DEPABTMENT OF THE INTEKIOE

WATER-SUPPLY

IEEIOATION PAPEES

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

No. 17

WASHINGTON

OOTEKNMENT PRINTING OFPIOB 

1898
UNITED . STATES GEOLOGICAL SUBYEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIBECTOB

BY

CARL EWALD GKRTJNSKY

WASHINGTON

GOVEENMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1898
CONTENTS.

Page.

Letter of transmittal........................................................ 11

Introduction................................................................ 13

San Joaquin Valley.................................I........................ 15

Water appropriation and irrigation districts................................. 19

Kraft irrigation district-..._ ...................................... 23

Orland South Side irrigation district ................................ 23

Central irrigation district........................................... 23

Colusa irrigation district............................................ 23

College City irrigation district (proposed) ...-..................- ..--- 23

Browns Valley irrigation district ..................................... 23

Modesto irrigation district.......................................... 24

Turlock irrigation district........................................... 24

Madera irrigation district........................................... 24

Selma irrigation district............................................. 24

Alta irrigation district.............................................. 24

Tulare irrigation district............................................ 24

Tule River irrigation district........................................ 25

Tipton irrigation district............................................ 25

PoSo irrigation district.............................................. 25

Kern and Tnlare irrigation district.................................. 25

Huron irrigation district............................................ 25

Sunset irrigation district............................................ 25

Methods of irrigation .............-.......;..............................--.. 26

Wild flooding....................................................... 26

Flooding in contour checks.......................................... 27

Flooding in rectangular checks, not level............................ 29

Flooding in level checks ............................................ 30

Flooding between parallel levees.................................... 31

Furrow irrigation...........................:....................... 32

Furrow irrigation of cereals......................................... 32

Furrow irrigation of permanent cultures ............................ 32

Furrow irrigation in level checks.................................... 33

Furrow irrigation of vegetables ..................................... 33

Irrigation by filing subsoils with water................ j............ 33

Subirrigation, or irrigation from subsurface conduits ................ 35

Kern Eiver _.......................................:...................... 37

Hydrography .................................................... .....^. 37

Soils and rainfall........................................................ 41

Canals and ditches...................................................... 42

Rio Bravo Ranch canals............................................. 42

Kern Island Canal .........................................._..... 43

, Old South Fork..................................................... 46

Farmers Canal....'.................................................. 47

Panama Slough ...................................................... 47

Castro Ditch........................................................ 48

Fisher & Abley Ditch................................................ 48

5 , >l
6 CONTENTS.

Kern River Continued.

Canals and ditches Continued. Page.

Stine Canal......................................................... 48

Anderson Canal..................................................... 48

Gates Canal................................___................... 49

Bnena Vista Canal.................................................. 49

James Canal...............:........................................ 49

PlunkettDitch ..................................................... 50

Meacham Canal..................................................... 50

Wilson Canal....................................................... 50

Henley and Frazier ditches.......................................... 50

Beardsley Canal .................................................... 50

McCaffery Ditch ..-...'.--.-......-.....-....-.-.-...--.--.......---. 51

McCord Canal....................................................... 51

Calloway Canal..................................................... 51

Emery Ditch........................................................ 55

Jones & Tuckey Ditch .............................................. 56

Railroad Canal ..................................................... 56

Wible Canal........................................................ 56

Goose Lake Canal................................................... 56

Pioneer Canal....................................................... 57

Edwards Ditch ..................................................... 58

James & Dixon Canal............................................... 58

Johnson Canal...................................................... 59

Ashe Ditch ...................................................._.. 60

May Ditch.......................................................... 60

Joice Canal......................................................... 60

Dixon Canal........................................................ 61

Kern Valley Water Company's canals ............................... 61

Kern andTulare irrigation district.................................... 63

Water supply, distribution, and measurement ........................... 64

Methods of irrigating and duty of water ................................ 66

Irrigation fromPoso Creek.................................................. 75

Poso irrigation district................................................ 75

Irrigation from Deer Creek................................................... 76

WingfieldDitch .................................................... 76

Carothers Ditch .................................................... 76

Deer Creek Consolidated Ditch (Sausalito Ditch)..................... 76

Tnle Eiver.................../.................-.. .......................... 78

Hydrography ........................................................... 78

Canals and ditches...................................................... 78

South Tule Eiver Ditch ............................................. 78

Wilcox Ditch.................................... '.... ............. 79

Piano Ditch ..........................................*............'.. 79

Vandalia Ditch ..................................................... 79

Rose Ditch.......................................................... 79

Ttfitchell, Springer & Rose Ditch .................................... "79

South Side Tule Eiver Canal........................................ 79

Fine Ditch.......................................................... 80

Callison Slough (Woods Central Ditch).............................. 81

Old English Ditch .................................................. 81

Stockton Ditch ..................................................... 81

Ball & Harris Ditch .........-...................'................... 82

Empire Ditch....................................................... 82

Woodville Ditch.................................................... 82
CONTENTS. 7

Tule River Continued.

Canals and ditches Continued. Page.

Tipton Ditch........................................................ 82

Janes Ditch......................................................... 83

Lone Oak Slough ................................................... 83

Hively Ditch........................................................ 83

Creech Ditch............ ....^....................................... 83

Rogers Lower Ditch ................................................ 83

Fancher Ditch...................................................... 83

Finney Ditch....................................................... 83

Swall Ditch ........................................................ 83

Gully Ditch ........................................................ 83

Swall &Wessling Ditch...............!............................ 84

Great American Ditch........................................... . 84

pleasant Valley Ditch............................................... 84

Pioneer Canal....................................................... 84

Traylor Ditch....................................................... 86

Porter Slough....................................................... 86

Hockett Ditch...................................................... 87

Wallace Ditch...................................................... 87

McGee, Putnam & Caldwell Ditch .................................. 87

Gilliam Ditch....................................................... 87

Hubbs& Miner Ditch............................................... 87

FulweQer and Hunsaker ditches..................................... 88

Pletts Ditch........................................................ 88

Thomas Ditch ...................................................... 88

Elrod Ditch......................................................... 88

Ray & Brown Ditch ................................................. 88

M. M. Burnett Ditch................................................ 88

Bond Ditch ......................................................... 89

Rogers Upper Ditch................................................. 89

Rogers Middle Ditch................................................ 89

Klein Ditch......................................................... . 89

Lamarsna Ditch ......................... ........................ 89

Bacigalupi Ditch ................................................... 89

Bacigalupi & Creighton Canal...................................... 89

TulareLake Canal.................................................. 90

Tule River irrigation district.......................................... 90

Tipton irrigation district.............................................. 91

Methods of irrigation................................................... 92

Pump irrigation at Lindsay................................................. ,94
ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page. 

PLATE I. Principal rivers of California...................................... 16

II. Flume across St. Johns Channel, Tulare irrigation district......... 24

III. Irrigation by checks in San Joaqnin Valley.................. ...... 28

IV. 4> Fnrrow irrigation of vines; B, Furrow irrigation of orchard.... 32

V. Furrow irrigation of grove........................................ 34

VI. Kern River delta.................................................. 36

Vfl. Kern River: A, Looking downstream from canyon; B, Two miles

below canyon,looking upstream................................. 40

VIII. Head of Kern Island Canal: A, Looking upstream; B, Looking downstream...... ..............r ...................................... 42

IX. Kern Island Canal regulator and waste gate: A, Looking upstream;

B, Looking downstream......................................... 44

X. A, Check weir or drop on Kern Island Canal; B, Kern River at head

of South Fork .................................................. 46

XI. Weir and regulator, head of Galloway Canal....................... 52

XII. A, Galloway Canal; B, Irrigating alfalfa in contour checks........ 54

XIII. A, Pioneer Canal weir; B, Pioneer Canal.......................... 56

XIV. Af Head flume, Poso irrigation district; B, Flume, Poso irrigation

district..................................._................... 76

XV. Map showing canals from Tule and Kaweah rivers................. 78

XVI. A, Regulator and waste way of South Side Tnle River Canal; B, 

f Regulator of Pioneer Canal..................................... 80

FIG. 1. Tulare Lake, near mouth of Mussel Slough, 1882................. . 17

2. Wildflooding ....................................................... 27

3. Flooding in contour checks...................... »....^.............. 28

4. Flooding in rectangular checks, not level............................ 80

5. Irrigation by filling subsoils with water, Mussel Slough country...... ' 34

6. Discharge of Kern River, California, 1894-95...... __............... 38

7. Head of Kern Island Canal.......................................... 46

8. Head of Galloway Canal ...1........................................ 52

! 9. Plan of head gate of Galloway Canal................................ 54

10. Section of head gate of Galloway Canal ............................. 55

11. Section of Pioneer (5anal regulator ........ ......................... 57

12. Head of James & Dixon Canal....................................... 58

13. Head of Kern Valley Water Company's canals ........................ 62

* 14. South Side Tule River Canal........................................ . 80

15. Head of Callison Slough and English Ditch.......................... 81

16. Head of Pioneer Canal.............................'................. 84

9
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 

DIVISION OF HYDROGRAPHY, 

Washington, July 1, 1898.

SIR : I have the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript entitled 

Irrigation near Bakersfield, California, prepared by Mr. 0. E. Grnnsky, 

and to recommend that it be published in the series of pamphlets on 

Water Supply and Irrigation. This paper is the first of three relating 

to San Joaquin Valley, the others being entitled, respectively, Irriga-' 

tion near Fresno, California (No. 18 of the series), and Irrigation near 

Merced, California (No. 19 of the series), these titles being somewhat arbitrarily given to indicate the relative geographic position of the areas 

described. These papers taken collectively are intended to exhibit the 

character of the development of irrigation in the southern part of the 

great valley of California, and to give the methods there employed and 

the results of the experience acquired through many years.

In this, the first paper, some space has been devoted to a general 

description of San Joaquin Valley as a whole, and of the irrigation districts which have been organized within it, the history of these being 

briefly outlined. There is also added a description of the methods of 

irrigation commonly employed, as this has especial interest in* connection with the more detailed statements regarding the individual canals 

and ditches. Following these more general matters Kern Eiver is 

taken up, its drainage basin is discussed, and each of the numerous 

systems of water supply depending upon the river is described at 

some length. Then the creeks lying to the north, Poso and Deer, are 

decribed, as well as Tule River.

Although a relatively high degree of development of irrigation has 

been reached in this part of the arid region, yet the results are far 

below the possibilities. By means of better methods of water conservation and distribution, and more effective modes of intensive agriculture, the population and wealth of San Joaquin Valley may be 

almost indefinitely increased.. A full discussion, therefore, of this interesting area has value not only as showing what may be, to a certain 

extent, accomplished elsewhere, but also as illustrating the fact that 

great progress can still be made in this area.

Very respectfully, F. H. NEWELL,

Hydrography in Charge.

Hon. CHARLES D. WALCOTT,

Director United States Geological Survey.

11
IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

By C. E. GBTTNSKY.

INTRODUCTION.

The historical and descriptive treatment of irrigation in San Joaquin 

Valley as here presented is based largely upon information collected 

by the State engineering department of California ten years ago. That 

department ceased to exist in independent form in 1888. Its work was 

to be completed by the State mineralogist, who daring the next two 

years was ex officio State engineer, and it was expected that a final 

report would be published, covering irrigation in central portions of 

the State, to supplement the two volumes already issued.1 But the 

third volume of the final report has not appeared, and much of the collected material has been lost or is in unserviceable form, and none of 

it is conveniently accessible. Under these circumstances the writer, 

who, as chief assistant State engineer from 1882 to 1887, had charge of 

the collection of irrigation data in the field now under consideration, 

and of its preliminary arrangement for publication, believes it timely 

to give to the public at least such benefit as may result from a delayed 

publication of a portion of the collected information. To this end use 

has been made of what is left of official records, notebooks, sketches, 

and fragmentary manuscript (principally of the writer's own preparation), taking therefrom and grouping whatever seemed of sufficient 

importance to justify publication.

The facts obtained from this source have been supplemented by the 

results of subsequent personal experience in the field, and by accounts 

of irrigation works and of experience obtained from persons of local 

prominence, as well as by information secured on a special trip through 

the region under discussion, made in the spring of 1897.

It remains to be said that portions of the river descriptions amj 

kindred matter have been taken from the report of the Examining 

Commission on Eivers and Harbors,2 frequently without credit, as the 

writer was a member of that commission and author of its descriptive 

chapters.

1 Irrigation Development, History, Oastoms, Laws, etc., in France, Italy, and Spain, by Wm. Ham. 

Hall, C. E., State Engineer, Sacramento, California, 1886; and Irrigation in California (Southern), 

Part 2 of Eeport of Wm. Ham. Hall, C. E., State Engineer of California, 1888.

2 Report Examining Commission on Eivers and Harbors to the Governor of California; C. I". Eeed, 

C. E. Grunsky, J. J. Crawford, commissioners; 1890.

13
14 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

It will be made apparent in these papers that irrigation development 

has been most rapid in those sections of the valley where rainfall is less 

than 10 inches a year and where water diversion from the streams is 

readily accomplished. There has been comparatively little irrigation 

in the great central valley northward from Merced River. This is due 

primarily to the greater natural fertility of the soils, resulting from 

more rainfall than, in the upper or southern portions of the valley, but 

also to the fact that the principal rivers are considerably depressed 

below the general upland level, making the diversion of water for upland 

irrigation often difficult and always expensive. Yineyard s and orchards 

in the lower portion of San Joaquin Yalley and throughout Sacramento 

Valley yield fairly well without irrigation, and the standard crop, 

whe»at, is rarely a complete failure. Protests have therefore at times 

been loud and emphatic against attempts to make water for irrigation 

available at general expense in this part of the great central valley of 

the State. Notwithstanding the active opposition which becomes 

manifest whenever the construction of comprehensive irrigation systems, such as would compel a modification of the present use of lands, 

is suggested, the spirit of unrest, discontent, and a desire to change 

conditions preponderates in many sections of the northern portion of 

the great central valley. This was demonstrated when opportunity 

was afforded to organize irrigation districts under the Wright law ten 

years ago. Seven out of eight districts proposed to the northward of 

Merced Eiver were speedily organized. This desire to change from 

dry farming to the more intense cultivation of the soil made possible 

by irrigation is evidenced, too, by the success of a number of small 

irrigation works in and adjacent to Sacramento Yalley. Among these 

are the irrigation ditches from Cache Creek, near Woodland, Moore 

Canal, Capay Ditch, and Adams Ditch. Thermalito, Palermo, and 

Orangevale may be cited as localities where the growth of citrus fruits 

is stimulated by the use of water. There is some irrigation from Stony 

Creek. Deer Creek supplies water for the great vineyard at Yina. 

Putah Creek is drawn upon for pump irrigation of a number of orchards 

and vineyards, and both stream and wind assist in raising ground 

water to the surface near Florin for the irrigation of orchards, vineyards, and gardens. It is not within the scope of this paper, however, 

to enumerate or describe the irrigation works of Sacramento Yalley, 

and they are referred to merely as illustrating the gradual growth of 

sentiment in favor of the irrigated farm. The backset which irrigation 

has received by the unsatisfactory operation of the irrigation-district 

law will, it is hoped, be only a temporary check of healthful development under extensive systems of canals that should make much of the 

water of our best rivers, now flowing unused to the sea, do duty as an 

aid to agriculture.

The author desires to express his appreciation of the many courtesies 

extended to him in all parts of the valley in the work of collecting data,
GBXJNBKY.] SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. 15

and to thank those who haye kindly contributed their knowledge of 

facts or have otherwise aided him or contributed material for this 

publication.

SAST JOAUm VALLEY.

San Joaquin Yalley is the southern and larger portion of California's 

great central valley which lies between the Sierra Nevada on the .east 

and the Coast Eange on the west. Its length, measured -along the 

axis of the valley, from near Stockton at its lower end to the base of the 

Tejon Mountains at its upper end, is 250 miles. The average breadth 

of the valley is over 40 miles. It is naturally divided into an east-side 

plain and a west-side plain, which slope with remarkable uniformity and 

smoothness of.surface from the base of the hills upon either side toward 

the valley trough. Of these plains, that upon the east side of the valley, at the base of the Sierra Nevada, is by far the more extensive and 

the more important.

In their original condition the uplands of the valley were almost treeless. A few groves of oaks, some of considerable extent, were confined 

to the lands watered by Calaveras and Mokelumne rivers and lesser 

streams near Stockton; to the black land near Merced, principally to 

that watered by Bear-and Mariposa creeks ; and to the deltas of Kings, 

Kaweah, and Tule rivers. Some timber, too, was found on the river. 

bottoms and on the submersible plain near the trough of the valley. 

Except where cottonwoods, willows, and occasional oaks or sycamores 

mark the course of the principal west-side creeks, all the unirrigated 

lands of the west-side plain and the abutting hills of the Coast Eange 

are bare of trees.

The area of San Joaquin Yalley is 11,500 square miles, which may 

be classified as follows: East-side plain, 7,700 square miles; west-side 

plain, 1,850 square miles; lands covered with water and lands subject 

to occasional inundation, about 1,950 square miles, of which 300 to over 

900 square miles, according to the stage of Tulare Lake, are lake 

surfaces.

The mountain watershed tributary to the valley, including Oosumnes 

Eiver, is 20,400 square miles in extent, of which less than one-fifth lies 

on the west, in the Coast Eange, more than four-fifths being to the east, 

"in the Sierra Nevada. Large rivers of perennial flow enter the valley 

from the east and cross the broad east-side plain, but on the west the 

numerous small creeks and gulches have no summer flow, and their 

channels are lost before they reach the main valley drain,

The valley maybe considered as again divided into three portions by 

low, flat ridges built of silt deposits made by two of the principal eastside rivers, Kern Eiver and Kings Eiver, but the lines of demarcation 

are not features of any prominence. In both cases there has been a 

gradual pushing forward of the river deltas until basins or depressions
16 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

have been formed above the crest line of each, thus giving rise to the 

Kern and Buena Vista lake basins in the one case and to the Tulare 

Lake basin in the other.

The former of these basins has never been one of sufficient capacity 

to prevent the annual outflow of Kern Eiver waters toward the north 

by way of Buena Vista Swamp into Tulare Lake. The latter, however, repeatedly and for many years at a time, even before there was 

any diversion of water from tributary rivers for irrigation, has been so 

insufficiently supplied with water that it failed to overflow. During 

such periods the entire drainage basin above Tulare Lake, including 

ordinarily a portion of the flow of Kings Eiver, is not tributary to San 

Joaquin Eiver, whose watershed area is then reduced to about 19,000 

square miles, of which about 7,500 square miles are valley lands, from 

which there is ordinarily little or no run-off.

Tulare Lake has frequently been under discussion as a source of 

water supply for irrigation. The following facts with reference to the 

fluctuations of its water surface will be of interest in connection with 

its availability for this purpose: In 1853, after several wet seasons, 

the lake was full, though probably not so high as subsequently, in 1862 

or in 1868. From 1853 until 1861 there was a gradual subsidence of the 

low-water stage of the lake. The rate at which this occurred can not 

now be determined. In the fall of 1861 the water surface of the lake 

<was at the elevation 204 feet above sea level (low water of Suisun Bay), 

if the testimony of residents at the lake at that time, in reference to the 

rise of water the following winter, can be relied upon. The unusually 

heavy rainfall of the winter of 1861-62 caused the lake to rise to the 

highest known stage 220 feet. Its area was increased from about 300 

to about 800 square miles, and 300 billion cubic feet, or 6,885,000 acrefeet, of water were added to its contents. It continued to overflow at 

lea'st until the spring of 1863, but then rapidly fell to about 11 or 12 

feet below its highest stage, which was its condition in the fall of 1867. 

The inflow of water during the wet winter of 1867-68 again brought 

the lake nearly, if, not quite, to the high-water stage of 1861-62."

The water surface fluctuated between 211 and 217 feet in the years 

1872 to 1876, then receded rapidly to the lowest known stage 192 feet 

in November, 1883. From that time to this the lake has not received 

sufficient water to cause it to overflow. It is generally believed that 

the diversion of water for irrigation purposes from Kern, Tule, Kaweah,* 

and Kings rivers has been the cause of the decrease of water volume 

in the lake, but this is not true. Although such diversion must produce some effect on the lake, the evidence that protracted low stages 

preceded the low stage of 1883 is conclusive. On the northeastern 

shore of the lake, close by the mouth of Mussel Slough, there is a group 

of tree stumps at an elevation of about 200 feet. These were found at 

the water's edge in 1882. They presented the appearance of having 

been broken off at a height of 3 to 4 feet above ground. They were
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. I

PRINCIPAL

j RIVERS

OF

I CALIFORNIA
18 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

Th'e Division of Hydrography of the United States Geological Survey has maintained a number of gaging stations in San Joaquin Yalley, 

and has published some of the results.1

The important streams which flow into San Joaquin Yalley are all 

Sierra Nevada streams. They appear in small capital letters in the 

following list of rivers and creeks which are tributary to the valley:

Area drained, in 

From Tejon Mountains: square miles.

