THE IKKIGATION AGE. 



935 



In a recent publication by the State Agri- 

 A Sketch cultural College of Colorado appears an 



l jl a TT f article entitled "Small Concrete Weirs for 



" : the Farm." The article goes quite into 



the details of construction, describing 

 methods and giving sizes of ditches and 

 excavation, the lumber for the forms and sizes of reinforc- 

 ing rods to be used as well as the proportioning of the 

 concrete. 



The article, which is no doubt very useful and is full 

 of practical suggestions, would be of much greater value if 

 a diagram or sketch had been added in which the work de- 

 scribed would be shown as one assembled unit. Then the 

 illustration with the description would give all the data re- 

 quired for the utilization of the plan. As it now appears it 

 would be a very difficult proposition for any one to build 

 such a weir as indicated by merely following the verbal de- 

 scription given. 



sociation in regard to this subject and it is hoped that the 

 public will co-operate and make the work of the association 

 effective. 



Elsewhere appears a lengthy article on 

 The Water t ^ s su |-,j ect w hi c h has been abstracted 



Resources of from a water supply paper of the United 

 San Luis Valley, States Geological Survey. There is so 

 Colorado much good material contained in this gov- 



ernment report and so much useful in- 

 formation and instruction for men interested in irrigation 

 that we feel sorry that want of space forbids to publish it in 

 full. But even in its abbreviated form our readers will doubt- 

 less derive benefit by its study and those who desire to 

 have the report in full may obtain it by writing to the United 

 States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. 



Further installments of this report, very much abbrevi- 

 ated, will be published in the IRRIGATION AGE in the July and 

 August issues. 



The principal impression gained upon reading this report 

 is the thoroughness with which the subject has been handled 

 and the clear and concise statements of Mr. Siebenthal of the 

 elements, affecting the water supply of the San Luis Valley. 



An especially interesting feature is shown in Figure 2 of 

 that article when by the installation of a small pumping outfit 

 a strong flow of water was produced by tapping an abundant 

 underflow of water. The knowledge obtained by the Geo- 

 logical Survey pointed the way for this improvement. Our 

 readers may think for themselves how many similar cases 

 there may be in this wide land, where like conditions exists 

 but for the want of information nothing is done for bettering 

 things. 



This shows the necessity that the government not only 

 should keep up the work of the Geological Survey but that 

 Congress should increase the appropriations for this purpose 

 and that this work be pushed until all the available land for 

 reclamation or for other uses has been investigated and the 

 information published for the use of the public. 



The time of the year is approaching now 

 when this country of ours usually suffers 

 Prevention great loss due to forest fires. These con- 



of Forest flagrations of late years have been so ex- 



pires tensive and accompanied by such heavy 



losses both in lives and money values 

 that our western people are waking up to the importance 

 of the matter and are going to do something in this di- 

 rection. On another page will be found some seasonable 

 suggestions by the Western Forestry and Conservation As- 



Chips from 

 the Thinking 

 Cap of 

 the Editor 



Three dollars will pay for one year's sub- 

 scription to the IRRIGATION AGE and a copy 

 of the "Primer of Hydraulics," bound in 

 cloth ; the book will be ready about Jan- 

 uary 1, 1912. 



Renew your subscription promptly one dollar does not 

 mean much to the individual reader but 2,000 or 3,000 tardy 

 subscribers means a good deal to the publisher ; it means 2,000 

 or 3,000 dollars tied up that ought to be available. 



* * * 



Letters from our readers and subscribers are always 

 welcome. All are invited to make use of the columns of our 

 correspondence department. Especially letters from the men 

 in the field who are putting in the ditches and the grain will 



be particularly welcome. 



* * * 



The man who is in the front rank of the irrigation and 

 reclamation column is most competent to pass judgment on 

 the value of methods adapted to bring waste lands to the 

 stage of productiveness; let us hear from you and give our 

 readers the benefit of your large experience. 



The Bars 



rj own 



From the Valley Irrigator of May 4th we 

 learn that the Assistant Commissioner of 

 the General Land Office has reversed the 

 decision of the Local Land Office and has 

 ruled that a corporation may obtain water 

 rights even though the stock holders do 

 not reside within fifty miles of the land. The test case 

 in question is that of the Chamberlain Investment Company, 

 nearly all the stockholders of which live in Huron, S. D., 

 which applied for water rights for an eighty-acre tract. 

 Their application was rejected by the local, office on the 

 ground that the stockholders did not live within fifty miles 

 of the land. An appeal was taken to the general office. 

 The decision of the latter in reversing the ruling of the 

 local office is based upon a former ruling of said general 

 office in which it was held that a private corporation is en- 

 tj(Jed to make a water right application if its principal office 

 is on or in the neighborhood of the land for which water 

 is sought, and further that the corporation must show a 

 list of its stockholders, and that as individuals they have not 

 taken in the aggregate more water rights than what will 

 amount to 160 acres. Theoretically this sounds all right 

 and if so correctly followed would not be an infraction 

 of the "Reclamation" act. This will, however, be extremely 

 difficult to watch properly and under this ruling hundreds of 

 corporations will no doubt be formed to take up land which, 

 under the act of June 17, 1902, was intended for actual 

 settlers only. 



There should be made no interpretations of the Recla- 

 mation act which will defeat the intention of the law. 



Section 5 of the act provides, among other things, "that 

 * * * no such sale shall be made to any land owner 

 unless he is an actual, bona fide resident on such land, or 

 occupant thereof, residing in the neighborhood of said land." 

 This provision seems plain and ample and should bar 

 any corporation from being eligible under this act. 



