IRRIGATION IN NORTHERN COLORADO. 39 
On the debit side the number in the second column refers to the 
page in the order book, and the third column shows the number of 
units carried. On the credit side the second column shows the source 
of the water, the last two credits being Windsor Reservoir water 
rented from W. Lang. The third column carries references to pages 
in the journal. The last column shows the units credited, and as the 
charge per unit is $1, also dollars paid for carriage. 
At 1 o'clock each day the secretary begins the preparation of a list 
of demands for the following day, showing the name of the user, the 
rights or units ordered, and the lateral to which the water is to be 
delivered. A copy is furnished to each rider and from it he figures 
out the amount which he must turn to each lateral the following 
morning. As in the case of the Larimer and Weld Canal the reser- 
voir from which the supply for a particular day is drawn will depend 
not so much on the demands for its rights as upon the requirements 
for the most satisfactory operation of the canal. 
THE NORTH POUDRE CANAL. 
Surveys of canals to irrigate the territory now covered by the North 
Poudre Canal were made in 1878 and 18T9 b} 7 local men, but they 
could not raise the funds necessary to carry their projects forward, 
and nothing came of their efforts. In 1881, F. L. Carter-Cotton and 
others organized the iSorth Poudre Land, Canal, & Reservoir Co., 
secured the financial support of the Travelers' Insurance Co., and 
began work on the canal. By 1884 construction had been completed 
to Boxelcler Creek, but no water could be obtained from the river that 
year and very little in the 2 years following. In 1887 the promoters 
quit and control was assumed by the insurance company. This com- 
pany operated the system until 1896, when it sold out to F. C. Grable. 
In 1901 the system passed into the possession of the present owner, 
the ' North Poudre Irrigation Co. This company was originally 
capitalized at $400,000, but in 1913, to absorb the Mountain Supply 
Ditch Co., the capital was increased to $500,000, divided into 10,000 
shares of a par value of $50. In 1916 these shares were selling at 
$112. Both land and water rights were sold by the company, and 
with each 80-acre right went 25 shares of the company. Holdings 
now vary widely and range from 10 to 35 shares for 80 acres. 
The company has outstanding over $500,000 in bonds and short- 
time obligations of from $25,000 to $50,000 have lately been carried 
from year to year. Regular assessments are levied on the capital 
stock at the rate of $5 per share and occasionally an extra assessment 
is levied for some special purpose. In 1917 the cost of operation and 
maintenance was about $27,000, or close to 80 cents per acre irrigated. 