Tejon Creek .........................I.................................. 64

Tecuya Creek........................................................... 40

Arroyo Plata............................................................ 32

San Emidio Creek....................................................... 69

From the Sierra Nevada:

Caliente Creek.......................................................... 423

KEEN RIVER ........................................................... 2,345

Poso Creek ............................................................. 289

White River ............................................................ 90

Deer Creek ............................................................. 110

TITLE RIVEE............................................................ 437

KAWEAH RIVER ........................................................ 619

KINGS RIVER............ ............................................... 1,742

SAN JOAQUIN RIVER.... ................................................ 1,637

Fresno River ........................................................... 272

ChowcMlla River....................................................... 268

Mariposa Creek ......................................................... 122

Bear Creek ............................................................. 166

MERCED RIVER.... ..................................................... 1, 076

TUOLUMNE ElVER ...................................................... 1,501

STANISLAUS RIVER...... ................................................ 1,051

Calaveras River...... .....................^............................l 491

MOKELTJMNE RlVER..................................................... 057

Dry Creek.............................................................. 283

COSUMNES RIVER..... .................................................. 580

From the Coast Range:

Los Gatos Creek ........................................................ 441

Cantua Creek.............................................. ............. 52

BigPanoche Creek...................................................... 289

Little Panoche Creek .'............................................__.... 106

Arroy o Ortigalitos .................................... .................. 64

Los Banos Creek........................................................ 151

San Luis Creek ......................................................... 88

Romero Creek .............................. ............................ 24

Quinto Creek...... ..................................................... 29

Las Garzas Creek ....................................................... 57

Orestimba Creek........................................................ 142

Arroyo de la Puerta..................................................... 77

Arroy o de los Piedras ........................ T .......................... 20

Hospital Creek.......................................................... 30

Corral Hollow Creek....... ............................................. 7&

Marsh Creek ................................................_......... 54

1 Twelfth Ann. Eept. U. S. Geol. Survey, Part II, 1891, pp. 316-323, Pis. LXXX-LXXXVIII; Bulletin

No. 131,1895, pp. 78-86; Bulletin No. 140, 1896, pp. 256-314; Eighteenth Ann. Eept. U. S. Geol. Survey. 

Part IV, 1897, pp. 371-396; Water-Snpply and Irrigation Paper No. 11, 1897, pp. 90-92; Water-Supply 

and Irrigation Paper No. 16, 1898, pp. 187-192.
GBUNSKIT.J CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY PROVISIONS. 19

WATER APPROPRIATION AND IRRIGATION DISTRICTS.

It is provided iu the constitution of the State of California adopted 

in 1878 that "the use of all water now appropriated, or that may hereafter be appropriated, for sale, rental, or distribution," is a public use, 

subject to regulation and control by the State, and that water rates 

are to be fixed annually by the governing bodies of counties and 

municipalities.

The civil code of the State says: " The right to the use of running 

water flowing-in a river or stream or down a canyon or ravine may be 

acquired by appropriation." But this right ceases when the water 

ceases to be applied to some useful or beneficial purpose. As between 

appropriators, the one first in time is the first in right.

The method .of making an appropriation and of giving notice of the 

water claim is thus prescribed:

. . . person desiring to appropriate water must post a notice, in writing, in a 

conspicuous place, at the point of intended diversion, stating therein: (1) That he 

claims the water there flowing to the extent of (giving the number) inches, measured under a four-inch pressure; (2) the purposes for which he claims it, and the 

place of intended use; (3) the means by which he intends to divert it, and the size 

of the flume, ditch, pipe, or aqueduct in which he intends to divert it. A copy of 

the notice must, within ten days after it is posted, be recorded in the office of the 

recorder of the county in which it is posted.

But the mere posting and recording of this claim to water confers no 

right upon the appropriator unless, within sixty days after the notice 

is posted, the construction of works is commenced and diligently prosecuted to completion. In that event, and in that only, are rights 

acquired, which then relate back to the time the notice was posted. 

Moreover, the water right secured under the notice and by construction of works should not be considered to be that defined in the notice, 

wherein the amount named is often absurdly exaggerated, or may be 

wholly unintelligible; but regard is to be had to the works and their 

capacity as actually constructed in interpreting the language of the 

claim.

Whole volumes have been filled in some of the counties of this State 

with records of claims to water, but there is no department of record 

except the courts in cases of conflict in which the1 facts relating to 

date of ditch or canal construction, location, dimensions, and capacity 

are or can be preserved. Where the recollection of the oldest inhabitant is often the only source of information, it is extremely difficult to 

trace the history of irrigation works, and information obtained from 

owners must be treated with some caution.-

This condition of public records in the matter of water appropriation 

should be remedied at once. The State needs a permanent department 

whose duty it will be to determine the necessary facts; as well as may 

be, with reference to every water appropriation and to define the rights
20 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

of the several appropriators. There are, of course, many other duties 

with which such a department might be charged, but it is not proposed 

to enlarge upon the matter at this time.

After denning the method of appropriating water, as above explained, 

it was until 1887 further provided in the civil code that "the rights of 

riparian proprietors are not affected by the provisions of this title." 

Notwithstanding the repeal of this particular section of the code, all 

appropriations of water must necessarily remain subject to whatever 

rights are vested in the bank-land owners.

The first attempt to combine ownership of land and control of water 

for irrigation in corporations with municipal functions appears in an act 

to promote irrigation, which was approved by the governor of California on April 1,1872. This act was a precursor of the irrigation-district 

law now in force, and provided for the formation of irrigation districts 

on petition of land owners, and for the construction of works with money 

secured by assessment of benefits upon the lands in the districts. The 

affairs of the districts were to be managed by boards of trustees.

This law was restricted in its operation to a part of the State, and 

remained practically inoperative.' Four years later a special law was 

passed authorizing the formation of the "West Side irrigation district," for which elaborate surveys and studies were made and which 

was to have been largely dependent upon Tulare Lake as a. source of 

supply. Notwithstanding the recommendation of its engineers and 

of the commissioners in charge of the matter, the project failed, and 

district control of water for irrigation purposes was again deferred until 

the Wright law (named after its author, Mr. 0.0. Wright, of Modesto) 

was passed, in 1887. Much has been hoped from this new law authorizing the formation of irrigation districts. The prime object of the law 

is to unite ownership of land and water. It is provided that, upon a 

petition of landowners, lands susceptible of irrigation by the same system of works may be included within the boundaries of a district, 

which, upon ratification by a vote of the electors therein, is endowed 

with municipal functions for the specific purpose of securing and 

distributing water for irrigation.

The affairs of each district are managed by a board of directors, 

one of whom is elected from each of the five divisions into which the 

district is ordinarily divided, and until recently amended the law 

required that each director must be a resident of the particular 

division of the district by which he was elected. These requirements 

have recently been modified to the extent that, on the basis of the 

petition for the formation of the district, only three divisions may be 

formed, and that the electron of the directors may be at large. This 

was done to overcome difficulties encountered in finding suitable 

persons to serve as directors in sparsely settled districts. Powers are 

conferred upon the directors to do everything that may be necessary 

to carry out the intent of the law and to secure and distribute the
IRRIGATION DISTRICTS. 21

water required for their respective districts. As soon as the probable 

cost of the works is determined they fix the amount of bonds necessary 

to be issued, and the question of bond issue is submitted to the qualified 

electors of the district. Work on district canals is ordinarily doneby contract, but may also be done by day labor. It was originally 

prescribed by law that bonds should not be sold at less than 9ft per 

cent, and as the law now stands no sales are to be made at less than 

par. The bonds may also be used in paying for completed canals and 

for water rights and rights of way, but are not to be used for defraying 

expenses of operation and management.

Difficulties were soon encountered in the application of this law. 

Almost at the outset it was found that when the exterior boundaries 

had been fixed by the county supervisors on petition of landowners-and 

the testimony of volunteer witnesses, there was no certainty that correct conclusions had been reached, and the irrigation project assumed 

to be feasible in advance of an engineering investigation might still be 

grievously at fault. When taxes were to be collected to meet expenses 

of examination and surveys, active opposition often became manifest 

and payments were in many cases greatly delayed. The validity of-the 

law was called into question and was passed upon repeatedly by State 

courts, and finally by the Supreme Court of the United States, which 

only recently rendered the decision which conclusively established its 

validity.

Meanwhile many of the districts which commenced operations under 

favorable auspices had adopted plans and issued bonds which had 

been offered for sale with more or less success. The hope that full 

confidence in the successful operation of the law would be speedily 

established and that the 6 per cent bonds would soon sell above par 

was not realized, and despite favorable decisions in the superior courts, 

confirmatory of the proceedings in individual districts, and favorable 

action by the supreme court of the State, the bonds did not sell readily. 

The districts that had been most active in pushing the work on their 

canals then found themselves in a somewhat peculiar position. The 

construction funds maintained by the proceeds of bond sates were 

depleted, the canals and structures were incomplete and of no use 

until completed, and to current expenses had been added the annual 

interest and sinking fund account on bonds already sold.

It is hardly surprising that, 'pending a final decision by the highest 

tribunal of the country a decision which was not secured until nine 

 years after the enactment of the law every resource was exhausted 

by some of the district managements to "continue operations and to 

derive benefit from completed or nearly completed works. The law 

requiring bonds to be sold at 90 per cent or more was, in some instances, 

evaded by selling without requiring the purchaser to guarantee that 

bonds would be taken as offered. Contracts were then awarded, often 

without more than nominal competition, and at fates far in excess of
22 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. EHO.IT.

cash value, it being generally understood that the money paid in for 

any block of bonds quickly returned to the contractors, in exchange 

for warrants for work performed or material furnished. In other cases 

ditches were built under supervision of the district engineer by private parties, and after completion were bought by the irrigation district 

for bonds, which were thus legally disposed of without a direct sale. 

The cost of works under such conditions necessarily became greater 

than if all could have been constructed for cash. Sometimes, too, first 

estimates of cost were too small to complete the system of works even 

under ordinary conditions, so that supplemental bond issues had to be 

resorted to, or will yet be necessary, to complete and put the irrigation 

systems into service.

It is found, too, that the introduction of water into a new district 

generally brings disappointment. The farmer is not prepared to make 

immediately full use of the water. Its mere presence in the main canals 

and laterals is not a guaranty of good crops, and he is often slow to 

adapt himself to the new methods of farming that become necessary. 

So the burden put upon the farmer in the shape of increased taxation 

brings no quick return, and, even under comparatively favorable conditions, dissatisfaction is likely to result.

In the light of ten years' experience the conclusion seems justified 

that, though endeavoring to establish a correct principle, the law has 

not been uniformly successful in its operation. State supervision by a 

competent board of public works, which has the confidence of the 

people, is a first requirement. This supervision should not be a mere 

nominal one, but district boundaries and preliminary plans of works 

should emanate from a department of that character, and no plans 

should be finally adopted without its approval. Such board should 

serve the several districts at least in an advisory capacity when required 

to do so, thereby guaranteeing, as far as may be possible, an adequate 

source of water supply and an adequate canal system. The bonds of 

every district should be guaranteed by the State, and all bond sales 

should be made by the State, so that district construction work may 

always be done on a cash basis.

Bond issues, after being declared necessary by the directors of any 

district, are voted upon by the qualified electors of the district. 

Operations under the law would have been safer and would have commanded greater confidence if the right t'o vote on all questions involving the expenditure of money or the incurring of an indebtedness 

could have been restricted to the landowners or the taxpayers of each 

district. The question of material benefit would in most cases be safer 

in their hands than if left to a popular vote, which, as the law now 

stands, is often largely cast by a floating population.

Under the district law the operating expenses are raised either" by 

the levying of an assessment (which must be ratified by a vote) or by 

charges established by the directors for the use of the water.
GETINSKT.] IRRIGATION DISTRICTS. 23

There are several irrigation districts in San Joaquin Yalley in which 

canal systems have been brought into actual service, but, as above 

intimated, the operation of the system does not give general satisfaction. The irrigation districts of the great central valley of California 

are here briefly enumerated. Those of San Jpaquiu Yalley will again 

be taken up and treated more fully in connection with the irrigation 

works dependent upon a common source of supply.

Kraft irrigation district. This is the most northerly of the several 

districts in Sacramento Yalley, and is situated on the north side of 

Stony Creek. It was organized in 1888. Its area is 13,500 acres. 

Stony Creek was to be the source of supply, and bonds to the extent of 

$80,000 were voted. No bonds were sold, all debts were paid, and no 

further action under the law is contemplated.

Orland South Side irrigation district. This district, in Sacramento 

Yalley, was organized in 1888 and is situated on the south side of 

Stony Creek, directly opposite Kraft district. It has an area of about 

26,000 acres and was to be dependent upon Stony Creek for a water 

supply. No bonds were sold, although $100,000 had been voted. The 

district organization is dead.

Central irrigation district. This is the most important district iu 

Sacramento Yalley. It extends southerly from near Stony Creek lor. a 

distance of about 40 miles, being situated on the west side of the valley, between the base of the Coast Eange foothills and the valley 

trough, and having an average width of about 4 miles. Its area is 

156,550 acres: Sacramento Eiver is the contemplated source of supply. The district was organized in 1887. Estimated cost of works, 

not including rights of way or litigation,'was $538,000. Bonds were 

issued to the extent of $750,000, of which about $200,000 remain 

unsold. No work has been done since 1891.

Colusa irrigation district. This is a Sacramento Yalley irrigation 

district, which has remained inactive. It was organized in 1888, on the 

west side of Sacramento Eiver, intermediate between the river and 

Central district. Its area is about 100,000 acres, and the bonds voted 

were $600,000, but no bonds were sold. The proposed source of water 

supply was Sacramento River, it being intended to use the upper section of a main canal in common with Central irrigation district.

College City irrigation district (proposed). This was to be a third 

district, dependent upon the canal which was to divert water from 

Sacramento River for Central district. Its organization was under 

contemplation in 1889, but it failed. It was practically a proposed 

southward extension of Central district.

Browns Valley irrigation district. This irrigation district, organized 

in 1888, is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, on the east 

side of Sacramento Yalley. k It has an area of 43,000 acres. Water for 

its irrigation is diverted from Tuba Eiver. The bonds voted and sold
24 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [»°.17.

amount to $110,000. The irrigation system was completed and is in 

service.

Modesto irrigation district. This district is situated in San Joaquin 

VaDey, between Stanislaus and Tuolumne rivers. It was organized in 

1887 With an area of about 120,000 acres. To cut down cost of works 

necessary for its irrigation this area was reduced to 81,500 acres by omitting high uplands in the northeastern portion of the original district. 

After protracted conferences with Turlock district an arrangement was 

entered into whereby the two districts were to construct a great 

masonry weir or diverting dam in Tuolumne Eiver in common, the cost 

of which was to be apportioned to the two districts in equal shares. 

The district voted bonds to the amount of $800,000 in 1888, which have 

all been disposed of. A further bond issue of $350,000 has been voted 

to complete the main canal and to construct distributaries.

Turlock irrigation district. This irrigation district is situated on the 

south side of Tuolumne Eiver and embraces the greater portion of the 

upland or east-side plain of San Joaquin Valley between Tuolumne 

and Merced rivers, of which the former is to be the source of water 

supply. It has an area of 176,000 acres. Bonds to the amount of 

$600,000 were voted soon after the organization of the district, in 

1887, and construction work was actively pushed. A second issue of 

bonds, to the amount of $600,000, was found necessary, and the main 

canals will probably be completed within a reasonable time.

Madera irrigation district. This district, organized in 1888, is situated on the east side of San Joaquin Valley to the 'north of San 

Joaquin Eiver. Its area is 305,000 acres. San Joaquin Eiver was to 

supply water for the district. Bonds to the amount of $850,000 were 

voted, but none were sold. After much litigation it was finally 

decided to abandon all further proceedings under the district organization.

Selma irrigation district. The lands watered by Fowler Switch and 

Centerville and Kingsburg canals have been united in Selma irrigation 

district. They are situated on the east-side San Joaquin Valley plain, 

on the north, «ide of Kings Eiver. It was proposed to acquire by purchase the two canals mentioned. The district was organized in 1890. 

Bonds were to be issued to the amount of $1,000,000, but this bond 

'issue was twice defeated.

Alto, irrigation district. This district is situated on th& south side 

of Kings Eiver, and has an area of 130,000 acres. It was organized 

in 1888, and bonds to the amount of $676,000 were voted, of which 

$410,000 were paid for the " Seventy-six * canal system, which has 

thus become the district canal. Its water comes from Kings Eiver. 

Permanent head works and a number of distributing canals are yet 

to be constructed.

Tnlare irrigation district. This district lies in the delta of Kaweah 

Eiver, encompassing the town of Tulare. It was organized in 1889, and
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 1? PL.

FLUME ACROSS ST. JOHNS CHANNEL, TULARE IRRIGATION DISTRICT.
IRRIGATION DISTRICTS. 25

has an area of 39,200 acres. Bonds to the amountof $500,000 were voted, 

of which about $300,000 were paid for existing canals, reservoir site, 

and water rights, and .the remainder went toward the construction of 

branch canals. Kaweah Eiver is the source of water supply.

Tule River irrigation district. This district is situated in the delta, of 

Tule Eiver. Bonds were originally voted to the extent of $90,000, and 

a second issue of $10,000 soon followed. This district was organized in 

1891. It has an area of about 22,000 acres and takes water from Tule 

Eiver.

Tipton irrigation district. This district is situated to the south of 

Tule Eiver, from which it was to be supplied with water. The bonds 

voted amount to $50,000. These bonds and unpaid warrants to the 

amount of $15,000 were necessary to complete a canal system, which is 

temporarily out of service by order of the court.

Poso irrigation district. This is another of the east-side San Joaquin 

Valley districts. It is situated in Kern County, northward from Kern 

Eiver, on the north side of Poso Creek, which is its source of water 

supply. It has an area of 40,000 acres, and bonds were voted to the 

amount of $500,000. It is one of the districts in which land is almost 

valueless without irrigation. Its sparse population is indicated by the 

fact that only 24 votes were cast on the question of district organization, and only 35 on the bond issue. Works are still incomplete, though 

a portion of the district has water. All bonds have been disposed of.

Kern and Tulare irrigation district. This district lies in Kern and 

Tulare counties. It was organized in 1890, and was to have been supplie<iwith water diverted from Kern Eiver. Its area is 84,300 acres. 

The bonds voted amounted to $700,000. Although about $40,000 were 

expended in preliminary work, there has been no canal-construction 

work done by the district.

Huron irrigation district. This is a west-side district, situated near 

the base of the Coast Bange foothills, to the northwest of Tulare Lake. 

The district was organized in 1891, and was to be irrigated with water 

developed largely from the subsurface flow of Los Gatos Creek. It 

has sold no bonds, and no construction work has been done.

Sunset irrigation district. This is a very large district, embracing a 

long, narrow strip of land on the west side of San Joaquin Yalley. It 

extends northward from Tulare Lake about 60 miles, and has an area 

of 363,400 acres. It was organized in 1889. Bonds were voted to the 

amount of $2,000,000, and some of these have been issued in return for 

water rights and rights of way. A contract has been let aggregating 

$1,500,000 for the construction of its works, and operations under it 

were to begin soon after a favorable decision on the district law by the 

Supreme Court of the United States. It is understood that the contractor is now ready to proceed under tiis contract.
26 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

METHODS OF IRRIGATION.

Although water was used for the irrigation of mission gardens in 

California more than one hundred years ago, irrigation may still be 

regarded as a new art in this State. Irrigation development was not 

rapid until within the last twenty years, and methods of irrigation are 

the result in most cases of attempts to adapt to local conditions the 

methods in use elsewhere. There was no incentive at the outset to 

prevent waste, so that the method adopted was very often determined 

by first cost of land preparation. As the duty of water was gradually 

raised and the supply allotted per acre of land became smaller, more 

attention was given to the method of use, and particularly to the 

reduction of waste. The degree of attention which the suppression of 

waste receives depends also upon the value of the products of the soil. 

This has led to the introduction of extensive pipe systems in southern 

counties of the State for water distribution to irrigators, as well as its 

delivery on individual tracts at the exact spots where wanted for use. 

But in San Joaquin Valley, where the volumes of water under control are larger and cultures are generally on a lower scale of value 

than farther south, the use of pipes is still out of the question. The 

methods here adopted are more or less perfectly adapted to the peculiarities of climate, soil, and physical features of the tracts irrigated, 

but vary within wide limits according to the caprice of the individual 

irrigators.

The methods of irrigation in San Joaquin Yalley may be classified 

as follows: 

Irrigation by flooding.

Irrigation from furrows.-

Irrigation by saturation of subsoils.

Irrigation from subsurface conduits.

Cereals are generally irrigated by flooding or by saturation of subsoils, sometimes by the furrow method; alfalfa is irrigated by flooding 

or by saturation of subsoils; fruits and vines are irrigated by any of 

the methods enumerated; and vegetables, generally from furrows.

Wild flooding. Water is made to escape over the banks of small 

ditches constructed on the highest ground, and is controlled in its flow 

over the surface to be irrigated by attendants. The supply ditch is 

either at the highest margin of the tract to be irrigated or follows 

along ridge summits. Water is turned from it into irrigating ditches, 

which are usually very shallow depressions with flat embankments on 

their lower sides, over which the water flows in a thin sheet. It is 

controlled as much as possible by attendants, who try to force it over 

the entire surface intermediate between irrigating ditches. Surplus 

water accumulates in the lower ditches and is used again. The preparation of the ground for irrigation by wild flooding is very inexpensive, but the cost of applying the water, owing to constant attendance
GKtTNSKT.] WILD FLOODING. 27

required, is relatively great. One attendant is expected to irrigate 

from 1 to 2 acres a day. The irrigating ditches and their embankments are usually so flat that they do not interfere with farming operations. This method of irrigation is to be regarded' as somewhat 

primitive and is used but little.

