282 National Geographic Magazine. 



of Cache creek, in the Sacramento valley, were taken out for irri- 

 gation. In 1859, the waters of King's river were taken out and 

 utilized for irrigation. These instances represent in general out- 

 line the commencement of irrigation in the State. Now we have 

 in the neighborhood of 750,000 or 800,000 acres actually irrigated 

 each year, and that represents what would ordinarily be called an 

 iri"igation area of 1,200,000 acres ; and there are commanded by 

 the works — reasonably within the reach of existing canals — an 

 area of about 2,500,000 acres. 



In the organization of irrigation enterprises there is great 

 diversity. Commencing with the simplest form, we have a ditch 

 constructed by the individual irrigator for his own use ; we have 

 then successively ditches constructed by associated irrigators 

 without a definite organization, for the service of their own land 

 only ; ditches constructed by regularly organized associations of 

 farmers, with elected officers ; works constructed by farmers who 

 have incorporated under the general laws of the State and issued 

 stock certificates of ownership in the properties, for the service 

 of the stockholdei'S only ; works where incorporations have been 

 formed for the purpose of attaching water stock to lands that 

 are to be sold, bringing in the element of speculation ; then works 

 where the organization has been effected with a view of selling 

 water-rights ; and finally, organizations that are incorporated for 

 the purpose of selling water. There is a great difference between 

 the principles of these methods of organization, and the practical 

 outcome is a great difference in the service of water and in the 

 duty of water furnished by them. In selling water, measurement 

 of volume is made by modules — the actual amount of water 

 delivered is measured — or it is sold by the acre served, or in pro- 

 portional parts of the total available flow of the season. 



The general character of the irrigation works of the State varies 

 very much with the varying conditions under which it is prac- 

 ticed. In the San Joaquin valley. King's river, for instance, 

 comes out of the mountains nearly on a level with the surface of 

 the plain, cutting down not more than a few feet below its banks ; 

 and hence but little labor is required to divert its waters out upon 

 the lands to be irrigated ; but farther north, the Tuolumne, as 

 another example, comes out of the mountains in a deep canon, 

 and the foot-hills extend far down the plain on each side. It is 

 easily seen, then, that it will require a million or more dollars to 

 divert from the latter sti'eam the amount of water diverted from 



