angle to one side. The reason for this is so that when 

 the water is dammed up and thrown out it will 

 run across the land to the other side and at the 

 same time will be kept within the confines of 

 the ditch. When the water is turned out for a short 

 distance the dam should be moved farther down the 

 ditch and the water again thrown out so it will lap 

 onto the space irrigated by the previous dam. Continue 

 in this way irrigating one land at a time until the 

 whole field is irrigated. 



If water is plentiful two lands at a time may be 

 handled by one irrigator. 



THE NORTH PLATTE VALLEY. 



We are presenting in this issue a number of illus- 

 trations showing the fertile North Platte Valley along 

 that far-famed stream near Scottsbluff, Nebraska. 

 These illustrations are from photographs taken by the 

 Tri-State Land Company, located at Scottsbluff. 



A representative of IRRIGATION AGE visited this 

 section recently, and while there arranged for a series 

 of articles which will appear from time to time in 

 these columns. In our issue of September we hope 

 to be able to present an article with illustrations on 

 the North Platte or Pathfinder project. 



Send $2.50 for The Irrigation Age, one year, and 

 the Primer of Irrigation, a 260-page finely illustrated 

 work for new beginners in irrigation. 