Flooding in contour checks. The land to be irrigated is divided into 

compartments or checks, each of which is entirely surrounded by 

embankments of earth. The principal embankments follow contour 

lines, the vertical distance from one contour levee to the next being 

uniform. The contour interval usually selected is 6 to 9 inches, rarely 

so great as 1 foot. It depends in all cases upon the surface slop'e of 

the ground to be prepared for irrigation, and should be less than 6

Fig. 2. Wild flooding.

inches if the ground is sufficiently flat to permit such an arrangement 

without making the individual checks too small. For ground on a 

slope that would require levees more than 1 foot apart in elevation 

some other method of irrigation should be adopted. The strips of land 

between the contour levees are subdivided by cross levees'into compartments of convenient size, which are generally called "checks." 

Their area should vary according to the volume of water available, a 

good rule for porous soils'being not to exceed one-fourth of an acre for 

each second-foot when a large head of water is available, and to make 

half an acre per second-foot the limit for a small supply.

Water is supplied to the several checks in turn from highest to lowest in each series' between cross levees. The irrigating ditch which
28 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKEESFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. 17.

leads off from the supply canal is usually carried in the direction of 

greatest slope, cutting the several contour levees nearly at right angles. 

Irrigation commences by turning a full head of crater into the upper 

check upon one side of the irrigating ditch. This should be filled in 

from one to six hours. In the full check water should be barely over 

the highest portion of the ground, but 6 inches to 1 foot deep in 

the lowest portion of the check, according to contour interval. The 

contour levee should have its top about half a foot above the water 

surface of a full check. When the upper check is entirely submerged, 

gates are opened from the irrigating ditch into the next lower check, 

those admitting water to the upper check are closed, and one or more

MA/JV CANAf.

FIG. 3. Flooding in contour checks.

gates in the contour levee between the two checks are opened to permit the surplus water from the first to drain into and assist in submerging the second one. This will require less time to fill than the first, 

because the supply of water from the ditch is augmented by the runoff from the upper check.

The irrigating ditches frequently replace cross levees, so that water 

can be admitted to a check from both sides at once.

When the average time required to fill checks on sandy soils exceeds 

three hours, it may generally be assumed that water is wasted; either 

the checks are too large or there is not enough water turned in. Heavy 

soils, however, do not take up water rapidly, and, aside from requir-
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SUftVlV vWlTER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL, Ill

IRRIGATION BY CHECKS IN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.
FLOODING IN CONTOUB CHECKS. - 29

ing more time to absorb water, they do not permit its flow to subsoils 

so readily as do sandy soils, consequently more time may be allowed to 

fill a check in clayey soil without undue waste. Twenty-four hours 

should be regarded as the permissible limit..

Checks are occasionally very large. One was found in service under 

the Galloway Canal having an area of 60 acres. The water supplied to 

it was reported to have been as great as 250 second-feet. Such areas 

in one check are never advisable and are merely temporary features of a 

growing system. Eight ;o 10 acre checks are large, and those of 2 to 

5 acres are generally preferred.

Embankments around the checks may be either permanent or temporary. The latter are rare. Permanent check levees are made of two 

types, either with very steep sides and narrow tops, so as to occupy as 

little space as possible, or very broad and flat, so as not to interfere 

with farming operations. The flat embankment becomes a part of the 

cultivated area and generally is the most productive part of the irrigated field. It is constructed by scraping up material from a broad 

area on both sides if the ground is nearly level, or from the lower side 

only if the ground is comparatively steep. The cost of preparing land 

for this method of irrigation in permanent checks ranges from $2.50 to 

$5 per acre, the cost of the necessary distributing canals, ditches, and 

structures from $3 to $5 per acre. These figures, of course, may be 

greatly exceeded if the ground has too great a slope or is very much 

broken by hogwallows, or swales and ridges. Irrigation by this method 

is much less expensive than by wild flooding. The only work required 

of attendants is the opening and closing of gates and the guarding of 

the check levees. When ground is well prepared for this method of 

irrigation and the supply of water is abundant, the cost of each application of water will range from 3 to 30 cents per acre. The best 

examples of irrigation by this method are found on Kern Island; under 

Galloway Canal; on Buena Vista farm, watered by the Kern Valley 

Water Company's canals; near Borden and Madera; on the Eiverside, 

Columbia, and Chowchilla ranches, irrigated by the Chowchilla Canal; 

on the west side of the San Joaquin, under the San Joaqnin and Kings 

Eiver Canal; and at various other points.

Flooding in rectangular checks, not level. The subdivision into compartments of the land to be irrigated is carried out on straight lines, 

and levees are built on these lines. The subdivision may be planned 

with some regard to the direction of-the contour lines and lines of 

greatest slope, or these may be entirely ignored. The advantage of 

this system over subdivision or contour lines is better conformity with 

property limits and culture borders, but it has many disadvantages 

when the surface of the ground is not very smooth. Levees are not 

uniform in dimension, as is the case with the principal levees under the 

contour system. It is difficult to avoid leaving low spots, which, interfere with thorough drainage, and the first cost of land preparation is
30 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. 17.

generally somewhat greater than when contour levees are used. The 

method of applying water is substantially the same as in the case of 

contour-check irrigation. Flooding progresses in the direction from 

highest to lowest ground.

A good example of this method of irrigation is to be seen on the 

Kohler, West & Minturn tract, near Minturn. The soil is a light, 

sandy loam, underlain by a hardpan, which is near the surface at the 

eastern limit of the tract, but which dips westward. The soil water is 

about 14 feet below the surface. When irrigation is in progress 

with a full head of water (about 16 second-feet is so considered by its 

owners), six men are required to manipulate gates and guard check 

levees. These attendants work in two shifts of three, each for twelve

\ * i r* i

FIG. 4. Flooding in rectangular checks, not level.

hours. The progress made is at the rate of about 20 acres a day. 

On the same tract some land is subdivided on the contour plan. 

Where this is the case the rate of progress is nearly twice as great, 

but this difference in the duty of water is not to be ascribed solely to 

the method of irrigation; the rectangular checks are in the western 

portion of the tract, where soil is lightest and deepest, and where duty 

of water is naturally least.

Flooding in level checks. The surface of the ground in each compartment is made perfectly level and smooth. In such cases the check 

levees are low. Checks are made small to reduce cost of land preparation. The amount of material to be moved when the original surface is
FLOODING IN LEVEL CHECKS. ' 31

smooth increases with the square of the dimension of the checks in the 

direction of greatest slope. All checks are usually made rectangular. 

Land preparation for this method of irrigation is always expensive, 

but'where the surface needs special treatment, as in the ease of the 

knolly or "hogwallow" lands, the excess of cost over other methods is 

inconsiderable. The first irrigators near Fresno adopted this method, 

and it has long remained in favor in that locality. The first' application of water was often accompanied by peculiar phenomena, notably in 

the nature of an irregular surface settlement, due in part to a copious 

flow from the surface in to subsoils, which often caused a general breaking down of the surface. In refilling the depressions caused by the first 

wetting a level plane was established for each cheek, regardless of the 

nature of the crop to be irrigated, and this system of leveling the 

ground in each check has become a characteristic feature of irrigation 

near Fresno.

The area of the checks is made small, generally less than 1 acre, 

usually one-quarter to one-half acre. Water is admitted to the several 

checks from small irrigating ditches, and is shut oif as soon as it has 

spread over the whole surface of each. There is ordinarily no drainage from level checks. All water admitted to each is allowed to sink 

into the soil. Not more than three hours should be required to fill a 

check with water, soil being ordinary sandy loam. If more time is 

required the supply of water should be increased or the size of the 

check should be reduced.

In 1882 an irrigator near Fresno was observed irrigating four small 

checks of alfalfa. His water supply was small, only 2.26 second-feet. 

Instead of turning all the water in turn into the several checks, he 

apportioned it to the four, and the time to fill them was ten hours, 

whereas not more than an hour apiece would have been required had 

they been filled one after the other.

The cost of preparing land for this method of irrigation, including 

the necessary small ditches and gates, ranges from about $15 to $50 

per acre. The cost of applying water is inexpensive. The attendant 

in charge usually has time for other work, it being ordinarily only 

necessary to turn the water off and on.

Flooding between parallel levees. This is a recent modification of the 

primitive system of wild flooding, especially adapted to such cultures as 

alfalfa and growing cereals. Low parallel embankments, generally 50 

to 100 feet apart, are constructed in the direction of the land's greatest 

slope. "Water is delivered, at the upper end of a strip of land between 

two of these embankments, into a ditch whose downstream bank is 

usually raised slightly alcove the general surface of the ground, and is 

made level. Enough waiter is admitted to this ditch to cause an overflow of 1 to 2 inches over this bank, and this overflow is maintained 

until water reaches the lower end of the strip of land. Ordinarily the 

water >will spread from levee to levee. If it shows too great tendency
32 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

to concentrate on fixed lines, and fails to spread, it is intercepted with 

other ditches or depressions similar to the one at the head of the strip 

of land, and the flow from levee to levee again becomes uniform.

All embankments are ordinarily very low and flat, so that farming 

operations will not be interfered with. The cost of land preparation 

for this method is about $5 to $10 per acre.

Furrow irrigation. The method of irrigation by running water in 

furrows or small temporary ditches made with the plow is a common 

one in San Joaquin Valley. It is the method generally adopted for the 

irrigation of fruits, vines, vegetables, hops, or other cultures usually 

arranged in parallel rows. Water is allowed to flow in furrows, from 

which it sinks into the soil, being most readily absorbed by the upper 

layers which have been loosened by plowing. Occasionally drainage 

is combined with furrow irrigation; more frequently, however, no attention is paid to drainage, the aim being to supply to each furrow only 

the amount of water that will be absorbed by the soil. The flooding 

of portions of the ground's surface, as by the furrow methods, compacts 

the soil, thereby facilitating the return of moisture from below the 

surface, where it evaporates. To destroy the capillary action of the 

surface layer, it is necessary to use the hoe or some other implement 

before it becomes too dry and baked.

Furrow irrigation of cereals. Cereals are not ordinarily irrigated by 

the furrow method, but this method of rapidly supplying moisture to a 

grain field not specially prepared for irrigation has often been resorted 

to when conditions seemed to justify a special effort to save a parching 

crop. Sometimes, too, land is wet in the fall of the year, before sowing, 

by this method.

If the slope of the ground's surfape be not too great the furrows, 

which are generally deep, single plow furrows, are run in the direction 

of the slope. They are placed 8 to 12 feet apart, according to the 

porosity of $he soil. Water is admitted into them from small ditches, 

generally crossing them at intervals of 100 to 200 yards. The irrigation 

commences at the highest part of the field. Water is admitted into a 

number of furrows at the same time, and the flow is checked or aided 

in each by an attendant, so as to keep progress uniform and to 

accomplish a general soaking of the ground's surface. This system of 

irrigation involves much labor and careful watching. It is relatively 

expensive. Should the surface of the ground have too great slope, the 

plow farrows are drawn across the direction of greatest slope on predetermined grade lines. As soon as irrigation is complete the furrows 

are plowed in, so that they niay not interfere with farming operations.

Furrow irrigation of permanent cultures. The usual method of irrigating trees, vines, or plants set out in rows is to allow water to flow 

between the rows in plow furrows or small ditches. When rows are far 

apart, two or more furrows are drawn between rows; ordinarily, however, one deep furrow between each two rows is preferred. The
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. IV

A, FURROW IRRIGATION OF VINES.

B. FURROW IRRIGATION OF ORCHARD
FURROW IRRIGATION. SB

direction of furrows is not always restricted to that of rows of trees, 

etc., but may be determined by other considerations, such as slope of 

the ground's surface. Small ditches surrounding individual trees or 

plants are sometimes connected with the irrigation furrows. It is 

better to prevent the water from standing around trunks of trees, bat 

no rigid rule can be laid down; the spacing of irrigation furrows is 

governed by the character of the soil to be irrigated, and is determined 

for each locality by experience.

Water is usually turned into a number of the irrigation furrows at 

the same time. At the lower end it may be received into a drain ditch 

which carries it off for further use. The time required for irrigation 

from each furrow is somewhat indefinite, but the endeavor is always 

made not to let water flow longer than may be necessary to give a 

reasonable supply to the soil. The several furrows are generally less 

than 300 feet long. Irrigation progresses from highest to lowest portion of the tract to be irrigated. This method of irrigation is in general 

use without regard to character of soil,, but gives particularly good 

results on comparatively heavy soils which do not absorb water rapidly. 

When soils are porous and take water from the furrows freely, the 

furrows are kept shorter than in heavier soils.

Furrow irrigation in level checks. When, a few years ago, it was 

feared that the ravages of the phylloxera might extend into the vineyards of Fresuo County, it was deemed advisable by some vineyardists 

to.set out all vines in checks which could be completely submerged. 

Fortunately such submersion, to combat the phylloxera, has never 

become necessary. ^ But the preparation of the ground for flooding, in 

checks led to a new method of applying water to the land. From a 

supply ditch, water is admitted into a small ditch upon one side of each 

check, and from this small ditch it enters deep horizontal furrows 

which have been drawn between each two rows of vines. As soon as 

water has filled all tlie furrows irrigation is complete, and the accumulated water is allowed to sink into the ground. No drainage is combined with, this method of applying water.

Furrow irrigation of vegetables. Where irrigations are to be frequently repeated, as in the case of such products as vegetables, berries, 

etc., each row of plants is generally set on a ridge a few inches to a 

foot in height. The length of the rows is varied according to slope of 

the ground in their direction. The depression between each two rows 

is utilized as a furrow, which generally receives very little or no fall 

from end to end. Water is supplied to one'end of a set of such parallel 

depressions, and rises in these to near-the height of intervening ridges. 

It is generally allowed to soak into the ground without drainage.

Irrigation by filling subsoils with water. The success of farming with 

irrigation in the Mussel Slough country has attracted particular attention to this method of irrigation. As soon as water was introduced in 

the canal systems of these very flat lands of the Kings Biver delta, it

IBE. 17 3
34 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

was found that spots quite remote from the canals and ditches became 

moist, and that it was not necessary, as in other portions of the valley, 

to apply water to the surface of the ground. This wetting of the lands 

was attributed to lateral percolation. Soils were supposed to possess 

some peculiar property which facilitated the transmission of moisture 

horizontally, and it took a number of years to make clear to the irri-

. Ground Water before Initiation Commenced(1870).

Era. 5. Irrigation by filling snbsoils with water, Mnssel Slongh conntry; map and section.

gators what actually did take place. The soil water of that region 

before the construction of irrigation canals was at 10 to 18 feet below 

the surface; now it does not fall below 8 feet. It is kept under control 

by regulation of the supply in the irrigation ditches and by a natural 

subsurface drainage, which, as indicated by the slope of the groundwater plane, may be into Tulare Lake.
U. S. GiSiddifcAL suftvEV WATEH-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. V

FURROW IRRIGATION OF GROVE.
GBCKSKT.] FILLING OF SUBSOILS WITH WATEE. 3.5

This system of irrigation involves but little more than the introduction of water into irrigating ditches in the spring, when the supply is 

most abundant in river and canals. Irrigating ditches for this purpose 

are generally constructed about an eighth of a mile apart. They are 

either permanent or only temporary features of the irrigation system. 

They receive a very light grade, in order that they may be maintained 

full, with water flowing sluggishly. 

The water sinking from main canals and distributaries and from the. 

irrigating ditches causes a general rise of the ground waters to within 

2 or 3 feet of the surface. This occurs late in April or early in May, 

and as soon as moisture can be detected in the low spots of any field 

its irrigation for the season is complete.

Careful inquiry in the Kings Eiver delta established the fact that 

before 1870 that is, before the construction of irrigation works in that 

section of the valley the depth to ground water was very generally 

15 to 18 feet. It approached to within 10 feet only at a few points 

nearest the valley trough. It is now kept fluctuating between the 

limits already indicated, approaching to within 2 to 4 feet of the surface in spring and then settling down to about 8 feet late in the fall.

Irrigation by this method can not be restricted to particular tracts 

of land; its benefits may extend far beyond any individual tract to be 

irrigated, and it has frequently happened that lands lying between 

irrigated farms have derived the full benefit of irrigation without 

contributing to its cost.

The preparation of land for this method of irrigation is inexpensive, 

the only necessary cost being the construction of the small ditches. 

Very little attendance during irrigation is required. Alfalfa lands are 

sometimes prepared for flooding in order that gophers may be killed, 

when necessary, by a complete submersion of the cultivated tracts.

The advantages already indicated for this method of irrigation are 

offset by a decided disadvantage. The rising water brings to the surface alkaline salts, which gradually accumulate and may render unfit 

for cultivation soils that were originally entirely free from an excess 

of objectionable salts. Something has been said on this subject in 

treating of irrigation works in the Mussel Slough country (see page 17).

It remains to be added that the rise of the water table near Fresno 

has been so pronounced, as a result of the extension of the irrigation 

systems, that many of the tracts which were originally prepared for 

irrigation by some other method are now so wet that they are in need 

of drainage. On many others the application of water to the surface 

has ceased.

Subirrigation, or irrigation from subsurface conduits. This method of 

applying water to land has not been so satisfactory as was hoped, but, 

having been introduced in some localities on a large scale, it should 

not be passed without notice.
36 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSF1ELD, CALIFORNIA. [so. 17.

The intent of this method of irrigation is to supply a moderate 

quantity of water directly to those parts of the soil where moisture is 

needed without wetting the surface of the ground. Thereby it was 

hoped to economize water, to greatly simplify its control and distribution, to cheapen irrigation, and to avoid baking of soil and the necessity 

of breaking up its surface after each application of water.

Water is distributed1 to all parts of the land to be irrigated in cement 

pipes, from which it escapes through perforated plugs of wood. It is 

admitted into these pipes under a low pressure, sufficient to insure the 

escape of some water even in the highest parts of the land to be 

irrigated. The system is applicable only to smooth-surfaced tracts 

having but slight slope.

The final distributing pipes are constructed by a peculiar machine. 

They are made in place and are continuous. The diameter of their 

bore is 3 inches. At intervals, corresponding to the distance between 

trees or vines, they are perforated from above, and a wooden plug with 

a hole about one-sixteenth inch in diameter, lengthwise through it, is 

inserted in the perforation. This plug is protected by means of a hollow cap, or earth guard, resting loosely upon the pipe over it. The 

pipe is placed 20 inches or more below the surface of the ground, so as 

not to interfere with plowing, cultivation, etc. Water is conducted 

to the 2-inch pipes which may be laid between each two rows if the 

rows be far apart, as in the case of trees, or between alternate rows if 

they be close together, as in the case of vines by means of a system 

of 6-inch and 4-inch pipes, which in turn receive water from a main 

supply pipe, generally about 8 inches in diameter. At all points where 

the 8-inch and 6-inch pipes branch, vertical cylinders, opened at the 

top so-called hydrants are introduced, by means of which the water 

maybe shut off from one line or the other of pipe. This is accomplished by holding the inlet pipe higher in the cylinder than the 

outgoing pipe, and providing a seat for a disk to be inserted between 

the two.

When water is being supplied to any part of a vineyard or orchard, 

it will escape through the plugs into the ground, and its quantity must 

be sufficient to keep the stand in the hydrants everywhere above the 

highest parts of the 2-iiich pipe system, so that there may be no doubt 

that water is escaping from every plug in the tract under irrigation.

Under favorable conditions it will cost about $50 per acre to prepare 

ground for irrigation by this method. The roots of trees and plants 

will, notwithstanding every precaution to prevent it, find their way 

into the lires of pipes at exposed points, and may in tim& seriously 

interfere with their successful use.

Until irrigators are required to be very much more economical in the 

use of water for irrigation than at present, the matter of expense alone* 

will interfere with any extended use of this system of irrigation.
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. VI

KERN RIVER DELTA.
GEDNSKY.] DESCRIPTION OF KERN RIVER. 37

KERN RIVER.

HYDROGRAPHY.

Kern Eiver is the most southerly of the large streams descending 

from the slopes of the Sierra Nevada into San Joaquin Valley. It 

breaks through an outlying spur of the main range in a deep, rocky 

gorge, which terminates abruptly about 10 miles east of Bakersfleld. 

For a distance of 18 miles from the canyon mouth the river flows westerly between high, gravelly bluffs, in which the adjacent rolling lands 

and mesas terminate. Occasional low, level tracts border it. From 

between the flanking hills and uplands the river emerges upon the 

plains of San Joaquin Valley just northeast of Bakersfleld. Thence 

the main stream has a southwesterly course, flowing in a shallow bed 

300 to 800 feet wide nearly 20 miles, to a point within a few miles of 

the trough of the valley; thence southerly into Buena Vista Lake, now 

used as a reservoir for irrigation purposes.

Year after year the sandy material eroded by the river from its 

mountain watershed has been deposited in San Joaquin Valley below 

the point at which the river emerges upon the plain. New channels 

have been constantly forming while old ones were being obliterated, 

and the delta region thus built up extends 20 to 25 miles toward the 

south and west, terminating in a great semicircle formed by Kern and 

Buena Vista lakes and the upper portion of Buena Vista Swamp. The 

central portion of this delta is generally referred to as Kern Island. 

The flow of water in many of the delta channels is now under control, 

and they are classed as canals.

Principal among these delta channels are: South Fork, or Old South 

Fork, which has a southerly course from its head, about 2 miles northeast of Bakersfleld, to its outfall into Kern Lake; Old Eiver, which has 

a southwesterly course from its head, about a mile and a half west of 

Bakersfield, toward a point between Kern and Buena Vista lakes; and 

Buena Vista Canal Slough, also flowing southwesterly, which leaves 

the new channel of Kern Eiver about 2 miles below the head of Old 

Eiver. Of these channels South Fork was the main channel of the 

river until 1862. Old Eiver then became the main water way, and 

remained so until New Eiver was formed by the freshets of 1867-68.

