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THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Notes on Practical 

 Irrigation 



D. H. Anderson 



Laying Out Land for Irrigation. 



If the author had his way about it, he would have the 

 land on each side of every main or large supply ditch sloped 

 down gently for at least one hundred and fifty feet, and on 

 that slope he would plant peas, beans, corn, and melons an:l 

 raise a good profitable crop without any or with very little 

 furrow or surface irrigation. The seepage water would 

 answer the purpose of sub-irrigation, or infiltration, as will be 

 explained in another chapter. This water aided by deep culti- 

 vation and pulverization of the so'.l would be sufficient to 

 gratify his most ardent hopes. 



At the bottom of each slope would be established an open 

 ditch or covered drainage system, and the surplus water 

 caught and utilized for surface or furrow irrigation on the 

 plat below. The land on the ditch slope would be plowed 

 and cultivated parallel with the ditch line, and at right angles 

 to it on the plat below the slope. 



This system of laying out the land is equivalent to terrac- 

 ing but more convenient and natural, withal, less expensive, 

 for the ditches can be arranged to suit the slopes of the land 

 rather than the reverse. Should the land be sufficient in 

 quantity to make it worth while and the topography permit, 

 a series of slopes could be provided for and every drop of 

 the usually wasted seepage water utilized. It is very pretty 

 to the eye and looks very nice and regular on paper, but the 

 author believes that although the ditches run everywhere in 

 the most profuse irregularity and ugliness, destructive even 

 of the refinement required of landscape art, yet there is noth- 

 ing more beautiful to his eye than a luxuriant crop of profit- 

 able plants. Experiment and settled practice has demonstrated 

 the utilitv and value of this svstem all over the world. Corn. 



Fourth of July Mountain, Lake Chelan. 



Field's Hotel as Seen From Purple's, Lake Chelan Region, Washington. 



beans, peas, peppers, onions, even small fruits and crawling 

 berry vines growing to perfect maturity without a drop of 

 water from the clouds or by artificial application, and as to 

 the quality well, they are imported into this country from 

 Europe and the American epicure pays three times as much 

 for them as for home productions because he finds them bet- 

 ter suited to his palate. Every housewife knows that her 

 window plants flourish and grow luxuriantly by keeping the 

 ''saucer" of the flower pot filled with water without any sur- 

 face wetting at all. 



The system is as old as Egypt and Babylon, and it is 

 adapted to small farms and is an obviously economical system 

 of increasing the duty of water without increasing its quantity, 

 and it is more conducive to the perfection of plant growth 

 and life than "over-dosing." 



Ditch-Bank Irrigation. 



The system last referred to is really what may be called 

 "ditch-bank irrigation." The object of it, of course, is to use 

 the water that seeps or percolates from the banks of a raised 

 ditch, which is sufficient to moisten the slope of the bank and 

 the soil for some distance outward from the base. We find 

 that this system was in favor with the old Spanish settlers, 

 who opened a ditch from a stream on a grade so slight that 

 a very slow flow would result. The land on each side of this 

 ditch was thus moistened and almost every variety of vege- 

 tables and small fruits were raised without other irrigation. 



To accomplish the purpose, the land is deeply plowed, 

 turning under a good covering of manure, then harrow thor- 

 oughly until the soil is evenly settled. After this the land is 

 ready for the elevated ditch from which the seepage water is 

 fb~be obtained. This is done by throwing back a few furrows 

 to form a ridge which shall be high enough to command the 

 land under it. The ridge is shaped evenly and the surface 

 raked over, a hoe being used to mark out a narrow ditch. 

 When the water is turned in the course of the water may be 

 regulated with a hoe and by a little cutting and filling, so 

 that the water will run evenly along the entire length of the 

 ridge. 



In less than a week the soil along the ridge will be in a 

 suitable condition to receive whatever seed or plant it is 

 desired to grow ; indeed, there will be as much space along the 

 base of the ridge as there is on its slope which will be suffi- 

 ciently moist. If the ground is not too porous, the water 

 will percolate slowly and evenly and moisten the soil without 

 cropping out at the surface anywhere. By thrusting the hand 

 into the soil it will be found that the percolating water is within 

 an inch of the surface, but never quite reaches it, due probably 

 to surface evaporation. As will be noticed in the case of 

 sand, the surface may be dry but. water-soaked an inch or so 

 below. 



The number of ridges may be multiplied to suit the 

 quantity of surface it is desirable to irrigate in that fashion, 

 and they may be made large enough to control a quarter or 

 half an acre." Even though the land at the base is perfectly 

 flat, the water flows down the slope and spreads out along 

 the levels. Should the land be sloping generally, the over- 



