74 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



MAKING A FARM PAY IN THE SHALLOW WATER 



SECTION OF KANSAS 



The farm of J. W. Lough is a fair example of 

 what may be accomplished by intelligence and in- 

 dustry in the shallow water area of Scott county, 

 Kansas. He has lived in the county for thirty 

 years, although the shallow water was discovered 

 only a few years ago. He has a herd of about 420 

 cattle ; 120 two-year-olds and the remainder one-t 



through the winter. He also grows abundant crops 

 of alfalfa, watering the meadow by pump. Like- 

 wise, he waters his other fields. His market-garden 

 is the pride of the family and of great profit. How- 

 ever, shallow water is not necessary for an abundant 

 family garden here. The windmill, even on the up- 

 land, affords sufficient water to nourish to garden 



Hogs and alfalfa on the J. W. Lough irrigated farm, Scott County, Kansas. 



year-old.s. He also has 400 head of tiogs, and great 

 flocks of turkeys and chickens. In 1915 his wheat 

 ran from twenty to forty-four bushels per acre. He 

 also grew Indian corn, yielding fifty bushels per 

 acre. His sorghum crops were great ; the kaffir and 

 milo running up to sixty-five bushels per acre. By 

 the sorghums, his cattle and hogs are sustained 



until the end of the season. In the shallow water 

 area, if a farmer has a pump everything is kept green 

 until frost, and, in September and early October, 

 "all hands and the cook" are kept busy gathering 

 yellow pumpkins and squashes, big cabbages and 

 late potatoes. 



(Continued from page 72) 



In this case sandstone is used, 50 per cent sand- 

 stone, 50 per cent cement, resulting in a product 

 considerably cheaper than straight Portland cement, 

 yet amply strong for the uses to which it is ap- 

 plied. 



To prevent overtopping of the dam when the 

 reservoir is filled with water, a spillway 300 feet 

 wide is provided on the west side of the canon, 

 which is of the O. G. overflow type, with four ten- 

 foot circular conduits through it, controlled by cylin- 

 der gates, to further increase its discharge capacity 

 and also to handle the upper ten feet of the reser- 

 voir for irrigation purposes. 



The spillway will be crossed by a five-span con- 

 crete bridge, which will connect with the main dam 

 and give a sixteen-foot roadway from one side of 

 the river to the other, across the top of the dam, 

 a distance of over 1,600 feet. 



Another feature of this work was the construc- 

 tion of an earth dam across a low place in the hills 

 west of the main dam. This "dyke" is forty-eight 

 feet maximum height, 1,850 feet long and contains 

 164,000 cubic yards of earth and rock. 



The Elephant Butte dam is of the gravity type, 

 that is, owing to its weight and shape, it would 

 neither slide nor turn over, due to water pressure. 



The foundation is drained to eliminate any uplift 

 and the water face is painted with a one-inch coat 

 of pure cement, to add to the water-tightness. The 

 maximum width at the base is about 215 feet, and 

 the top will be provided with a sixteen-foot road- 

 way. 



The outflow of water is controlled by twenty 

 gates and valves, discharging into twelve openings 

 that lead clear through the dam. These gates are 

 all controlled by water pressure, which will be fur- 

 nished by a small hydro-electric plant. 



The main dam will contain 610,000 cubic yards 

 of concrete 571,000 cubic yards are now in place 

 which, using only one-half the usual amount of 

 Portland cement, will require 1,220 car-loads of 200 

 barrels each. The dam is built up in blocks, dove- 

 tailed one into the other, in order that changes in 

 temperature will not cause cracks and consequent 

 leakage. 



The dam will be completed during the first half 

 of 1916, and will cost, in round numbers, $5,000.000. 



SEND $1.00 FOR THE IRRIGATION AGE 

 ONE YEAR AND THE PRIMER OF 

 IRRIGATION. 