Kern Eiver enters San Joaquin Valley with a total mountain drainage 

area of 2,345 square miles. By far the greatest portion of the region 

drained lies in the high Sierra Nevada. Precipitation in the highest 

portions of the river's drainage basin is generally in the form of snow. 

But an occasional heavy rain falling on large deposits of snow causes 

great freshets, generally early in the spring. Ordinarily the river is 

at a low stage from September to January, inclusive. It is at a high 

stage from April to July, and at a medium stage in February and 

March, and in August.
38 IREIGATION NEAE BAKEESFIELD, CALIFOENIA. [NO. 17.

The discharge of the river has been estimated by the State engineering department for the six years 1878 to 1884. According to the results 

of this estimate, which is based on many measurements and-an imperfect record of rise and fall of the river, the average amount of water 

supplied by Kern Eiver was about 430 second-feet for the months 

November to January (inclusive); 800 second-feet for February to 

April; 2,450 second-feet for May to July; and 570 second-feet for 

August to October. The average annual flow of the river for that 

period was rated at 1,110 second-feet. 1 The discharge of the river as 

here noted refers to the State engineering department gaging station,

TIG. 6. Discharge of Kern Elver, California, 1894-95.

about 3 miles below the point where the river breaks from its mountain 

gorge and enters upon, its course across porous alluvial deposits.

Measurements made by Mr. A. K. Warren, under the direction of Mr. 

Walter James, chief engineer of the Kern County Land Company, 

show the facts indicated in the following table and accompanying diagram in regard to the discharge of Kern Itiver for the four years from 

1894 to 1897.2

"See Physical Data and Statistics of California, collected and compiled by the State Engineering 

Department of California, Sacramento, 1886, pp. 410,470-472,476-477.

''Bull. U. S Geol. Survey No. 140, 1896, pp. 267-274. For further information concerning the flow of 

Kern River see Twelfth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. Survey. Part II, 1891, p. 319, PI. LXXX; Bull. U. S. Geol. 

Survey No. 131,1895, p. 79; Eighteenth Ann. Eept.TJ. S. GeoL Survey, Part IV, 1897, p. 395.
GEtJNSKY.] DISCHARGE OF KERN RIVER. 39

Estimated monthly discharge of Kern River at Sakersfield, California.

0

[Drainage area, 2,345 square miles.]

Month.

1893.

1894.

April.............................

May..............................

Jnly..... .........................

1895.

April.............................

1896.

April.............................

July..............................

1897. "

Discharge.

Maximum.

Second-feet. 

554 

559 

590

741 

1,114 

1,443 

1, 892 

2,208 

1,719 

1,051 

549 

382 

363 

268 

805

2,208

1,616

4,762 

3,004 

3,897 

5,384 

3,721 

2, 063 

1,073 

676 

612 

436 

447

5,384

3,101 

798 

2,089 

1, 262 

3,370 

3,611 

2,210 

741 

473 

425 

416 

426

3,611

832 

2,306 

2,044 

4,410 

5,342 

4,352 

1,536 

671 

363 

441 

447 

1,023

5,342

Minimum.

Stcond-feet, 

517 

467 

430

762 

604 

762 

1,209 

1.228 

871 

400 

256 

172 

224 

230 

234

172

473 

675 

987 

1,911 

3,100 

2,174 

867 

, 354 

290 

 276 

308 

368

276

377 

559 

652 

766 

934 

1,244 

' 741 

353 

234 

223 

288 

313

223

350 

516 

688 

1,094 

4,054 

1,289 

644 

338 

260 

278 

289 

327

260

Mean.

Sec.-feet. 

531 

518 

516

661 

. 717 

1,001 

1,495 

1,607 

1,085 

700 

335 

248 

279 

244 

470

737

809 

1,252 

1,374 

2,724 

4,369 

2,906 

1,482 

629 

344 

327 

346 

403

1,413

747 

617 

951 

972 

1,401 

2,476 

1,346 

486 

304 

267 

355 

347

854

373

809 

923 

2,914 

4,580 

2,308 

1,006 

469 

295 

340 

355 

422

1,234

Total.

Acre-feet. 

32, 861 

30,827 

31, 757

40,644 

39, 817 

61, 541

88,952 

98,798 

64,557 

43,036 

20,565 

14,756 

17, 178 

14,500 

28,908

533, 252

49, 762 

69,536 

84,437 

162, 076 

268, 608 

172, 919 

91.] 13 

38,665 

20, 469 

20, 106 

20 588 

24, 779

1, 023, 058

45,931

35,489 

58,475 

57,838 

86, 144 

146, 142 

82, 762 

29,883 

18,089 

16, 417 

21, 124 

21,336

619, 630

22,935

44,930 

56, 753 

173, 395 

281, 613 

137, 395 

61, 857 

28, 838 

17,554 

20,906 

21,124 

25,948

893, 248

Bun -off.

Depth.

Inches. 

0.26 

.24 

.25

.32 

.32 

.65 

.71 

.79 

.51 

.34 

.16 

.12 

.14 

.11 

.23

4.40

.40 

.55

.67, 

1.29 

2.14 

1.37 

.73 

.31 

.17- 

.16 

.17 

.20

8.16

'.37 

.28 

.47 

.46 

.69 

1.17 

.66 

.24 

.14 

.13 

.17 

.17

4.95

.18 

.36 

.45 

1.38 

2.25 

1.09 

.49 

.23 

.14 

.17 

.17 

.21

7.12

Per 

square 

mile.

Sec.-feet. 

0.23 

.22 

.22

.28 

.30 

.43 

.64 

.69 

.46 

. ,.30 

.14 

.11 

.12 

.10 

.20

.31

.34 

.53

.59 

1.16 

1.88 

1.24 

.63 

.27 

.15 

.14 

9.15 

.17

.60

.32 

.26 

.41 

.41 

.60 

1.05 

.57 

.21 

.13 

.11 

.15 

.15

.36

.16 

.35 

.39 

1.24 

1.95 

.98 

.43 

.20 

.13 

.15 

.15 

.18

.53

1894. Maximum discharge, May, 2,208 second-feet; minimum discharge, September, 

172 second-feet; average for the year, 737 second-feet.
40 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [so. 17.

i

1895. Maximum, May, 5,384 second-feet; minimum, October, 276 second-feet; 

average for the year, 1,413 second-feet.

1896. Maximum, June, 3,611 second-feet; minimum, October, 223 second-feet; 

average for the year, 854 second-feet.

1897.-Maximum, May, 5,342 second-feet; minimum, September, 260 second-feet; 

average for the year, 1,234 second-feet.

The gaging station of the State engineering department was located 

on the Rio Bravo Ranch, about 3 miles below the termination of the 

river's granite canyon, a short distance below the point where in 1879 

the material of which the river bed was composed changed in character 

frofti bowlders and cobbles to gravel and sand. The several measurements made subsequent to that time, and until the close of the work of 

the State engineering department, showed a gradual erosion of the river 

bed, resulting in a downstream movement of the upper end of the gravel 

and sand bars, which led to inquiry concerning conditions in preceding 

years and to the conlusions that a few years subsequent to the great 

freshet of 1861-62 the sand and gravel bars were at a much higher level 

than in 1879; that erosion had continued from year to year, though at 

a somewhat irregular rate, until 1884 and was then still in progress; 

that the aggregate erosion during the five years covered by observations was 5.3 feet, and that at some time preceding the freshet of 

1861-62 the river had for a long period occupied a bed fully as low as 

that of 1883. A row of trees planted at the water's edge at a mean 

stage of the river about 1868, and now well above the reach of the 

water, has been pointed to as evidence of a former higher position of 

the river bed. On the other hand, deep, well-worn depressions made 

by the Indians in grinding food materials in the tops of great granite 

bowlders, barely projecting above the low-water stage of the river in 

1883, gave evidence of a preceding protracted low position of the river 

bed. It seems reasonable to expect, therefore, that other great freshets 

may again temporarily fill the river bed with sand and gravel, and 

that in years of ordinary flow, such as the entire series of seasons 

since 1867-68, the river will have a tendency to continue its erosive 

action.

Due allowance for the changes in actual elevation of the river bottom were, of course, made in interpreting results at the gaging station.

The original course of Kern River waters, westerly and southerly 

across its delta, widely dispersed in numerous channels, has by natural 

agencies, aided by the operations of man, been modified to the extent 

that now at high stages all water in excess of the capacity of the 

irrigating ditches and canals is kept under reasonable control in one 

main channel having a direct southwesterly course toward Buena Yista 

Lake.

Buena Vista Lake has been shut off at the east from its connection 

with Kern Lake by means of a high levee, which has a north-south 

course, following the line between Rs. 25 and 26 E. for a distance of 

over 5 miles.
U. S. GFOLOGICAL SURVEY NO. 17 PL. VII

A. KERN RIVER, LOOKING DOWNSTREAM FROM CANYON.

B. KERN RIVER, TWO MILES BELOW CANYON, LOOKING UPSTREAM.
GETJNSKY.] SOILS AND RAINFALL. , 41

Thus Kern Biver water is prevented from reaching Kern Lake, the 

bed of which is now dry, arable land, and Buena Yista Lake is converted into a large reservoir, the capacity of which is said to be about 

150,000 acre-feet. From the northwestern margin of Buena Vista Lake 

an outlet canal leads into Buena Vista Slough and thence to canals 

proper of the Kern Valley Water Company, of which the westernmost 

one, located near the western margin of Buena Vista Swamp, has been 

planned large enough to afford passage for the outflow waters from the 

lake when the reservoir is full and the river is high. Thjs canal, therefore, for a long distance takes the place of Buena Vista Swamp, which 

was the original water way, conducting the outflow froni Buena Vista 

Lake into Tulare Lake. The three lakes which have bjeeri or are the 

recipients of water from Kern Eiver are very flat depressions, without 

well-defined banks. The beds of Kern and Buena Vistja lakes are at 

an elevation of about 285 feet above sea level; the bed <\f Tulare Lake 

is at an elevation of about 175 feet. The area covered by Kern and 

Buena Vista lakes combined (before the spread of water was restricted 

artificially) was about 80 square miles when the lakes were full, at 

which stage the maximum depth of water in either did not probably 

exceed 14 feet. The area of Tulare Lake fluctuates between 195 and 

760 square miles, but the lake water has not spread to the extreme limit 

of the full lake since 1868.

The lands of the east side of the San Joaquin Valley plain, commanded by the Kern Eiver canals, are very smooth surfaced. Those 

of the river delta slope uniformly toward the west and south at the 

rate of 6 to 7 feet to the mile. The only surface inequalities on Kern 

Island are due to the land-building tendency of the ri^er, which has 

left broad, low ridges of sand to mark the alignment of channels of 

former epochs in its history. On the north side of Kern Eiver the delta 

lands merge almost imperceptibly into the granitic sandy lands of the 

general valley plain, and the gentle westerly slope from the base of 

the foothills of the Sierra Nevada is almost unbroken to Buena Vista 

Swamp.

SOILS AND RAINFALL.

Near the base of the foothill belt, northward as well as southward 

from the river, the soil is a coarse granitic sandy loam, showing an 

occasional growth of cactus, and rather forbidding in appearance, yet 

very productive with water. To the southeast of Kern Lake a large 

area of fine sandy loam, known as the Weed Patch, marks the sink of 

Caliente Creek. The soils of the eastern portion of Kern Biver delta 

are generally loams, ranging from those rich in clay to soils of a peaty 

character and to soils of almost pure sand. Different kinds of soil are 

here frequently found close together, and it is often remarked that 

probably no single square mile of laud could be found whose soil would
42 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

not have to be put into several classes. Toward the south and west 

on Kern Island the soil becomes heavier, and near the high-water line of 

the lakes it is strongly impregnated with alkali. It has a peaty character in the swamp-land areas adjacent to the lakes, also northwestward 

from Buena Vista Lake throughout the broad tract known as Buena 

Yista Swamp, which extends about 40 miles northwesterly toward 

Tulare Lake. These swamp lands were originally covered with a dense 

growth of reeds " tules." Their soil is generally a light black vegetable loam or mold, underlain by a dark-colored clay. Eastward from 

these sw-arnp lands, which mark the trough of San Joaquin Valley, is a 

long parallel strip of alkali land of inferior quality, which lies to the 

west of a narrow strip of fertile land flanking the Goose Lake Slough 

channel. Farther eastward are the sandy loams and coarse granitic 

soils of the main east-side plain. These generally have a substratum 

of dry, fine yellow clay, sometimes of sufficient hardness to be called 

hardpan. This is usually found at a depth of 3 or 4 feet.

The .southern or upper end of San Joaquin Valley, in which lie the 

lands commanded by the Kern Eiver waters, is a region of very light 

rainfall. The annual average fall is about 5 inches. Profitable cultivation of the soil without the aid of other water to supplement the scant 

rainfall is not possible.

Kern Eiver water is used to a small extent for irrigation in the 

valley of South Fork far up in the mountains, also for the irrigation of 

relatively small areas of bank and mesa lands within the foothill section of the river's course; but the region of principal use is the river 

delta and a broad expanse of country extending far northward from 

the river and lying below the base line of the foothills.

CANALS AND DITCHES.

Rio Bravo Ranch canals. Kern Eiver crosses the foothill belt in a 

valley, generally one-half mile to a mile in width, with occasional 

strips of bottom land on one bank or the other. These are frequently 

backed by higher terraces or mesas with rich, black loamy soil, beyond 

which the hills rise in irregular disconnected ranges. The Eio Bravo 

Eanch lies just below the point where the river breaks out of its canyon. 

Several small ditches have here been built for local irrigation. A waterwheel was first made use of. It was constructed in 1879 by Mr. John 

Barker, and was intended to lift water 28 feet. The wheel is reported 

to have delivered the quantity of water expected, but the land required 

more than was anticipated; consequently the wheel was soon abandoned 

as a source of supply, and a direct diversion into a ditch constructed 

along the base of a high bluff on the south side of the river was 

resorted to. The river, however, for a series of years was there deepening its channel, rendering necessary frequent extensions of the head 

of the ditch upstream, and making ditch maintenance expensive. Its 

cost has probably been somewhat in excess of $3,000.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATFR-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. VII

A. HEAD OF KERN ISLAND CANAL, LOOKING UPSTREAM.

B. HEAD OF KERN ISLAND CANAL, LOOKING DOWNSTREAM,
GBUNSKY.] KERN ISLAND CANAL. 43

To irrigate lands on the north side of Kern River, in the same locality, 

the Pierce & Barker Ditch has been constructed. It came into use 

several years after the Barker Ditch on the south side of the river. 

This ditch lies at the base of the north-side hills, and for some distance 

is cut into an almost vertical bluff. There is also a " Fierce & Barker" ditch on the south side of Kern Elver, but its source of supply is 

Cottonwood Creek, a tributary of the river, from which diversion 

is made near its confluence with the main stream. This ditch has a 

length of 4£ miles. It was constructed in 1885. All of these ditches 

a,re small and for private use only.

Another small ditch just below the Rio Bravo Ranch on the north 

side of the river is the Barker & Wilson Ditch, constructed about 

. 1884, which commands a narrow strip of land along the northern bank 

'of the stream.

The principal crop cultivated by irrigation from these ditches in the 

foothill section of the river is alfalfa.

Kern Island Canal. As early as 1864, when there were but a few 

white families in the vicinity of Bakersfleld, Colonel Baker constructed 

a levee northeasterly from the present town site and placed a gate in 

the delta channel known as South Fork, at the point where this channel was crossed by the river levee. Subsequent freshets filled the 

approaches to Panama Slough and to South Fork with sand, and the 

river cut out a new channel farther to the north and west. The settlers 

who had already become dependent upon the older water courses as 

sources of water supply for irrigation and for stock, at once made 

organized efforts to reopen the head of South Fork, but with indifferent 

success.

In 1869 Messrs. H. P. Livermore and Julius Chester, having determined that an artificial channel was necessary to replace the upper 

portion of South Fork, constructed a ditch 25 feet wide, the head of 

which was a short distance above the present head gate of the Kern 

Island Canal. This ditch was carried along the base of the hills on the 

south bank of Kern River and terminated in South Fork a short distance below its original head.

At the same time a number of Mexican settlers made a diversion of 

water from South Fork in a southerly direction, commencing at a point 

about a mile below the head of that channel. The ditch constructed 

by them is known as the " Arujo" Ditch, and its lower portion is still 

in use as a branch of the Keru Island Canal. This small ditch seems 

to have suggested the idea of the Kern Island Canal, for the construction of which a company was organized in 1870. It was proposed to 

unite in one system the entire delta area of the river known as Kern 

Island, as well as a broad belt of higher land lying to the east of the 

delta. A combination was effected with the owners of the swamp 

lands of this region, which had recently been sold by the State, conditioned upon reclamation, whereby the new canal company became
44 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSPIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

the successor in interest of the reclamation district that had already 

been formed. The canal company was therefore formed with the 

avowed purpose of protecting from overflow and of supplying with 

water for agricultural, domestic, and manufacturing purposes a territory of about 120,000 acres. The Kern Island Canal Company acquired 

the ditch and water rights of Messrs. Livermore and Chester, as well 

as some of the other private rights vested or supposed to be vested in 

some of the settlers on South Fork. The construction of the "Mill" 

section of the Kern Island Canal was at once commenced, and extended 

southward about 2 miles, part of the distance following the alignment 

of the Arujo Ditch. Above this section of the canal the South Fork 

channel was enlarged, and some systematic effort was made to keep 

up the supply of water from the river. For the settlers on South 

Fork, who had not transferred their rights to the canal company, 

water was turned down that channel free of expense. About 1877 the 

upper portion of the South Fork channel was entirely abandoned, 

being replaced by a canal at higher level an extension of the Livermore Chester Ditch, located between the old water way and the base 

of the bluff south of the river. This hew canal section was extended 

to the head of the "Mill" section, where water was dropped about 6 

feet to the original level of that canal branch. Meanwhile the various 

branches of the Kern Island Canal had been extended southward as 

demand for water increased, and had reached the vicinity of Kern 

Lake. In 1875 the Kern Island Canal Company was granted franchises for the distribution of water in Bakersfleld, where actual delivery 

of water through its ditch system commenced in May, 1875.

At the time of the formation of the Kern Island Canal Company the 

swamp lands to be protected by it against inundation were already 

considered safe, their reclamation in the sense of preventing overflow 

being regarded as complete. It was claimed, however, that the State 

had no right to appropriate the money to the credit of this land in the 

swamp-land fund to any other purpose than its reclamation, and that 

reclamation should be construed to mean the making of the land productive. The canal company therefore demanded and received from, 

the State the money to the credit of the lands in question as a contribution toward the cost of the irrigation system. The amount of money 

thus contributed by the State was between $12,000 and $14,000,

The method of constructing the main branch of the Kern Island 

Canal, which extends from a point on South Fork about a mile south of 

Bakersfield southerly to Kern Lake, is not without interest. A 5-foot 

plow drawn by 40 yoke of oxen was used in breaking ground for 

this canal. The loosened earth was then spread to right and left by 

means of a V-shaped scraper, also of monstrous proportions, being 

some 30 feet long and 12 to 15 feet wide. As soon as sufficient water 

way was thus created to afford some erosive effect, water was turned 

into the partial excavation and it rapidly cut out an ample water way.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

A. KERN ISLAND CANAL REGULATOR AND WASTE GATE, LOOKING UPSTREAM.

B. KERN ISLAND CANAL REGULATOR A\D WASTE GATE, LOOKING AC-JOSS THE CANAL
KEEN ISLAND CANAL. 45

The excessive grade, 6 to 7 feet to the mile, of the finished canal soon 

caused the erosion to extend beyond desirable limits and threatened 

disastrous results by persistent encroachment on the canal banks. It 

therefore became necessary to reduce the gradient of the canal by 

means of check weirs or drops (as shown in PI. X, A), which were 

placed one-half mile apart. These check weirs were constructed 

according to designs proposed by Mr. F. II. Colton, at that time superintendent in charge of the canal, and although very simple in arrangement, they proved to be efficient and satisfactory. Weir boards, 

generally of 1 inch material, were supported by inclined rafters, usually 

4 by 6 inches. The rafters were placed at such angle, preferably 

flatter than 45°, as would best fit the spacing of the vertical posts 

supporting the sides of the weir box. The rafters transmitted water 

pressure by means of inclined supports, 4 inches square, to the floor 

timbers. The rafters were toed into the sill at the upper edge of the 

floor of the weir box. The floor itself was constructed of 1-inch 

material nailed to sills of 4 by 6 inch timber, 4 feet apart, which in 

turn rested upon mud sills, also about 4 feet apart. The floor of the 

weir box was placed 1£ feet below the downstream-grade height of the 

canal bottom, and light sheeting was driven along the upper and lower 

edges of the floor to depths varying, according to character of soil, 

from 1J to 4 feet. Wings were carried into the canal banks at right 

angles to the direction of the canal. They were supported in part by 

upright posts, in part by timbers across the top of the structure, which 

at both ends .were allowed to project well into the bank. The length 

of the wings varied according to depth of canal. Weir boards were 

permanently nailed to the rafters to the height of the grade of canal 

bottom above the structure. All other weir boards were loose and 

could readily be moved by hand. Spaces between rafters were usually 

4 feet. A plank across the structure, supported by the ends of the 

rafters, made a convenient footbridge and afforded access to the several sections of the weir. The cost of these check weirs on the Kern 

Island Canal is reported to have been about $200 each.

