ISO 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



of much value without the other, yet the land and 

 water taken together have made this country famous 

 for its values. But if I am deprived of water my 

 income is shut off and I cannot live, or if I am 

 deprived of any part of it just to that extent my 

 income is diminished and the value of my property 

 depreciated. Therefore, the title to water should 

 be as inviolable as the title to land, and the divi- 

 sion of water as accurate, if possible, as the bound- 

 aries of land, because water is our most valuable 

 asset. 



Whoever, in an irrigated section, deprives an- 

 other of water with which to irrigate his land, de- 

 prives him of that which he must have in order to 

 live. In doing this he injures the whole community 

 by rendering the community as a whole, less pro- 

 ductive. Therefore, the whole community should 

 demand an equitable division. 



Some Things Irrigators Should Know 



1. In the laying of pipes, any deviation from 

 a straight line affects the flow. 



2. The flow of water in a pipe, ditch or foun- 

 tain, is not as strong on the sides or bottom as on 

 the surface or center, because in coming in con- 

 tact with the rough surface of the pipe, ditch or 

 divide, there is more or less resistance, depending 

 on the degree of roughness. Therefore, wood pipe 

 will carry more water than concrete, and metal more 

 than wood in proportion to the size. Further, the 

 divides made according to the old plans where the 

 water is not stilled before it is divided are not right, 

 and where 90 acres, for instance, divides at one 

 fountain, 10 acres from one opening and 80 acres 

 at another, the ten acres should receive one-ninth of 

 the water, but it bears half the friction and resist- 

 ance. Therefore, the small irrigator, unless provi- 

 sion is made to compensate for that, gets less than 

 his proportionate share. 



3. Another law of hydraulics, is what engineers 

 call "viscocity." It is that tendency of matter to 

 resist sudden changes ; and is generally spoken of 

 in relation to semi-fluids, fluids and gases. For in- 

 stance, if ten pints of molasses should be poured 

 from the side of a can ten inches square, and I am 

 entitled to one pint, I could not get it by measur- 

 ing off one-tenth of the surface and taking what 

 flowed through that space, because the resistance 

 to change of the other nine-tenths would carry 

 with the main current a part of what belonged to 

 me. Water is not so viscous as molasses, but it 

 is sufficiently so to make a considerable difference 

 in favor of the large irrigator and against the small 

 one. This can be easily demonstrated by pouring 

 water from a large can or vessel, square at the top, 

 marked off into one small and one large opening 

 placed on a perfectly level base, then weighing the 

 water flowing from each. Here again the small ir- 

 rigator gets less proportionately than the large one, 

 unless provision is made to correct it. 



4. Another law is that of force or pressure. 

 It is seen in the flow of water from a garden hose, 

 which will often throw the water in a comparatively 

 straight line for ten to twenty feet, before there 

 is much breaking up or separating of the particles 

 into lateral directions. The same is true of an ir- 

 rigating pipe, in proportion to the pressure. For 



instance, if a pipe enters a fountain from the west 

 or north, there would be a greater volume of water 

 flow toward the east or south, than on either side, 

 unless measures were taken to correct it. 



5. Another factor is the velocity of water. You 

 can take a bucket partly filled with water and swing 

 it with sufficient velocity so that it will pass above 

 your head bottom side up and not a drop will spill. 

 Here again is a factor that tends to give the small 

 irrigator the worst of it, for he generally has a 

 small opening on the side of the divide and the cur- 

 rent carries some part of his proportion of water by. 

 Mutual Relations 



We are so situated that mutual and co-operative 

 relations are necessary. There is no choice; for 

 while we may own our land in severalty, the water 

 which is more valuable than the land must be con- 

 veyed, taken and disposed of co-operatively. In a 

 co-operative society, or where mutual relations of 

 any kind or. in any degree exist, the only hope of 

 peace and permanent prosperity is in dealing justice 

 to all. If one or more members of society demand 

 special privileges to the damage of others, it is the 

 duty of the whole community to demand justice to 

 all. Any one who would demand more than is 

 just, is unsuited to live, in a state of civilization 

 where mutual relations are necessary. For the very 

 reason that irrigated sections support dense popu- 

 lations where co-operation in that which is their 

 most valuable asset is imperative, these regions are 

 developing the highest types of civilization. Our 

 law is not the law of the sea where the big fish eat 

 the little ones ; nor of the jungle where the strong 

 devour the weak ; nor of barbarism where might 

 makes right ; nor even of isolated districts where the 

 homes are so far apart that one is a little empire 

 of its own and the owner is "Monarch of all he 

 surveys" ; it is the law of "equal rights to all." 



Two Ways Possible 



There are two and only two ways open to us. 

 One is the law of justice, the other of injustice. 

 For instance, if A is not getting what he pays for 

 and wants it, then if B objects there is friction be- 

 tween A and B. A says he has ten acres of land 

 and only gets water for seven acres, therefore he 

 loses each year the profits of three-tenths of his 

 place, which should have been on certain years $100 

 to $500 per acre, or $300 to $1,500. B says if im- 

 provements are made, it will cost him 50c per acre, 

 or $5.00 for ten acres. Therefore, he stands op- 

 posed. After a few years A plows up his alfalfa, 

 puts on a heavy coating of mulch and has water 

 enough. In the meantime B's orchard has grown, 

 the land puddled and he needs alfalfa and more 

 water. B then wants the improvements made to 

 which he formerly objected. Now it is A's turn to 

 object, and he may be delighted to administer to B 

 a dose of his own medicine. A and B come to be 

 enemies and this enmity extends to their families 

 and their friends. C and D, E and F, G and H, and 

 others have experiences similar to those of A and B. 

 This puts half of the whole community into an 

 attitude of dislike for the other half, and as cir- 

 cumstances change from time to time, it eventually 

 includes the whole community. 



(Continued on page 157) 



