24 
Bulletin 67. 
grows out of natural conditions. The writer was informed that 
on one occasion older ditches in the vicinity of the town of Ster¬ 
ling, in Logan County, were needing water when junior ditches 
in Morgan County were fairly well supplied, and that a large 
amount of water, by order of the superintendent of irrigation, 
was shut out of the junior ditches and required to run into the 
South Platte river in the month of July or August, when the 
heat was very great and there was very little water in the main 
stream, and it was found that all, or nearly all of the water thus 
taken from the junior ditches was lost by evaporation and other¬ 
wise in the sand beds of the South Platte river. In that particular 
instance, as reported, it was found practically impossible to supply 
the senior ditch. In 1901 another test was made in the same 
locality, resulting in large increase of supply, it is claimed, to 
ditches near Sterling. It is here suggested that in all such cases 
the superintendent of irrigation should not hastily jump to con¬ 
clusions, but should in perfect good faith endeavor to supply 
the senior appropriator, and not refrain from so doing until 
convinced that natural conditions render it practically impossible. 
2nd. The remaining class of duties devolving on a super¬ 
intendent of irrigation pertain to his general control over the 
water commissioners in his division, his duty to execute the laws 
pertaining to distribution and in so doing to make rules and regu¬ 
lations, to carry on correspondence with all his water commis¬ 
sioners, and, at times, if necessary, actively to discharge the 
duties of a water commissioner. All suggestions made concern¬ 
ing the duties of water commissioners apply equally to superin¬ 
tendents of irrigation. If the superintendent keeps up a constant 
and active correspondence with all commissioners in his division 
and makes frequent suggestions to them concerning the proper 
discharge of their duties, he can be a great aid in reducing the 
whole work of his division to a more perfect system. By such 
correspondence he can learn how thoroughly each commissioner 
is discharging his duties; if complaints are made to him of in¬ 
efficiency of service in some district, he can give the water com¬ 
missioner thereof the benefit of his knowledge as to the more 
efficient conduct of some other water commissioner in another 
district. If suggestions by correspondence fail to remedy negli¬ 
gence or inefficient discharge of duty in some particular water 
district, he can, if he sees fit, himself perform the duties of water 
commissioner in that district for a short time, and thus by per¬ 
sonal example give the water commissioner full knowledge of 
what is expected of him. The power conferred on superintend¬ 
ents of irrigation to obtain information from water commis¬ 
sioners on any subject pertaining to irrigation in his division 
as he may suggest, enables a brainy superintendent who desires 
to use the entire power of his office to improve and perfect the 