The canal head gate is constructed on substantially the same plan. 

It has a clear width of 48 feet. A waste gate has beeb. placed in the 

right bank of the canal just above the head gate.

The diversion of water from the river into the canal is accomplished 

by an inexpensive extension of the right-bank canal levee upstream 

for nearly half a mile, and its projection in the form of a very low sandand-brush dam diagonally across the southern portion of the very flat, 

sandy river bed.

The aggregate cost of the Kern Island canal system has been about 

$200,000.

The canal has a right to 300 second-feet of water, conceded to it by 

riparian owners, and taking precedence over all other diversions. Its 

capacity is reported to be 500 second-feet.
46 HEAR BAKERSFEELD, CALIFOENIA. [NO. 17.

Old South Fork. The delta stream of Kern Eiver known as Soutfr 

Fork supplied water to a few settlers some years before the construction of the Kern Island Canal was thought of. When Colonel Baker, 

in 1864, undertook the construction of a levee for protection against 

overflow, a gate was put into the South Fork channel for the control of 

its flow of water. The freshets of 1867-68, which produced marked 

changes in the character and alignment of the main channel of Kern 

Eiver, filled the head of South Fork with sand. Organized effort was 

necessary to reestablish a connection of the tipper end of the South 

Fork channel with the river. It is reported that from thirty to forty 

persons contributed time and labor to this work, the result of which 

was not, however, entirely satisfactory. The river channel had been 

deepened; the new cut to the river was nearly half a mile below the 

original head of South Fork, and great difficulty was experienced in

maintaining an artificial barrier at the head of the new channel to turn 

river water into it. This difficulty led to the construction of the Livermore-Chester Ditch, as already explained, and for a number of years 

the supply of water to South Fork was through this ditch. About 1877 

the use of the upper portions of South Fork was abandoned by the 

Kern Island Canal Company, and the delivery of water by this company 

to the irrigators from South Fork ceased. The users of water from 

South Fork and from Panama Slough resumed control of its head' 

works, and have since maintained this channel as an independent irrigation ditch. A new connection with the river was established near 

the original head of South Fork, and with more or less trouble it has 

been kept in efficient service. The management was almost without 

system, and corporate organization of the owners was not' effected 

until 1885.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATFR-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. X

A. CHECK WEIR OR DROP ON KERN ISLAND CANAL.

£. KERN RIVER AT HEAD OF SOUTH FORK
QETOSKY.] FARMERS CANAL AND PANAMA SLOUGH. 41

Through the upper portion of South Fork water can be supplied 

to the lower levels of the Kern Island Canal; Panama Slough is fed 

with water from South Fork, and as the lower portion of Panama 

Slough is used as a water way by the Farmers' Canal, there is such 

interdependence between these several canals, complicated by the fact 

that many irrigators hold rights to water from two or more of them, 

that segregation of areas dependent upon any one of them is out of the 

question.

The principal distributaries of South Fork water are the Jewett 

Ditch, the Cotton Eanch Ditch, and smaller ditches of landowners in 

the immediate vicinity of Bakersfleld. The capacity of South Fork is 

generally stated at 50 to 75 second-feet, and the amount annually 

expended for maintenance is about $1,250. The first cost of the irrigation works can be stated only approximately. It is likely that $3,000 

to $4,000 have been expended on construction work.

Farmers Canal. In 1873 a canal about 50 feet wide and 3 feet deep 

was excavated from a point on the south bank of Kern Eiver just above 

the Southern Pacific Eailroad, in a southeasterly direction, to a connection with a natural channel known as Cotton Eanch Slough or 

Skyles Slough. This canal is known as the Farmers Canal. Its water, 

delivered into Cotton Eanch Slough, flows therein li miles to Panama 

Slough, and is distributed by a number of small branch ditches 

throughout the central and southern portions of Kern Island. The 

canal proper is only about a mile in length. It has recently become 

of considerable importance as a source of supply for the Stine and 

Anderson canals, which formerly received their full supply directly 

from Kern Eiver at the head of Old Eiver, about 3 miles west of 

Bakersfield.

In 1880 Messrs. Celsus Brower and Walter James estimated the total 

cost of construction of this canal and its branches at $18,800.

Panama Slougli. Panama Slough hardly deserves separate enumeration among the irrigation works from Kern Eiver, because it is now 

supplied with water through the head of South Fork. It was, however, in use as an independent source of supply before permanent 

connection between it and the South Fork channel was established by 

the freshets of 1867-68. Irrigators dependent upon the flow of water 

in Panama Slough united with those on South Fork in 1868, when it 

became necessary to reestablish a connection of these streams with the 

main channel of the river. All of that portion of Panama Slough 

below Bakersfield is used jointly by the irrigators who depend upon 

the Farmers Canal for their supply and by those who hold rights as 

original users of water from the slough itself.

The principal distributary of the Panama Slough water is the Panama 

Ditch, the cost of which Mr. Celsus Brower in 1880 reported as having 

probably exceeded $6,000. The main distributing ditch and branches 

were then reported to have an aggregate length of 8 miles. Its width 

was given as 10 feet and its depth of channel as 2 feet.
48 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO.IJ.

Castro Ditch. A. comparatively unimportant irrigation ditch which 

for many years diverted water from the south banks of Kern Biver at 

the head of Old Elver is known as the "Castro" or "Mexican" Ditch. 

It is reported to have been in use as early as 1859, at that time supplying water to the lands of a few Mexican settlers. This ditch is about 

10 feet wide, 2 feet deep at its head, and about 5 miles long. Its 

capacity is generally rated at about 15 to 20 second-feet, and there may 

have been expended upon it from $2,000 to $3,000. The head works 

of the canal, or rather the point of diversion from the river, has within 

the last few years been extended upstream about a quarter of a mile 

from the original intake.

Fisher & Alley Ditch. About 1869 a small ditch known as the 

Fisher & Abley Ditch was constructed, paralleling the Castro Ditch, 

and delivering water into Beeder Slough, thence into Panama Slough, 

from which it was again diverted, a few miles below, for use upon 

several small farms. That portion of the ditch above Eeeder Slough 

has been abandoned and the lower portion has become dependent upon 

the Farmers Canal for its supply of water.

8tine Canal. This name has been applied to portions of Old Eiver 

and several distributing canals since 1873. In that year the settlers 

along this river channel united in the construction of a weir about 175 

feet long across the head of Old Eiver, and two main branches of the 

canal were subsequently diverted from this stream. The first one of 

these, in order downstream, is known as the Call Branch, or Branch 

No. 1. It has its head about three-quarters of a mile below the head 

of Old Eiver, is 20 feet wide for about a mile, then 30 feet wide, gradually contracting again to 25 feet. The original depth was intended to 

be 3 feet, but the channel was made somewhat deeper. One of its 

branches connects with a branch of the Kern Island Canal. Branch 

No. 2 of the Stine Canal is diverted from Old Eiver about 5 miles below 

its head. It is about 6 miles long. The diversion of water from the 

channel of Old Eiver into theseJbranches is accomplished by means of 

weirs or regulating gates that serve to control water elevation.

The water passing, the head of Branch No. 2 flows on toward the 

lakes and is occasionally used for wild flooding of grass lands. Eecently 

the diversion of water for the Stine Canal was made through the head of 

the Farmers Canal and delivered to the former through a canal section 

called the extension of the Stine and Anderson canals. The capacity 

of the Stiue Canal is claimed to be about 200 second-feet.

The cost of the works, including repairs, was estimated for the principal owners in 1880 at $87,000. This does not include the extension 

to the Farmers Canal, which was made subsequent to that time.

Anderson Canal. This canal, which is also called the "Baker & Noble 

Canal," was constructed, in part, at least, in 1872. The diversion of 

water for it was originally made from the south bank of New Kern 

Biver, about one-quarter of a mile below the head of Old Eiver j but as
GBUNSKY.] GATES, BUENA VISTA, AND JAMES CANALS. 49

ownership of a number of canals became centered in the same group of 

owners, it was thought desirable to establish common head works for this 

canal together with the Stine and Castro canals, at the head of OldBiver. 

It was therefore extended to this point, and for many years one system 

of works served to divert water for all three of these canals. Witkin 

the last few years a further consolidation of canal head works has been 

effected, and the water for the Stine and Andersen canals is now 

diverted from the river through the upper section of the Farmers' 

Canal, as already explained. The Bellevue property, one of the many 

possessions of the Kern County Land Company (J. B. Haggin, prineicipal owner), is the locality where the water of the Andenoa Canal is 

used.

Gates Canal. This canal is reported to have been constructed ia 

1872 and 1873. It was enlarged in 1874 from a bed width of 0 feet to 

12 feet. Its water is used only on the Bellevue Baneh. Its drpersien 

is made about three-quarters of a mile below the head of Old Biver. 

It is only 2 to 3 miles long, and its capacity is 30 to 40 second-feet.

Buena Vista Canal. This name has been given to one of the delta 

channels of Kern Eiver, together with its system of distributary: ditches. 

The natural water course referred to broke out from the soatife Waak of 

Kern Eiver about 2 miles below Old Kiver. It wjas provi&efl ^wifch a 

head gate 26 feet wide in 1870, and a new connection 

was established. For some years thereafter the settlers «leng 

slough, which had a southerly course, and along its main branch, Batton Willow Slough, made use of the water thus admitted 

for irrigation purposes. Diversion from the sloughs wafc 

means of temporary brush dams. In 1875 the canal proper wjfe, constructed. The .slough was permanently closed about a, miJ$ below its 

head, and its lower section was replaced by the artificial channel of 

Buena Vista Canal. The capacity of the canal is pJPobaWy Ijefcweea 

100 and 150 second-feet. The cost of works and repairs to 1880 mm 

estimated for the owners by Mr. W. B. Macmurdo at $26,000. A weir 

of the ordinary light flashboard type is maintained in Kern Eiver just 

below the head of the James Canal to force water into the Buena Vista 

and James canals.

James Canal. This canal was constructed for the irrigation of the 

odd-numbered sections of land westward from Old Kent Biver on Kern 

Island. The construction work commenced late in 1871. The diversion of water from the river is made a few rods below the head of Buena 

Vista Slough. As originally constructed the canal was 100 feet wide for 

about 1,000 feet, thence 20 feet wide for a distance of 300 to 400 fee*, 

and 30 to 40 feet wide throughout the rest of the first three-quarters of 

a mile of its course. Its fall in this distance is 2 feet, and it is intended 

to carry water 3 feet deep. The length of the main canal is about 18 

miles, but its lower portions have fallen into disuse on account of the 

abandonment of Lake Eanch, where an unsuccessful attempt was 

1KB 17 4
50 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. t*o.l7.

made to irrigate strongly alkaline land. Mr. W. E. Macmurdo, about 

1879, estimated the total expenditure on the canal at $16,000. The 

river weir at the head of the James Canal serves to force water into 

this canal as well as into the Buena Vista Canal. It is in type similar 

to the Pioneer weir.

Plunkett Ditch. This ditch was constructed in 1873. It diverted 

water for the river about three-quarters of a mile below the head of 

Buena Vista Slough, and had a southwesterly course. It was made 12 

feet wide and 2 to 2£ feet deep, and its length was about 4 miles. 

Some years later a connection with the James Canal was established, 

and the Plunkett Ditch may now be regarded as a branch of the larger 

canal.

Meaeham Canal. The Meacham Canal is one of the small ditches 

taking water from the south side of Kern Eiver just above the Pioneer 

Bridge, about 6£ miles west of Bakersfield and about 5£ miles below 

the head of Old Eiver. It was constructed in 1873. Its length was 

only 3 to 4 miles and its width 8 to 10 feet. The depth of water to be 

carried was 2 to 3 feet. The canal is now arranged to deliver its water 

into the James Canal, with which it has been connected.

Wilson Canal.-r-The head of this ditch, which was constructed in 1874, 

was originally located about one-quarter of a mile below the Pioneer 

Bridge, but in 1875 the ditch was extended upstream to a point alongside the head of the Meacham Canal, just above the bridge. The ditch 

is only 1 to 2 miles long, about 5 feet wide, and 2J feet deep.

Henley a&d Frazier ditches. These are two small diversions from the 

south side of the river, about 4 miles below the Pioneer Bridge. The 

formefe was constructed in 1874, the latter in 1873. Each is about 2 

miles long. Their combined capacity was probably less than 20 secondfeet. Uo infermation is available as to whether they are still in use.

Beardsley Canal. The head of Beardsley Canal is about 1£ miles 

above the head works of Kern Island Canal, on the north, side of Kern 

Eiver. It is the uppermost of the Kern Eiver canals which divert 

water from this river for the irrigation of portions of the main eastside plain of San Joaquin Valley. The construction of the canal 

extended through several years, commencing late in 1873. Its course 

for about 100 feet near its head is along the base of an almost vertical 

bluff of cemented gravel, and about 2 miles below its head it lies in an 

extensive cut, 8 or 9 feet deep, through a second bank of cemented 

gravel. This cut is nearly half a mile long. Otherwise the canal is 

located on ground favorable for canal construction. The canal was 

planned to follow a grade line skirting the southwestern base line of 

the Sierra Nevada foothills, and in this respect differed materially from 

the works on the other side of the river, which, except the upper seetion 

of the Kern Island Canal, were all constructed in the direction of the 

greatest fall of the land, thus occupying positions which are usually 

assigned to laterals. The Beardsley Canal was originally made 15 feet
BEARDSLEY, MJCORD, AND GALLOWAY CANALS. 51

wide and 2 to 2| feet deep, but owing to the light grade on which it was 

constructed 0.8-foot fall per mile it vas found difficult to keep ifc 

reasonably free from obstruction by the rapidly growing vegetation, 

and it became necessary to enlarge the canal to make its fall more 

effective. A timber weir of the open flashboard type is maintained 

across the river at the head of Beardsley Canal. For many years 

the full length of this canal was about 8 miles, but as it, with the 

majority of the other Kern Eiver canals, came into possession or under 

control of the same owners, the Kern County Land Company, it was 

extended northward to and across Poso Creek, and now has a total 

length of about 25 miles. Its laterals frequently extend westward to 

a connection with the McCord Canal and to the Galloway, so that 

surplus waters are readily delivered to these lower canal systems. 

The territory commanded by this canal, lying between it and the Galloway, is about 33,000 acres, which includes between 6^000 and 7,000 

acres formerly served by the McCord Canal.

McCaffery Diteh. The mention of the McCaffery Ditch. as an independent irrigation work is merely historical. It is a small ditch 

diverting water from the south side of the slough known as McCaffery 

or Galloway Slough, which has been made a part of the well-known 

Galloway Canal. The ditch is several miles long, 7 to 8 feet wide, and 

2 to 3 feet deep. It was constructed in 1873, and is still in use as a 

distributary of the Galloway Canal water. The use of its water is confined to the island lying between Galloway Slough and the main channel 

of the river.

McCord Ganal. This canal, which has a position intermediate 

between the Beardsley and Galloway canals, was built, in part at 

least, in 1875 and 1876. A diversion of water was made from the 

north side of Kern Eiver? about 2 miles below the head of the Kern 

Island Ganal, into a natural high-water channel, and from this natural 

channel the canal proper was carried 3 or 4 miles northward. In 1879 

the canal was reported to be about 4| miles long, with three branches, 

aggregating 10 miles in length. Its bed width was noted at 20 feet 

and its depth at 2 to 3 feet.1 The canal was provided with a new head 

gate in 1882 and was extended northward. The main canal had a total 

length of about 12 miles. The district commanded by the canal is now 

served with water from the Beardsley Canal, and no attempt is made 

to maintain the McCord Canal as an independent work.

Galloway Ganal. This is the principal canal for the irrigation of 

lauds on the north side of Kern Eiver. Its purpose was primarily to 

supply water for the reclamation of lands entered as desert claims. 

Almost as soon as the notice of intention to make the diversion of 

water for this canal had been posted at the head of McCaffery Slough, 

in the spring of 1875, all individual rights were assigned to the Galloway Ganal Company, known on the records as the Kern Eiver Land

1 See Kept. State Engineer, Win. Ham. Hall, 1880, Appendix to Part IV, p. 77.
IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

: an4; Canal .Company, and no time was lost in commencing construction, 

jwhieit was pushed forward rapidly until Poso Creek had been crossed 

,by; the main line of the canal. The diversion from the river was 

effected at the head of McCaffery or Galloway Slough, which was corrected in alignment so far as necessary and cut to a uniform width of 

120 feet. The upper 2 £ miles of the slough were thus appropriated for 

canal purposes. Thence an artificial chaunel 60 feet wide on the bottom was cut in a northerly direction. At between 2 and 3 miles from

FIG. 8. Head of Galloway Canal.

the slough, the width of the canal was increased to 80 feet on the 

bottom, and it retained this width to Poso Creek. To the north of 

Poso Creek the canal extension is 60 feet wide. The canal has a fall 

of 0.8 foot to the mile northward from the point where it leaves McCaffery Slough for a distance of about 15 miles; thence to and beyond 

Poso Creek the fall per mile is only 0.4 foot. The total fall from the 

head of McCaffery Slough to the point where the canal proper leaves 

the slough is about 10 feet. The inflow into what is ordinarily called
U. S, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. u 1*1. Xl

WEIR AND REGULATOR, HEAD OF* GALLOWAY CANAL.
OBOTSKT.] GALLOWAY CANAL. 53

the head of the canal, being the original head of McCaffery Slough, is 

controlled by a head gate or regulator. Where the canal proper leaves 

the slongh a check weir, serving the purpose of a waste gate, etoses 

the latter and affords convenient control of the water-surface elevalaon 

at that point. A second regulator is put into the head of the artificial 

channel, which leaves the slough just above the check weir. Bands : 

accumulating in the slough channel above the lower barrier are readily 

sluiced out by removing the loose flashboards of the weir and permitting a free flow through the lower section, of the slough back to the 

river.

The distribution of water from the Galloway Canal is effected by 

means of branch ditches or laterals, «whieh are generally carried westward in the direction of the greatest slope of the valley plain. Their 

position is usually determined by that of gentle swells or ridges, which 

afford the best command of the lands to be irrigated. These laterals 

are ordinarily about 16 feet wide. Their banks are made high, so that 

inundation of adjacent territory can readily be accomplished. The 

natural fall of the valley surface in the direction of the laterals is 7 to 

20 feet to the mile. This is reduced by means of check weirs or drops 

to less than 2 feet, effective, to the mile. Tenants of land to be 

irrigated from these laterals are reported to have frequently taken 

contracts for their construction as low as 5 cents per cubic yard of 

earthwork.

Late in .1879 Mr. F. E. Fillebrown, engineer in charge of canal construction, reported an expenditure of $78,165 on the main canal, and 

$49,460 on about 64 miles of laterals. The area covered by the 64 miles 

of laterals was reported at 16,160 acres, and the cost of laterals, with 

gates complete, per acre under ditch was $4. The cost of constructing 

check levees in this district for irrigation by flooding was given at 

$2.15 per acre. Water was first turned into the Galloway in 1875, but 

at that time the principal purpose was to moisten the canal bed and 

thereby facilitate excavation.

All structures on the canal are extremely simple, but efficient. The 

head gate or regulator now in use was constructed in 1884, late in the; 

season, after a first freshet had floated the original head gate out of 

place. The gate was designed and built by Mr. L. F. Golton. While 

work on it was in progress a large portion of the dam or weir across the 

river at the head of the canal was washed away, and this was replaced 

under some difficulty, as the river rose before work was completed and 

flooded the foundation pit. Much of the flooring had to be nailed 

under water. The weir or dam across the river is a very light structure, 

of the open type, resting upon a floor which is the top of a large sand 

box extending across the river. The weir proper consists of a set of 

rafters, 4 feet apart from center to center, supported by a set of shores 

or braces, forming a light framework, and the necessary flash or drop 

boards for the closing of the spaces between rafters. -The rafters wer«
54 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. 17.

originally inclined at an angle of about 40 degrees, but when it was 

found desirable to raise the weir crest somewhat they were placed 

more nearly erect. They are cut off horizontally at the top and afford 

support to a single-plank footbridge, each plank of which is held in position by a dowel in the top of the weir timber. This arrangement was 

adopted to secure a proper spacing of the weir timbers at their tops. 

The drop boards are of light, 1-inch thick material. According to the 

original design, the entire superstructure was movable. A set of brackets has been attached to the weir frames below the footbridge to support the drop boards, which are out of service. The total length of the 

weir was originally 500 feet, of which only the northernmost 400 feet 

was rebuilt.ia 1884; the rest, extending from a small island in the river 

to the south bank, has been replaced by a solid earth, or rather sand, 

fill. This part of the weir had a superstructure of a type different from

Fig. 9. Plan of bead gate of Galloway Canal.

that of the new weir. Its floor of 2-inch planking rested upon two 

lines of sheet piling, and the floor joists received additional support 

from intermediate piles. The river bed at that point, to an unknown 

depth, is a clean, moderately fine sand, with which all voids under the 

flooring were compactly filled.

With some variations in detail of construction the river weir is prolonged in a direct line northerly across the head of the Galloway Canal; 

but the timbers of the Oalloway Canal regulator are somewhat heavier 

than those of the weir. Its frames are not movable. The main timbers 

are 6 by 8 inches, and have several supports each 6 by 6 inches. . The 

canal regulator is 100 feet long, having 25 openings, or bays, each 4 

feet from center to center of gate frames. The drop or flash boards 

are 1 by 6 inches.
GKUNSKT.] GALLOWAY CANAL.

