28 
THE FARMERS 1 IRRIGATING DITCH. 
By successive enlargements this ditch has the following rights: 
Decreed rights of Farmers* Irrigating l>it<-li. 
Cable feel 
per second. 
May 1, 1864 5.72 
June l. L868 :MH> 
Angusl l, lsrs 54.08 
Total 62. 40 
It is located just south of Loveland on the north bank of the river; 
it is about 9 miles in length and covers 4,500 acres of land worth $15 
per acre. The area irrigated is probably nearly 3,000acres. It has 
30 shares, of a value of £1.200 each: each share supposed to be suffi- 
cient for 160 acres. This ditch carries 1^ cubic feet of water per sec- 
ond, decreed to the Big Thompson and Manufacturing Company's Ditch 
by order of the district court. Had the amount been larger the trans- 
fer would probably have been resisted by other ditches injuriously 
affected. 
The annual expenses on the ditch average for superintendence $300 
and for repairs $300. 
The capacity at present is about equal to its decreed rights. 
There are no reservoirs or reservoir sites under this ditch. Con- 
sidering the amount of water allowed per acre cultivated for the Big 
Thompson and Manufacturing Company's Ditch, the amount of water 
decreed this ditch seems to be very small. Although this ditch was 
actually irrigating one-third more land and had under it twice as much 
land as the manufacturing company's ditch, its decree is less than 
one-half as large. Though the character of the land under each is 
similar, the court saw T no inconsistency in its decrees. 
THE BIG THOMPSON IRRIGATING DITCH. 
Having priority No. 5 in the district, this ditch is locally designated 
as "No. 5 ditch." It is some 5 miles long and covers about 1.000 acres 
of land along the river bottom. 
Considerable controversy has arisen over the decrees of this ditch 
and its capacity in connection with its sale to the Handy Ditch Com- 
pany. 
The head of the ditch was located some 2 miles southeast of Love- 
land, and since 1895 has not been used. The decree is for 78 < ubic 
feet per second, of date of February 25, 1865, which the Handy Ditch 
Company purchased in 1897, together with the land covered by the 
ditch. Upon application to the superintendent of irrigation in 1897 
to transfer the full 78 cubic feet per second he allowed 4<» cubic feet 
per second to be changed, provided the old ditch be abandoned. On 