At each end of the Galloway weir and of the canal regulator the 

banks are protected by timber bulkheads, sheet piling, and brush work.'

A full flow of water is expected in the Calloway Canal during the 

months February to May, inclusive. At the low stage of the river the 

canal is entirely dry. The maximum capacity of the canal, estimated 

some years ago from dimensions below McCaffery Slough, was about 

550 second-feet, but the ordinary full flow is 450 to 500 second feet. 

More water than this in the canal renders liability of breaks in the 

banks too great.

The canal laterals have been extended throughout a district having 

an area of about 60,000 acres, nearly all of which may be considered 

fully prepared for irrigation and actually irrigated each' season. The 

principal crop irrigated is alfalfa. A view of a large field of this forage 

cr4p being irrigated by means of contour checks on the Jackson Ranch 

is shown in PI. XII, B. No water was sold from the Oalloway Canal

Fig. 10. Section of head gate of Galloway Canal.

until the sale of lands owned by the -Kern County Land Company 

(J. B. Haggin and Lloyd Tevis) commenced.

Emery Ditch. This is a small ditch making a diversion of water 

from the north side of Kern Eiver about 4 miles below the head of the 

Galloway Canal. It was constructed in 1877 as a private ditch by Mr.. 

E. K. Emery, and was only 3 miles long, 6 to 8 feet wide, and 2 feet 

deep. The. diversion of water was effected by inexpensive brush wing 

dams, a new one being required after each freshet. Notwithstanding 

a capacity of 10 to 20 second-feet, but little irrigation was ever accomplished with this ditch. It was difficult to force the necessary water 

into the ditch even at moderately high stages of the riverj the loss of 

water in transit to lands to be irrigated was considerable, as the route 

of the ditch was across a 'sandy region, and the drifting sands made 

it difficult to keep the ditch open.
56 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO.I?.

Jones & Tuckey Ditch. The description of this ditch, like that of a 

number of the other lesser irrigation works from Kern Eiver, is hardly 

more than a historical note. The ditch was next below the Emery 

Ditch, on the north side of the river, and followed a parallel route 

northward. It was about 10 feet wide and 4 miles long. It was constructed in 1876, but fell into disuse seven or eight years later, when 

it came under control of the principal owners of the larger canals commanding the same territory. Its rights have been merged with those 

of the larger canals.

Railroad Canal. At the head of a natural high-water or overflow 

channel on the north bank of Kern Eiver, known as Goose Lake 

Slough, three cuts have been made to afford a greater inlet capacity 

to the head of the slough. The uppermost of these is known as the 

Eailroad Canal. It is about one-half mile long and 25 to 30 feet wide 

on the bottom. This canal, if such a designation may be applied to 

the diversion, was constructed late in 1875, and a light timber barrier 

40 feet wide (8 bays, each 5 feet) was placed across its head for the 

control of its flow. The water diverted from the river into this channel 

was for the irrigation of lands (desert-land entries) near Goose Lake 

Slough belonging to persons who had failed to secure rights in the 

Goose Lake or the Wible canals. Very little irrigation was accomplished with it, except the natural wetting of lands adjacent to the 

slough. Only 320 acres of the lands for which water was claimed 

through the Eailroad Canal are said to be still served with Kern Eiver 

water.

Wible Canal. Just below the Eailroad Canal is another cut from 

the river to the slough, which was made in the summer of 1875, by 

another set of persons, who were desirous of using Goose Lake Slough 

as a main channel to carry water to their lands. This cut was only 

1,000 to 1,500 feet long. It was 30 to 35 feet wide on the bottom and 

about 2 to 3 feet deep. Its head gate was 56 feet wide. The first cost 

of the canal is reported at $3,500, and the cost of the regulator at $500. 

Water is apportioned to stockholders without any elaborate system of 

measurement. Expenses of management, which are light, are apportioned to the consumers of water by mutual agreement.

Goose Lake Canal. First in the order of time of construction, but 

third in position, is the enlarged original head of Goose Lake Slough, 

known as the Goose Lake Canal. This is located on the north side of 

Kern Bl^er just above the Pioneer Bridge, about 7 miles in a direct 

line w,est of Bakersfleld. In 1874 the head of Goose Lake Slough was 

cleaned out and enlarged and a regulator was built across it. This 

regulator is 134 feet wide. The head of the slough was 150 to 160 feet 

wide. This work has always been under the control of the parties who 

controlled the principal large canals already enumerated and has not 

been in use to any considerable extent for systematic irrigation.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL XII

A. GALLOWAY CANAL.

B. IRRIGATING ALFALFA IN CONTOUR CHECKS.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. XIII

A. PIONEER CANAL WEIR, KERN RIVER.

B. PIONEER CANAL.
CKB0HSKY.] PIONEEB CANAL. 57

Pioneer Canal. This canal was constructed in 1873 by settlers upon 

lands .on the north side of the river below the Pioneer Bridge. It 

was originally made 30 feet wide at its head for a distance of a little 

over 100 yards; there its width was decreased to 10 or 12 feet. Subsequently, however, the canal was enlarged to a bed width of 3O feet 

throughout a length of 7 or 8 miles, and its upper sections were still 

farther enlarged in 1879, when the canal was made 60 feet wide. Prom 

its head at the Pioneer Bridge the canal has a westerly course, its 

waters being used principally upon the Kern County Land Company's 

tract of land. The canal capacity reported for this canal by Mr. W. E. 

Macmurdo, C. E. (in charge of canal work in 1880), was 450 second-feet, 

and its cost about $44,000.

The head gate of this canal offers some points of interest. It rests 

upon sand. A trench was excavated across the canal, 14 feet wide

3?io. 11. Section of Pioneer Canal regulator.

(14 by 60 feet) and 3 feet deep. Light sheet piling was driven on th« 

four sides of this trench 1 foot deep. To the top of the sheet piling 

were nailed 2 by 4 inch timbers at the height of the canal grade. The 

trench was then refilled and 1 by 6 inch pine boards were laid across 

the top of the filling 4 feet apart, in the direction of the canal axis. 

Floor boards 2 inches thick were thereupon nailed to the pine strips 

and extended over the side walls of the trench. They were laid across 

the axis of the canal. On this floor sills 4 by 6 inches were placed on 

edge, 4 feet apart, for the support of 4 by 6 inch posts, which serve as 

bridge posts. The bridge floor is 2 inches thick and covered with an 

earth fill 3 feet thick, which serves to give weight and stability to ta© 

entire structure. The sides of the bridge, acting as retaining walls for 

the earth fill, are tied to the floor joists by means of three-eighths-inch
58 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. 17.

iron roas, twisted together for tension. The upper bridge posts support 

the loose flashboards by means of which the structure is converted into 

a regulator. This is one of the best examples of a cheap, efficient 

structure. Its total cost was only $540, including all earthwork. It 

was built in 1884 by the engineer in charge, Mr. Walter James. The 

weir in the river at the head of the Pioneer Canal was originally a combination structure. The weir posts supported a bridge, toward the 

construction of which a mouey contribution was made by Kern County. 

The original weir has been replaced by a late structure, crossing Kern 

Eiver just below the Pioneer Bridge. This is very similar in arrangement to the one at the head of the Calloway Canal. It controls the 

water-surface elevation in the river for a number of canals and ditches 

besides the Pioneer Canal, including the Goose Lake Slough system on 

the north side of the river, and the Wilson and Meacham ditches on its 

south side.

FIG. 12. Head of James & Dixon Canal.

HJdwards JHtah. This ditch, whose head is about a mile below the 

Pioneer weir, is to be classed with those of lesser importance. It 

was constructed in 1875. Work may have commenced late in the preceding year. The ditch was about 2 miles long, and 10 to 12 feet wide 

on the bottom. It fell into disuse in 1879, but was reopened in 1885. 

It was then in use by several persons, but received water only at high 

stages of the river.

James <& Dixon Canal. This name has been applied to a cut about 

2| miles below the Pioneer Bridge, from Kern Eiver into Johnson 

Slough (one of the river's north-side delta channels). This cut was 

excavated in 1872 and 1873. It was less than half a mile long, and was 

originally made 30 feet wide on the bottom. In. 1884 it was connected, 

at a point about 200 yards below its head, with the Johnson Cut, a 

second opening from the river into Johnson Slough. The water delivered into the slough by the James & Dixon Cut is for use on portions 

of the McClung Ranch and on the Buena Vista Ranch. The slough is
. JOHNSON CANAL. 59

used in common by the owners of the two canals for abont a mile below 

the point where their waters are mingled. The Johnson Canal water 

is there taken out of the south side of the slough for distribution to 

irrigatorSj while the James & Dixon Canal water flows on down the 

slough channel.

About 1882 it became necessary to establish a better control of the 

flow of water into Johnson Slough. To this end a reasonably permanent wing dam was constructed just below the Johnson Cut, and a new 

head gate, or regulator, was placed in that cut. The wing dam wtks in 

the form of a timber weir extending halfway across the river channel 

and resting against a small island. The space between its end and the 

south bank of the river was closed annually at the low-water stage by 

an inexpensive sand dam. The water was thus forced over the weir 

and brought under control. The control at high stages was not essential. This work was carried out under the direction and management 

of the owners -ef the James & Dixon Canal, and a proportional part of 

the cost $2,200 out of a total of $4,700 was contributed by the 

owners of the Johnson Canal. The water supply for both canals was 

thereafter drawn through the same regulator.

The original purpose for which the James & Dixon Canal was constructed was to supply water for irrigation to the Buena Yista Ranch, 

then owned by Mr. James Dixon, and to lands in its vicinity. The 

canal and the lands to be irrigated by it have long since become a part 

of the property under control of the Kern County Land Company.

The combined capacity of the James & Dixon and the Johnson canals 

has been estimated at 400 to 450 second-feet. The head works of the 

James & Dixon Canal are now out of service, because it has been found 

more convenient to supply water to the lower section of the canal 

through a branch of the Pioneer Canal.

Johnson Canal. Several hundred feet below the original head of the 

James & Dixon Canal is the cut from the river to Johnson Slough 

known as the Johnson Canal, which is owned by the Lower Kern Eiver 

Irrigating Company. It was constructed in 1873 and is about one-eighth 

mile long. It was described by Mr. James D. Schuyler, in his report 

to the State engineer, as being 10 feet wide on the bottom, 3 feet deep, 

with bank slopes of 1 on 2; but greater original dimensions are claimed 

for it by resident engineers of Kern County. The canal water, as 

already noted,' flowed about a mile in Johnson Slough and was then 

taken out for delivery to irrigators. The separation of its water,from 

that of the James & Dixon Canal was effected and controlled by means

of regulators, one being placed in the slough another in the artificial

channel. There was no sale of water to consumers. The canal owners 

took water as they needed it, and expenses of canal management were 

apportioned. The cost of maintaining head works at the river was 

borne in part by the owners of the James & Dixon Canal. Water is 

now delivered to the lands served by the Johnson Slough Canal
60- IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFTELD, CALIFORNIA. p*>.l7.

through branches of the Pioneer Canal, and the use of the canal head 

works has been abandoned.

Aghe Ditch. This ditch, which fell into disuse about 1882, was a 

small one, belonging to a private owner, and was constructed about 

1874 or 1875. Its head was on the north side of the river, just below 

the Johnson Canal. It had a westerly course, was about 1 mile long, 

8 feet wide on the bottom, and 2 feet deep. Its mention is merely 

historical.

May Ditch. This ditch was in use for several years subsequent to 

1874. Its length was 2 miles, its course westerly, its width about 8 

feet, and its depth 2 feet. Its head works were 4 to 5 miles below those 

of the Johnson Canal. Whether it is now in use is not known.

Joice Oalftal. There is some confusion among names applied to the 

ditches of Lower Kern Eiver which were intended in whole or in part 

to Supply water to the Buena Vista Eauch. In 1873 the lands known 

by this name were owned by the late W. C. Ealston, and were under 

the management of James Dixon. The first diversion made for their 

irrigation was in that year, from a minor north-side delta channel ofthe river known as Gage Slough. The ditch was 12 feet wide, and was 

intended to carry water about 2 feet deep. To increase the flow of 

water in that branch of Kern Eiver upon which Gage Slough was 

dependent, a dam of brush work was constructed across the most 

southerly of two channels into which the river separated a short distance above the head of Gage Slough. Still later, in the same year, a 

second' ditch was constructed from the north side of the river above 

the sloitgh, and this was connected with the first ditch. The head of 

Gage Slough was then closed permanently.

Two years later a private ditch was constructed as a branch .of the 

Joice Ditch, commencing about 2 miles below the head of the latter. 

This was known as the Dixon Ditch, and has led to the use of the name 

Joice & Dixon Ditch for that part of the original Joice Ditch above the 

Dixon Ditch. The uncertainty as to amount of water covered by 

recorded claims, and the procedure in Kern County leading to the 

granting of a canal franchise, are well illustrated by the Joice Canal. 

A notice was posted on April 28, 1873, in sec. 21, T. 30 S., E. 25 B., 

Mount Diablo meridian, by Messrs. B. V. Joice and James Dixon, of a 

claim to 10 cubic feet of the water of Kern Eiver, measured under a 

4-inch pressure. On May 26 of the same year the same persons posted 

another notice of claim to 20 feet of water, measured under a 4-inch 

pressure. These claims were followed in 1878, on October 7, by another 

by Mr. William B. Carr, posted on sec. 23 at the head of Joice Canal, 

to 6,250 inches of water, measured under a 4-inch pressure. He was 

on the following day granted a franchise by the supervisors of Kern 

County, acting in the capacity of water commissioners, to-construct a 

new canal 30 feet wide on the bottom, 2 feet deep, and having a crosssectional area of 72 square feet, or to enlarge any canal acquired by
GSUHSKT.] JOIQE AND DIXON CANALS. 61

Mm to these dimensions for the purpose of diverting the amount of 

water named in his claim. The franchise then obtained was transferred 

a few days later to the Joice Canal Company. . '

From a report made in 1879 by Mr. W. B. Macmurdo, one, of the 

engineers in charge of canal work, to Messrs. Haggjn & Oarr it is 

learned chat the.cost of irrigation with water of this ditch, after ditches 

and checks were.all constructed, was as low as 10 cents per acre. The 

lands commanded by the canal can also be supplied with water from 

the Pioneer Canal and from the James & Dixon Qanal, as has been 

already explained. The Joice Canal receives water qply during comparatively high stages of Kern Eiver. A timber weir extending partially across the river was maintained for a number of years, but it has 

recently been found more convenient to abandon the canal head works 

and to supply it with water from the Pioneer CanaL ;

Diason Canal. Two years after the construction of the Joiqe Canal 

the branch known as the Dixon Canal was carried in a northwesterly 

direction, for the irrigation of a small tract of land on the margin of 

the lands segregated as swamp and overflowed, and thereafter the 

upper portion of the Joice Canal, about 2£ miles long, ^as regarded 

as the common head of the two ditches. The ditch was described by 

Mr. James D. Schuyler in 1880, in his report to the State engineer, as 

being 2| miles long, 6 to 8 feet wide on the bottom, and 1£ feet deep.

Kern Valley Water Company's canals. For the reclamation of the 

lands in the upper or southeastern portion of Buena Vista Swamp two 

large canals were constructed, one upon either side of the long, narrow 

trough of the valley through which the overflow waters of Kern and 

Buena Vista lakes took a northwesterly course toward Tulase Lake. 

Of these two canals, the one on the west side was intended as a recipient of the flood flow, and was therefore given magnificent dimensions. 

The other canal was to serve more particularly as a source of supply 

for irrigation water. Both of these canals were connected with Buena 

Vista Slough, a natural channel of irregular alignment and Variable 

dimensions, which has a northwesterly course from Buena Vista Lake 

for a distance of about 8 miles to the vicinity of the canal head works, 

near which point its channel becomes more or less indefinite.

At the time these canals were constructed, about 1875, it was proposed by their projectors to convert Kern and Buena Vista lakes into 

great storage basins of water to serve for the irrigation of lands to the 

northwest. But this proposition met with opposition. Other claims to 

the lakes were advanced. The lake beds were claimed as swamp and 

overflowed land subject to reclamation by drainage. Long litigation 

ensued, involving among other things the question of riparian ownership in the waters of Kern River, as it was manifestly to the advantage 

of the owners of lands in Buena Vista Swamp to prevent diversions in 

the upper sections of the river, so as to augment the flow through 

natural channels into Buena Vista Lake and thence into the ehannels
IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. IBFO. 17.

from which the lower canals were fed. As a result of this litigation it 

was definitely determined that the doctrine of riparian rights prevails 

in this Sfate; and, more directly bearing upon the questions at issue, 

it led to an agreement between the conflicting interests according to 

which the use of lake surface for reservoir purposes was restricted 

to Buena Vista Lake, and some defiuiteness was given to the rights of 

the various canals to make diversions of the Kern River water.

As soon as this result was reached, in 1891, work progressed rapidly 

on the structures necessary to dam off. Buena Yista Lake toward the 

east and to control the outflow of its waters toward the north. The 

storage capacity of the lake is represented to be 150,000 acre-feet, 

being presumably the amount actually available for irrigation parposes when the lake is full. The alignment of the principal channel 

of Kern Eiver in its course toward the lake has been corrected, and it 

is separated by means of high embankments from a return channel correspondingly correcting the alignment of Buena Vista Slough. With-

. 13. Head of Kern Valley Water Company's canals.

out any definite information concerning the cost of these works, it is 

not unreasonable to suppose that it has exceeded $250,000, in addition 

to over $300,000 for original canals.

The west-side canal was made 125 feet wide on the bottom and was 

planned to carry water 7 feet deep. The position of the canal along 

the western border of the swamp gave it a fall of about 4 to 5 feet to 

the mile, which was reduced by means of check weirs or drops. Four 

of these were constructed, but three were washed out^and but a single 

oae remains ta serve as a regulator. The canal -has a length of 24 

miles, covering more than one-half the distance toward Tulare Lake, 

and discharging at its lower end upon the lower portion of Buena Vista 

Swamp. The east-side canal is 25 feet wide and has a depth of 3 to 5 

feet. A regulator has been placed in it where it is crossed by the road 

embankment, which serves as a barrier against flood waters of the river 

or slough from the south. The regulator is a combination of a bridge
KEEN VALLEY WATER COMPANY'S CANALS. 63

with earth fill on top and a gate. The gate is of the ordinary vertical 

dashboard type.

Where water is to be drawn from the main west-side canal for irrigation purposes it is admitted to distributing ditches by means of 

wooden box culverts placed under the canal levee.

Maintenance of the works has involved frequent bank protection on 

the main canal, the bottom of which below its regulator has been irregularly eroded.

Mood waters have frequently made dangerous inroads upon banks 

and levees where the canal lies in the light alkaline soils of the west 

side, which do not afford much resistance to the erosive action of the 

water.

The irrigation from this canal system is still confined to the alfalfa 

fields at the head of Buena Vista Swamp between the two main canals. 

Here about 20,000 acres of alfalfa, in one continuous tract and under 

one ownership and management, represent the extent of the water's use.

The system of irrigation is the contour-check system. The contour 

levees have usually 6 inches difference in elevation, or a little more. 

The soil is a black vegetable mold, 4 to 6 inches deep, under which 

is a heavy clay subsoil. Checks are generally 8 to 10 acres in area. 

Small checks are preferred, and some of the larger ones are being 

subdivided. Some drainage of the land after flooding.is necessary and 

drain ditches are provided for the purpose. The cost of preparing the 

land for irrigation, including the cost of small ditches, was about $10 

per acre.

KERN AND TULARE IRRIGATION DISTRICT.

No work of actual construction was done on the proposed canal system for this irrigation district, now disorganized, but as the contemplated source of water supply was Kern Eiver the project requires 

mention. The district was located on th e east-side valley plain surrounding Delano, in Kern and Tulare counties, about 25 miles northward 

from Kern Eiver. It had an area of 84,000 acres. The proposed main 

canal was to have a bed width of 40 feet, a water depth of 4^ feet, a fall 

of 9 inches to the mile, and a total length of about 55 miles. The 

diversion from the river was to be made about 8 miles above the head 

of the Beardsley Canal, on the north side of Kern River, and the routfe 

of the canal was to be westward along the bluffs and broken slopes of 

the hills for about 7 miles, to where it emerged upon a comparatively 

smooth plain at the base of the hills, thence northerly across Poso 

Creek and Dyers Gulch, to and across White Kiver. The estimated eost 

of the main canal was $426,000 and of the necessary distributaries 

1195,000. The district was organized in 1890, and a bond-issue of 

$700,000 was intended to cover cost of works.
64 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, [TO. 17. 

WATER SUPPLY, DISTRIBUTION, AND MEASUREMENT.

The breadth and shallowness of the bed of Kern River, whose banks 

are otity 3 to 6 feet high, facilitate diversion of its water. The lands 

irrigated have already been described.

Diversions are numerous both toward the north and toward the south, 

and are usually effected by the use of light, movable, open-work timber 

weirs, above which water is forced into the head of a ditch or canal. 

The flow in the canals is controlled by gates or regulators, usually of 

the inclined or vertical flashboard type.

The canals on the north side of the river have an aggregate capacity 

of several thousand second-feet; those on the south side, between 1,000 

and 2,000 second-feet.

Most of the Kern Eiver canals were constructed for the irrigation of 

particular tracts of land, and therefore received alignments as direct 

as possible from the point of diversion to the land to be irrigated. 

Their location in a position to command as much land as possible is 

exceptional. TheKern Island, Beardsley, McCord, and Galloway canals 

are among the exceptions. On Kern Island the course of the canals 

is generally in the direction of the greatest slope of the ground's surface. 

As this slope is represented by a fall of about 7 feet to the mile, and 

the soil is generally easily eroded, check weirs or drops are necessary 

to check the flow of water in the canals and to render diversion into 

laterals possible. Such structures are about one-half mile apart on the 

principal original branches of the Kern Island Canal. There are 25 of 

them in the main channel of the Stine Canal, and about the same 

number on the Buena Vista Canal, The James Canal has 14.

Despite the various names assigned to the Kern Eiver canals and to 

the corporations which own them, the conflicting interests thereby 

indicated do not all exist. Almost the entire canal and ditch system 

of this river has passed into the control of the two great proprietary 

firms, Haggin & Tevis and Miller & Lux, and contentions as to water 

apportionment are usually restricted to broad questions affecting whole 

districts rather than individual diversions. Until a satisfactory allotment pf the low-water flow of the river was agreed to by these firms, 

comparatively little attention was paid to perfecting a system of water 

apportionment either from the river or from the several canals. It was 

the rale for each irrigator to use water as he required it, so long as 

water was available. The only canal from which water was sold until 

within the last few years was the Kern Island Canal.

The plan of apportionment of water in the case of the Beardsley 

and the other canals owned by joint stock companies, stock being held 

by landowners, gave to each stockholder a part of the water in the 

canal proportional to the amount of stock owned, but the distribution 

was based on approximation, without attempting measurement of the 

water delivered.
GBDNSKY.] DISTRIBUTION AND MEASUREMENT, KERN RIVER. 65

The allotment of water to the irrigators from the Kern Eiver canals 

is in charge of canal superintendents, who are assisted by ditch tenders, 

locally called " zanjeros." The canals are inspected daily, and the water 

applied for by irrigators is delivered into their irrigating ditches. 

Water is sold by measurement, being delivered through measuring 

boxes.

Before 1875 water was furnished free of charge from the Kern Island 

Canal to irrigators, in order to encourage its use. During the years 

1875 to 1877 it was sold at 1J cents per 24-hour inch (miner's inch, supposed to be under 4-inch pressure, equivalent to about 0.02 second-foot), 

aggregating about $1.50 per acre per annum, as then used for the various crops cultivated. In 1878 the rate was increased to 1| cents per 

24-hour inch. In 1879 the Kern Island Canal Company charged the 

following rates for water:

For general farmit,g: April to November (inclusive), 1| cents per 

inch under a 4-inch pr assure, for twenty-four hours. December to March 

(inclusive), 1 cent per 24-hour inch.

For market gardens: For 12-inch stream and upward for not less 

than one half month, 2 cents per inch per day of twenty-four hours, 

For 48-inch stream and upward for one day or more, 2 cents per inch 

per day of twenty-four hours.

For house lots and gardens: 12 inches for one day of twelve hours,or 

24 inches for one-half day of six hours, $1; 12 inches for one night of 

twelve hours, 75 cents; 12 inches for one-half day of six hours, or 24 

inches for three houris, 75 cents; 24 inches for one day of twelve hours, 

$1.50; 24 inches for one night, $1.25; 24 inches for one hour, 50 cents.

The prices now charged vary somewhat for the different canals, being 

adjusted according to operating expenses. They range from about 30 

to 75 cents per second-foot for twenty-four hours, and in exceptional 

cases have been below the lowest rate named.

The original measuring box was so constructed that a uniform head, 

over an aperture which could be adjusted to the number of inches 

called for, could be maintained. The area of the aperture was controlled by means of a horizontal sliding board. It was 4 inches in 

height, and the surface of water above the aperture was maintained at 

4 inches above its to;;). Water had an unobstructed outfall through 

the aperture.

This gate was superseded by a well-constructed overfall weir. Water 

is admitted to a chamber above the weir by means of a gate which 

affords control of the water elevation. The depth of overfall is determined by measurements to the water surface above the weir from a 

carefully set "level-board." The cubic foot per second, or second-foot, 

has recently been substituted for the inch as the unit of measurement. 

At the present time gates with submerged orifice are preferred and are 

coming into general use. 

IRK 17 5
66 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. t»o.!7.

On the South Fork Canal no system of measurement has been introduced. Each consumer takes what he requires when there is an 

abundant flow ia the canal. When water becomes scarce, a canal 

superintendent is employed to apportion the water to the canal stockholders.

The same lack of system in water measurement prevailed for a long 

time on the Pioneer, the Beardsley, and many other canals before they 

passed entirely into the ownership or under the control of the large 

water corporations.

METHODS OF IRRIGATING AND DUTY OF WATER.

Alfalfa and cereals are still the principal crops irrigated with Kern 

Eiver water, although during a few years orchard and vineyard areas 

increased rapidly in the colony tracts north of the river. The demand 

for water for the large areas represented by the alfalfa and wheat fields 

has led to special effort to minimize the expense of applying water to 

the soil. The system of wetting the soil for these crops is generally by 

flooding, which is accomplished in various ways. The most primitive 

system, rapidly falling into disuse, is that of spreading water over the 

surface from small temporary ditches, sometimes mere plow furrows, 

located on high ground, and controlling the overflow from these. Skill 

is required to cover the whole surface with water; the progress of irrigation is slow and the system is expensive because much labor is required 

to control the water. The only advantage of this system is that its 

first cost is small.

Irrigation by flooding in rectangular cheeks is confined to occasional 

orchards and vineyards and small tracts of alfalfa. The favored 

method of applying water is by flooding in contour checks. Low, flat 

embankments, generally 1£ feet in height, rarely 2 feet, are thrown up, 

which closely follow contour lines, and the spaces between these are 

divided into compartments or checks by means of cross levees. The 

areas of these checks range from less than 1 acre to 60 acres. When a 

tract of land checked in this way is to be irrigated, water is admitted 

to the highest checks first, and as soon as the flooding of a highest 

check is complete its water is drawn off through suitable gates to the 

one next below, into which the irrigating stream is turned at the same 

time.

The labor attached to this system of irrigation is much less than 

that required by the method of wild flooding, but the first cost of preparing land is considerable. The cost of land preparation will of course 

depend upon the smoothness of the surface and its slope; also upon 

the character of the levees between compartments. The best form of 

these levees has a base 16 to 24 feet in width and slopes so flat that 

any kind of farming implement may cross them in any direction.
METHODS EMPLOYED ON KEEN BIVEB. 67

The following example of cost of land preparation and ditching under 

the Galloway Canal has been taken from notes by Mr. James D.

Schuyler: 1

The average cost per acre of 5,956 acres prepared in this way was as-follows: 

Earthwork, $1.64; waste or drainage gates, $0.51; total, $2.15. The average cost of 

lateral canals, including necessary regulators and side gates to supply the land, was 

$4 per acre, making the total cost of preparation of ground $6.15 per acre.

These check levees are built upon 1-foot contours with about 20 feet base; the 

lateral canals are from one-fourth to one-half mile apart, and the cheeks range 

from ten to fifty acres in area. From 15 to 20 miles of check levees are required per 

square mile of laud, and a mile of levee contains 3,080 cubic yards. The soil is a 

sandy loam, easily worked, and the cost of preparation shown above is probably 

less than the average cost of such works elsewhere.

The laterals can supply water to the checks between them at a rate 

generally between 100 and 200 second-feet, the amount of water ordinarily admitted at one time into a check being about 50 to 70 secondfeet from each of the laterals between which it lies. The contours on 

which the levees are constructed are from 0.5 to 1 foot apart in vertical 

elevation. One foot was first adopted as the vertical distance between 

contours, but experience has proved it to be better to reduce-this distance, thereby making the water more controllable and at the same 

time reducing the area of the checks.

In filling large checks water stands long on the lowest ground. It is 

customary to draw it off into the next check as soon as the whole surface is submerged. But it is found that the portion of the check submerged for the shortest period of time produces a crop equally as good 

as that from any other portion. All percolation in localities where 

water stood more than the minimum time allowed for the high places 

is therefore a waste of .water. This waste in large checks is frequently 

so great that a check can hardly be filled, as water is lost by percolation 

almost as fast as supplied. Economy of time and water would therefore seem to demand checks smaller than those in common use at present 

to the north of Kern Eiver, where the average area of checks is about 

8 to 10 acres. Moreover, the use of lower check levees reduces the 

obstructions offered by the check system to farming operations.

it can be shown by mathematical demonstration that there is considerable loss of water and of time when porous soils are irrigated in 

large checks, but an example will suffice.

The irrigation of a 60-acre check of alfalfa with water from the Galloway Canal commenced at 5 o'clock p. m. on May 12,1885. All parts 

of the check were covered and irrigation was complete about 8 a, m. 

on the following day. No accidents causing loss of water had oeeurred. 

The amount of water entering the check was stated to have been about 

250 second-feet (one-half the amount then flowing in the Galloway 

Canal). This is presumed to be an overestimate, and it will be safe to 

say that at least the maximum amount ordinarily delivered from two

'Eept. State Engineer of California, 1880, Part IV, App., p. 85.
68 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. 17.

laterals was entering the check. This amount would be about 150 

second feet.

During the time required to accomplish the irrigation of these 60 

acres the amount of water entering the check was sufficient to have 

covered it to a depth of over 3 feet, while the amount in the check 

when its irrigation was complete, and which was in part available for 

irrigation in lower checks, had an average depth of about 0.75 foot. 

The total amount absorbed was therefore over 2.25 feet, and it must be 

presumed that much more water sank into the ground in those parts of 

the check which were lowest and had water standing on them fifteen 

hours than in those parts which were highest and were submerged only 

from two to three hours.

For economic irrigation the volume of water applied and the areas 

of the checks should be so adjusted that no portion of the check will 

be under water more than twice as long as the period of desirable inundation. In porous soils the full head of water can generally be allowed 

to flow into a check until irrigation is complete. In heavy soils there 

is less danger of excessive waste, absorption by the soil is less rapid, 

and the head of water may be reduced as soon as the whole surface of 

the check is submerged. A rapid delivery of the surplus water from 

an irrigated check into the one next below it is essential to economic 

irrigation by the contour-check method.

Irrigation from the Galloway Canal in May, 1885, was progressing at 

the rate of 200 to 400 acres per day. The flow of the canal was 450 to 

475 second-feet. In other words, the irrigated tracts were receiving 

water at the enormous gross rate of 130,000 cubic feet per acre, equivalent to an average depth of about 3 feet over all lands irrigated.

A new system of irrigation by flooding has recently been tried on 

some of the land commanded by the Galloway Canal. This system 

consists in the construction of parallel levees which follow lines of 

greatest slope at short intervals. These levees are low, not over 1 

foot high, and are placed 50 to 200 feet apart. There is between each 

two a long, narrow strip of land, crossed at intervals by a levee at right 

angles to the embankment on each side. These cross levees have along 

their bases distributing ditches with gates on their lower sides, so 

arranged that water can be admitted into the compartment between 

the levees lying next below. Flooding is accomplished by admitting 

water in large quantities to a compartment at its upper end and allowing it to flow in a broad, shallow sheet to the lower end. Water not 

absorbed in thus passing through a check is collected at the upper base 

of the lower cross levee and is allowed to find its way back into the 

distributing canals for use at points below. Only land with a smooth 

surface aud of very slight slope can be irrigated in this way. The 

system is better adapted for alfalfa fields than for grain land, because 

in the former the surface of the soil is more compact and the plants 

offer more resistance to the flowing water.
SBTO8KY.] DUTY OP WATER ON KERN RIVEB. 69

The following examples of irrigation, illustrating the duty of water, 

are in part taken from Mr. James D. Schuyler's report to the State 

engineer in 1880. 1 The latter ones are from unpublished data collected 

and prepared for the use of the State engineer in his final publication, 

which has not been issued. :

In the following table the quantity of water used by some Chinese 

vegetable gardeners in 1879 from the Kern Island Canal, near Bakersfield, is noted. The data on which the table is based are reliable. ;

Quantity of water used ~by gardeners in 1879 from the Kern Island Canal, near £akersfield.

Name of irrigator.

Ah Cow.... ...............

Ah Gee ...................

Area of 

land irrigated.

Acres.

.8

50.0

3.2

3.2

10.0

Total water 

used.

Cubicfeet.

1, 331, 840

6, 375, 600

2, 751, 200

2, 322, 432

1, 658, 880

Average 

depth of 

water 

used on 

land.

Feet. 

4.07

38.20

3.00

19.70

17.00

3.80

Cost of 

watnr per 

acre.

dji <V7

20.00

1.42

10.00

6.17

1.92

Period of irrigation.

The smaller of the gardens irrigated have a stream of 6 to 12 inches 

(0.12 to 0.24 second-foot) running continuously, day and night.

On sees. 1 and 2, T. 30 S., E. 27 E., 2 miles south and west of Bakersfield, along Panama Slough, where the land receives the percolation of 

several channels, natural and artificial, a field of 50 acres of alfalfa is 

irrigated in six days and nights with a stream equal to 1£ second-feet, 

and an orchard of 20 acres is irrigated in two days and one night with 

the same amount. The discharge would be equivalent to a depth of 

0.36 and 0.37 foot, respectively, over the land irrigated.' The soil is an 

alluvial loam. The orchard is irrigated once a month, and the alfalfa 

field once or twice a year, or more, when it is used as a pasture.

SE. 4 sec. 30, 6% miles south of Bakersfield, was irrigated first in 

1878. Four acres can be irrigated in twenty-four hours with 7 secondfeet. Allowing a loss of 1 second-foot in transit from canal to lands, 

this amount would be equal to a depth of 3 feet over the whole area. 

The soil is a sandy loam. Surface water is at a depth of 6 feet, rising 

to 3 feet after irrigation and subsiding again. The crops irrigated are 

wheat, barley, beans, sweet potatoes, alfalfa, and orchard and small 

fruits. The water used in 1878 cost $1.03 per acre, and in 1879 it cost 

81 cents per acre.

On SW. \ sec. 31,7£ miles south of Bakersfield, a first irrigation of 40 

acres in May and June, 1879, was effected with 1,209,600 cubic feet of 

water, equivalent to a depth of 0.7 foot over the whole area. The land 

was thoroughly soaked in the spring by a break in the canal, and 

received the benefit of constant percolation. Cost per acre of the only

1 Report of W. E. Hall, State Engineer of California, 1880, Fart IV, App.,'p. 86 et seq.
70 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. 17,

irrigation given was 25 cents. The soil is a sandy loam containing 

decayed vegetable matter. Crops, cereals.

On see. 32, JJ miles south of Bakersfield, from July 23 to 29, inclusive, 

six days, 40 acres were thoroughly saturated with a discharge of 7.73 

second-feet, equivalent to a depth of 2.3 feet over the whole area. The 

land had been irrigated but once, before this season the first week of 

May. It was dry to a depth of 6 inches, while surface water stood at 

a depth of 3.75 feet below surface. The land was first irrigated in the 

spring of 1878, when surface water stood at a depth of 17.5 feet. After 

first irrigation ic rose to 12 feet; after first irrigation in 1879 it rose to 

3.75 feet, where it remains. The soil is an alluvial sandy loam, mixed 

with partially decayed tule roots to a depth of 17 feet, and underlain 

by a stratum of clay 12 to 14 inches thick. The crops are wheat, barley, 

alfalfa, and corn. The average number of irrigations during the season 

is about one and a half. The average cost of water per acre is 70 

cents. The average cost of labor (Chinese) per irrigation is 8 to 10 

cenl^s. A part of the land is irrigated by the check system, and a part 

by the small ditch or wild flooding system.

On sec. 5, T. 31 S., E. 28 B., 8£ miles from Bakersfield, adjoining the 

last-named section, with similar soil, and cultivated the same length of 

time, a record was kept of the quantity of water used for the second 

irrigation of a tract of 150 acres of corn. The total discharge in twentyone days was 16,004,736 cubic feet, sufficient to have covered the land 

to a depth of 2.45 feet. The land had been irrigated in February or 

March for wheat, but it was so late that only weeds sprouted. In June 

the land was irrigated again to prepare it for corn, and the last irrigation noted above was from July 23 to August 12. The total cost of 

labor employed for tbe last irrigation of corn was $80.50, or 53.67 cents 

per acre. The total cost for water and labor was $1.20 per acre. The 

total cost of water used on the section during the season for 350 acres 

of wheat and 150 acres of corn was $452.32, or 90.5 cents per acre.

On sec. 7, T. 31 S., E. 28 B., the first irrigation of 50 acres of corn (the 

land having been wet before plowing in May) was accomplished in ten 

days July 21 to 30 with an average discharge of 7.2 second-feet, 

equivalent to a depth of 2.86 feet over the whole area. The total cost 

for water was 31 cents per acre. The total cost of water for the season 

for irrigation of 90 acres of wheat and barley, 50 acres of corn, and 70 

acres of alfalfa was 55 cents per acre. The soil was in part black, stiff 

loam, almost adobe in texture, in part loam mixed with sand, and in 

part coarse sand underlain by quicksand. Most of the land under 

cultivation was irrigated this year for the first time. The ranch could 

nearly all be subirrigated, but the owner preferred the small ditch system. He thinks that next year his land will absorb not more than 

one-half the water it has this yean.

On sees. 21, 28, and 33, T. 31 S., E. 28 B., and sec. 4, T. 32 S., E. 28 

E., 12 miles from Bakersfield, in the vicinity of Kern Lake, 800 acres
DUTY OF WATER ON KERN RIVER. 71

of wheat, corn, and alfalfa were irrigated once, 250 acres irrigated 

twice, and 100 acres three times. The entire acreage required a total of 

66,450,000 cubic feet of water during the season equivalent to a depth 

of 1.33 feet at each irrigation. The average cost of water was 50 cents 

per acre for the season. The soil is a stiff, black loam, 1 to 2f feet thick, 

underlain by yellow clay 2 to 4 feet thick, beneath which surface water 

is abundant in a stratum of sand. Moisture is also found above the 

clay, maintained by drainage of lands above.

On sec. 4, T. 31 S., E. 27 E., in one experiment 3£ acres, prepared with 

care, leveled, and checked with proper levees, were covered in fifteen 

hours with an average discharge of 2§ second-feet, equivalent to a 

depth of 0.87 foot over the whole area. The land lies adjacent to 

Panama Slough, from which it receives moisture by percolation. The 

soil is a sandy loam of considerable depth. The surface water is 8 feet 

below the surface. The land had been irrigated four or five years.

At Liverinore Ranch (Greenfields), sees. 18,20,29,30,31,32, T. 31 S., 

E. 29 E., and sec. 5, T. 32 S., E. 29 E., the average number of waterings required is 1| one general irrigation and a second irrigation on 

the drier spots. The average cost per acre for labor of irrigation is 12 

to 15 cents. The average cost for the season for labor and water is 

$1.50 per acre. The water was shut off from March 17 till May 15, 

causing the failure of 300 acres of barley and 600 acres of wheat that 

had been sown. No data could be obtained as to the quantity of water 

used per acre. The ranch being at the terminus of the main canal and 

the central branch, the supply fluctuates according to the demands from 

the lands above.

Mr. Schuyler says: "These examples are all taken from lands 

requiring comparatively little water, as they are all subject to percolation from numerous sources. Most of the lands referred to are irrigated from the Kern Island Oanal. This being the only canal iu the 

county from which water is sold by measurement, the data afforded 

regarding the cost of irrigation and the quantity consumed are more 

definite and reliable than any that could be obtained elsewhere."

A few other examples may be given as approximately correct to illustrate the thirstiness of other classes of soils.

On Bellevue Eanch, T. 30 S., E. 27 E., no exact data as to volume of 

water used could be obtained. The average number of irrigations 

required for cereals is two to three, one being sometimes sufficient in 

seasons of favorable rainfall. For alfalfa three or'four irrigations are 

generally neededj for corn two are sufficient. The soil is sandy, with 

streaks of heavy loam marking the course of old sloughs.

On McClung Eanch, sees. 3, 4, and 5, T. 30 S., E. 26 E., and sec. 1 iu 

township adjoining, the first year of irrigation (1874) a ditch, described as " 12 feet wide on bottom, 2 feet deep, with a good average 

flow," was discharged for seven months upon 100 acres before the land 

was saturated. If this be true, such a ditch, with side slopes 1 to 1 and
72 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [so. 17.

grade of, say, 2 feet per mile, would have discharged enough water in 

that time to cover the land 166 feet deep. The water was, of course, 

not confined to the immediate neighborhood of the tract upon which it 

was discharged, but spread for miles in underground channels, filling 

up the loose porous soil to a depth of several feet. The average head 

of water which one man can conveniently handle in irrigating on the 

McClung Ranch is what will pass through a gate 4 feet wide with a 

depth of overfall of about 1 foot, equivalent to about 13 second-feet, 

and with this from 1 to 6 acres per day (of twelve hours) can be irrigated. This discharge is sufficient to cover the land from 2 to 13 feet 

deep. The land has been irrigated from three to four years, and absorbs 

a trifle less each year; but if irrigation be suspended for one season the 

surface moisture drains away, and the following year much more would 

be required than would have sufficed the previous year. This is the 

case, to a greater or less extent, in all parts of the valley of Kern Eiver. 

On the lands cited in this example one thorough soaking is sufficient 

to produce a crop of cereals, with enough rainfall to sprout the grain. 

With no rain two irrigations are required one to prepare the land, the 

other to mature the crop. Alfalfa requires three to four waterings 

through the season to maintain a vigorous growth. The soil is a coarse 

sand and sandy loam of great depth.

In sec. 13, T. 29 S., R. 27 E., on a strip of bottom land between the 

McCord Canal and Galloway Slough, 80 acres of alfalfa have been irrigated in four days and nights with a discharge of about 6 second-feet, 

sufficient to have covered the ground to a depth of 0.6 foot. The land 

had been irrigated for two or three years. The soil is an alluvial loam 

having an elevation of but 5 or 6 feet above the river, and receiving 

constant moisture from below by percolation. The crop was irrigated 

twice during the season prior to August 1.

On sec. 14, T. 29 S., R. 27 E., with a discharge equal to about 2 secondfeet 2 acres of corn can be covered in a day of twelve hours, equivalent to a depth of about 2 feet over the whole area. This example 

was given as the fourth and last irrigation of the tract in the season, 

the land having been wet once before seeding and three times after. 

The land had been irrigated several years. The soil is a brown sandy 

loam 1 to 6 feet deep, underlain by hardpan not wholly impervious.

On sec. 8, T. 29 S., R. 27 E., alfalfa is said to require irrigation twice a 

month. Wheat is irrigated once before and twice after planting. 

Corn requires five irrigations, the first of which is given-before seeding, in May, the last in the latter part of July. The soil is a -sandy 

loam 2 feet deep, underlain by 2 feet of yellow hardpan. No data as 

to quantity of water required at each irrigation were obtained.

On sec. 27, T. 28 S., R. 26 E., the first irrigation was in 1879. Wheat 

required three or four irrigations, one prior to sowing. The land was 

irrigated by the check system, by which two men could water 160 acres 

in four days, at a cost of about 10 cents per acre per irrigation for
GETJNSKY.] DUTY OF WATER ON KEEN RIVER. 73

labor. The soil is similar in character to that cited in the foregoing 

example.

At Poso Eanch, sec. 9, T. 27 S., E. 25 E.. a test was attempted to ascertain, if possible, the quantity of water absorbed by the desert lands 

on the plains north of Kern Eiver, now supplied by the Galloway Canal. 

A check containing 3| acres was prepared and water was admitted in as 

great quantity as was expedient for the safety of the newly built banks 

about the gates. An hourly record of the head was kept, the discharge 

being from 4 to 9 second-feet. Eleven hours were required to fill the 

check sufficiently to barely cover the highest ground, when the water 

was shut off. Next morning all the water had soaked away. The 

quantity discharged was sufficient to have covered the whole area to a 

depth of 1.75 feet. A portion of the area doubtless absorbed five times 

as much as the higher spots, as the percolation seemed to be entirely 

downward, and not in a lateral direction. Three weeks later the check 

was filled in four hours and twelve minutes, with an average discharge 

of 13.35 second-feet, the ground being covered to an average depth of 

1.25 feet. Some time between these two experiments the land was 

flooded by the breaking of a check above. The total quantity absorbed 

by the three waterings was probably not less than 4 to 5 feet. The soil 

is a brown sandy loam, of unknown depth, but probably greater than 

20 feet to hardpan.

All of the above examples, illustrating at once the practice of irrigation and the amount of water required, are the result of inquiries and 

experiments made in 1879. To these the following can now be added.

On sec. 30, T..30 S., E. 28 E., in August, 1881, water from the Kern 

Island Canal was used for five days to the extent of 3.63 second-feet 

for the irrigation of 30 acres of corn. The amount of water was equivalent to 1.21 feet over the entire area. The water was applied by the 

furrow system of irrigation. The soil is very variable, generally light 

and loamy. Its character ranges from pure sand to black adobe. Soil 

water is at a depth of 8 or 9 feet.

On the same section as the last, 60 to 70 acres of wheat were irrigated 

by flooding in checks lying between contour lines. The surface of the 

ground is smooth but not level. Water was used for eleven days 

in December, January, and February, at ^he rate of 3.61 second-feet, 

equivalent to a depth of 1.21 feet over the ^hole surface. It was again 

used for eight days in March, at the rate of 3.26 second-feet, equivalent 

to a depth of 0.97 feet over the entire surface. The ground received 

another irrigation between April 1 to 5, four days in all; water was 

used at the rate of 5.20 second-feet, and the equivalent average depth of 

water over the entire surface was 1.37 feet. The whole amount of water 

consumed in the irrigation of the wheat was therefore equivalent to an 

average depth of 4.18 feet of water over all. Alfalfa was irrigated on 

the same section to the extent of 50 to 60 acres. The water used for it 

prior to the end of May, 1882, was 5.20 second-feet for fourteen days in
74 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKER8FIELD, CALIFORNIA. [so.11.

March, and 7.36 second-feet for fifteen days in May. The amount of 

water which the alfalfa field received in these two irrigations was 

equivalent to a depth of 6.61 feet. It was proposed to give it? and 

it probably received, two more irrigations subsequent to the two here 

noted.

Sec. 31, T. 30 S., E. 28 B., has a loamy soil which does not crack or 

bake in drying, contains a small excess of alkali, and ranges in texture from sand to black adobe. In 1881 wheat to the extent of 125 

acres was irrigated by flooding in checks. The surface of the ground 

is smooth but not level. The ground was wet before plowing in January. The amount of water it received at that time was equivalent to a 

layer 5.01 feet thick. It received a subsequent irrigation equivalent 

to a depth of 0.69 foot of water. The total average depth of water 

delivered to the land was therefore 5.70 feet.

On the same section, in 1882, a wheat field of 350 acres was supplied 

with water for sixteen days in the first part of January. Water was 

used at the rate of 3.26 second-feet, equivalent to an average depth of 

0.30 foot. It received water again, at the rate of 7.41 second feet, from 

April 1 for seventeen days, equivalent to 0.76 foot in depth over the 

whole area. For fourteen days, from April 25 to May 8, it again 

received water, at the rate of 8.60 second-feet, equivalent to a depth of 

0.66 foot over the whole area. The aggregate average depth of water 

received by this whole tract in 1882 was therefore 1.72 feet.

On sec. 6, T. 31 S., E. 28 E., having soil of the same character as that 

described above for sec. 31,120 acres of corn land were irrigated, from 

April 18 to 24, in 1882. This irrigation was preparatory, to the planting, 

and was equivalent to a depth of 0.78 foot over the whole surface of the 

land. The corn received one more irrigation.

On sec. 32, T. 30 8., E. 28 E., whose soil is mostly a sandy loam, but 

ranges from pure sand to a dark vegetable loam, 130 acres of wheat 

were irrigated in March and April, 1881. The head of water used was 

9.91 second-feet. The depth to which it would have covered the ground 

averaged 2.34 feet. Ground water is at about 17 feet below the surface.

On the same section, in May, June, and July, 1881, 80 acres of corn 

received water to the extent of an average depth over all of 6.35 feet. 

The head of water was 9.91 second-feet. On the same section a 6-acre 

orchard was irrigated in August and September, 1881, and received 

water enough to cover the 6 acres 4.53 feet deep. The water used was 

4.56 second-feet. On the same section, in March, 1882, an old alfalfa 

field of 100 acres was irrigated and absorbed water equivalent to a 

depth of 2.52 feet. The head of water used was 12.10 second-feet. On 

the same section, in March, 1882, newly sown alfalfa was Irrigated; its 

area was 120 acres. It received water at the rate of 12.10 second-feet. 

The total amount of water it received was equivalent to a depth of 2.52 

feet over the whole area. It was again irrigated in May, receiving 8.60
POSO CREEK. 75

second-feet for eight days, or sufficient water to cover it 0.98 foot deep. 

It was proposed to give the newly sown alfalfa o»e more irrigation in 

1882.

On sec. 7, T. 31 S., R. 28 E., whose soil varies from a light sandy loam 

to a black sandy vegetable mold, with ground water at from 4 to 10 feet 

below the surface, 300 acres were sown to wheat in 1882 j alfalfa was 

sown with the wheat. The ground was not irrigated before sowing. 

The irrigation of this tract commenced on February 26 and was completed on April 6; water was used for forty one days at the rate of 8.21 

second-feet. The total amount consumed in irrigating the 300 acres 

was equivalent to a layer 2.22 feet thick over all. The wheat did not 

require any further irrigation. The young alfalfa was irrigated again 

after the wheat had been harvested.

IRRIGATION FROM POSO CREEK.

Poso Creek is a small foothill stream just northward from Kern River, 

which flows for several months each year. Its drainage basin has an 

area of about 289 square miles. The creek has not been used to any 

considerable extent for irrigation, because there is but little land that 

can be commanded with its water except at considerable expense, and 

because its brief irregular flow did not seem to justify works to benefit 

large sections. It was not, therefore, until the irrigation-district law 

went into effect that a combination of interests led to the projection 

and partial execution of works of considerable magnitude. Several 

small private ditches were in use before the organization of the Poso 

irrigation district, but no complete list of these is available. One of 

them is the Purcell Ditch, which takes water from the south side of 

Poso Creek, about 8 miles above Poso. The ditch was made 12 feet 

wide and 2 feet deep, and was in use in 1885 for the irrigation of about 

400 acres of alfalfa, immediately below the head of the ditch and adjacent to the creek. Another ditch, on the south side of the creek, is the 

Creasey Ditch, constructed in 1885 for the irrigation of 300 acres of 

land about 4 miles above Poso. The head of the ditch is about 2 miles 

below the head of the Purcell Ditch. It was made 16 feet wide on the 

bottom. The Rhymes and Hughes ditches are small ones, somewhere 

in the foothill section drained by the creek, concerning which nothing 

definite is known except that they were in use for many years.

POSO IRRIGATION DISTRICT.

This district was organized in 3 888. Its bond issue is 1500,000. It 

has an area of about 40,000 acres, located to the north of Poso Creek, 

at the western base of the Sierra Nevada foothills, in Kern County. 

The contemplated works for the irrigation of the district are far 

advanced, though not yet completed. Much work on them was done by 

day's labor before it was decided to be advantageous to let contracts.
76 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKKRSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

Water for the district lands is to be obtained from a system of reservoirs in the drainage basin of Poso Creek, which are to supplement the 

creek's natural flow. The first reservoir, now constructed, is formed 

by means of an earthwork dam to be raised to a maximum height of 

70 feet, but now only half finished. Its capacity when completed will 

be about 7,000 acre-feet. From it water flows in the channel of Poso 

Oreek about 7 or 8 miles to a point where it is diverted into a flume by 

means of a granite darn, whose greatest height is about 16 feet. The 

flume shown in PI. XIV, A and B, is about 3 miles long and delivers 

its water into an apparently well-constructed hillside ditch which has 

a length of about 30 miles before reaching the district. Two other 

flames are in use on the canal line to carry the water over deep ravines. 

The flumes have a width of 8 feel; and are planned to carry water 4 

feet deep. Water was sent through the canal for the first time this 

season, but only for the purpose of testing the work. This upper district canal is supplemented by a lower canal which leaves the creek 

about 10 miles above Famosa and commands the western portion of 

the district. This lower canal is in service, but irrigation is extending 

very slowly.

IRRIGATION FROM DEER CREEK.

Deer Creek is a small stream draining about 110 square miles of Sierra 

Nevada foothill lands lying southward from the Tule River basin. It 

flows into San Joaquin Valley during several months of the year; rarely, 

however, as late as July. Its water ordinarily sinks within 10 or 12 

miles of the foothills, but occasional freshets have sent it as far as 

Tulare Lake. The summer flow of the creek, which is very small, does 

not reach the San Joaquin Valley lands.

Winfield Ditch. This is a small ditch on the south side of Deer Creek, 

having its head about 4 miles above the point where the creek breaks 

out upon the main valley plain. It was constructed in 1858, is between 

3 and 4 miles long and 3 to 4 feet wide, and supplies water to several 

hundred acres of creek bottoms. It has been in use continuously since 

its construction. The entire low-water flow of the creek is taken into 

the ditch.

Carotliers Ditch. The head of this ditch is on the north side of Deer 

Creek, about a mile above the point where the creek reaches the border 

of San Joaquin Valley. It was constructed in 1885, but takes its name 

from an older ditch (constructed in 1868) which had for many years 

been out of service. It has a westerly course, and is about 5 miles long 

and 4 feet wide on the bottom.

Beer Creek Consolidated Ditch (Sausalito Ditch). This is the principal 

irrigation work on Deer Creek. The head of the ditch is on the south 

side of Deer Creek, about 12 miles in. a direct line above Belleville and 

about 3 miles below the head of Carothers Ditch. The ditch is carried
t). S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO 17 PL. XIV

A HEAD FLUME, POSO IRRIGATION DISTRICT.

B. HEAD FLUME, POSO IRRIGATION DISTRICT.
QBUNSKY.] DEER CREEK. 77

along the south side of Deer Greek, close to the creek channel, for a distance of nearly 8 miles; thence its course is diagonally across the creek 

bed to its north side. From this point the course qf the ditch is westerly and southwesterly, in a number of branches, which deliver water to 

lands lying to the east and northeast of Belleville. The crossing of 

the sandy bed of Deer Creek is effected between embankments of sand, 

which are sure of destruction during freshets, but which are quickly 

restored. The lower portion of this ditch system was constructed in 

1875 and 1876. Two sets of farmers commenced operations independently, but soon found it advantageous to unite their interests and 

construct a ditch in common. It was soon found necessary to substitute an artificial channel on firm ground for the por.ous creek bed from 

the foothills to the head of the original ditch, and this led to the construction of the upper section of the ditch in 1878. The main ditch 

has somewhat irregular dimensions. Its bed width is generally about 

10 feet. Its capacity has been estimated at 40 second feet. The 

capacity of the lower section of the ditch, on the north side of the 

creek, is about 30 second-feet. The cost of this irrigation system, which 

furnishes water to 3,000 acres of land, was about $20,000.

When the consolidation of interests by those desiring to use water 

near Belleville was effected, it was determined to establish water rights 

that should become appurtenant to specified tracts of land. This plan 

could not be adhered to, however, owing to insufficiency of the water 

supply from the creek, which made it impossible to deliver water to 

many of the tracts westward from Belleville for which water was 

wanted. It was found necessary to confine the delivery of water to 

consumers near and above (east of) Belleville, and these have become 

the stockholders in the company which owns and manages the ditch.

During the irrigating season (generally November to the end of June) 

a ditch superintendent is in charge of water distribution. Water is 

delivered to the several branches in proportion to the number of shares 

of stock for which each is to receive water. As soon as the water 

becomes insufficient to meet the demands of irrigators the ordinary 

system of using it in rotation is adopted. Eight hours is usually fixed 

as the time of a run per share. No water is sold, and all expenses are 

assessed upon the stockholders. Management and repairs cost about 

$1,000 per annum. About one-third of the area irrigated is alfalfaj 

the rest is orchard, vineyard, summer crops, and some grain. Irrigation is accomplished by flooding in small rectangular checks. The 

preparation of the ground to receive water was inexpensive, its, original 

surface having been very smooth. The soil is a sandy loam. At about 

3 feet below the surface is a stratum sufficiently hard to be called hardpan. As usual in irrigated districts on the plains, irrigation has produced a permanent effect upon the elevation of ground water. This 

was originally found at a depth of 17 feet below the surface; it is now 

at 9 to 12 feet.
78 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. It.

TITLE RIVER. 

HYDROGRAPHY.

Tule River eaters San Joaquin Valley at Porterville, with a drainage 

area above that point of 437 square miles. The river has a perennial 

flow throughout its mountain and foothill portions, but not at points 

below Porterville, near where the last remnant of its water during 

very low stages sinks into its sandy bed. During the months of May 

and June the flow of the river, as estimated for the six years, 1878 to 

1884, was over 1,000 second-feet. Its mean flow for that entire period 

was about 450 second-feet. From November to January the mean flow 

was 130 second-feet. It was 636 second-feet from February to April, 

941 second-feet from May to July, and 139 second-feet from August to 

October.1

Below Porterviile this water flows in several channels, one of which, 

Porter Slough, has its head on the north side of Tule River, about 3 

miles above Porterville. The water not in this slough remains in the 

main channel for about 10 miles, then separates into a network of 

channels having a general westerly course, and is finally delivered 

into Tulare Lake. The main stream crosses the Southern Pacific Railroad about 2£ miles north of Tipton. Water rarely flows in this part 

of the river more than four months of the year.

The Tule River channels are barely of sufficient capacity to pass 

ordinary freshets. This is particularly noticeable westward from 

Woodville 011 all the many channels into which the river is subdivided. 

The resulting bank-laud inundations are of considerable extent and are 

an important supplement to artificial irrigation. The ready overbank 

escape of the freshet waters of the river and the very smooth surface 

. of the delta lands greatly facilitate the diversion of water into ditches 

and canals, which have become very numerous. Many of these are, 

however, mere cuts into the bank, into which water flows when the 

river is high and which become dry soon after the river recedes from 

its highest stage.

Where there are so many small, relatively unimportant diversions as 

from the several channels- of Tule River, a minute description of each 

work will not be attempted, and in many cases a mere mention of 

name, general position, and time of first use must suffice.

CANALS AND DITCHES.

South Tule River Diteh. This (sometimes called Campbell Ditch) is 

the uppermost ditch on the south side of Tule River, though by no 

means the first in time of construction. The diversion of water from 

the i-iver is made at the head of an older ditch, known as the Wilcox, 

at a point about 8 miles above Porterville. The ditch skirts the base

1 California Physical Data and Statistics, Wm. Ram. Hall, State Engineer, pp. 458 and 476.
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL, XV

CANALS FROM TULE AND KAWEAH RIVERS.
OHDNSKT.] SOUTH SIDE TULE E1VER CANAL. 79

of the hills, commanding a narrow strip of valley laud which lies 

between the hills and the river. It is about 6 feet wide on the bottom, 

and has irrigated but a few acres. Its construction was commenced in 

1879.

Wilcox Ditch. The diversion of water into the Wilcox and South 

Tule Eiver ditches is accomplished by means of an inexpensive wing 

dam of cobbles and brush work. One channel in common is utilized 

for the water of both ditches for about a quarter of a mile. The Wilcox Ditch lies between the South Tule Eiver Bitch and the river. It 

was constructed about 1855 for the irrigation of a small tract of land 2 

miles below^ts head. The ditch is about 3 feet wide on the bottom.

Piano Ditch. For the irrigation of laads in the vicinity of Piano, a 

small settlement on the south side of Tule Eiver, directly opposite 

Porterville, a small ditch was constructed in 1863. It takes water 

from the south side of the river, about 3 miles in a direct line from 

Piano. It gradually withdraws from the river, crossing the river bottoms to the base of .the hills, and skirts the base of " Sugarloaf" just 

to the east of Piano. Thence its course is southwesterly through 

Piano to a termination about 1 mile west of the village. The dimensions of the ditch are irregular; its capacity is about 16 second-feet. 

It supplies water to about 400 acres of orchard, alfalfa, and vegetables.

Vandalia Ditch. This is another small ditch oa the south side of Tule 

Eiver. It takes water from the river a mile above Piano, has a capacity 

of about 3 second-feet, and irrigates about 100 acres. It was constructed in 1861.

Rose Ditch. This is another of the small private ditches near Piano. 

Its head is several hundred yards below the head of the Vandalia 

Ditch. It was constructed in 1862. The land it irrigates was before 

that time supplied with water from a ditch known as the Somers Ditch, 

but the freshets of 1861-62 cut the irrigated district in two by the formation of a new channel for the river, and the Eose Ditch was built to 

supply water to a few acres of the original irrigated district left on the 

south side. It irrigates 10 to 20 acres.

Mitchell, Springer & Rose Ditch. The head of this ditch was a short 

distance above the bridge on the road southward from Porterville. It 

was less than a mile long and about 4 feet wide on the bottom. The 

point at which water was taken from the river was frequently changed, 

and various tracts of land were irrigated with its water. It was one of 

the old-time ditches which now seems to have fallen into disuse. The 

extent of irrigation from it a few years ago was less than 20 acres.

South Side Tule River Canal. This canal, which was for many years 

referred to as the "Big Ditch," and is also known as the "Poplar 

Canal," was constructed in 1875 by an organization of farmers whose 

lands were located on the main San Joaquin Valley plain, south of 

Tule Eiver. The head of the canal is just above the bridge southward 

from Porterville. The canal regulator has been placed about a quarter
80 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKBRSFIBLD, CALIFORNIA. [ NO. 17.

mile below the. bridge. The ditch has a bed width of 20 feet, and is 

intended to carry water 2 to 3 feet deep. The course of the canal is 

westerly. It is about 11 miles long. In seasons of ordinary rainfall 

there is no trouble in keeping the canal well supplied with water during 

the spring months. At other times, and often when water is most 

needed, the supply is scant. The flow of the main canal is usually 

apportioned to one or more of the distributaries, or district ditches, 

as they are called, and the entire flow of each of these is used in turn 

by the irrigators. The length of time that an irrigator may use the 

water is determined by the number of shares of stock held by him.

The use of the canal has been interfered with considerably by litigation. Eiparian land owners have been successful in throwing legal 

obstacles into the way of water diversion for this canal, and court 

decisions against canal interests have been enforced to some extent. 

The area irrigated has, therefore, remained small probably less than 

1,000 acres. The cost of the canal was about $20,000, but under good 

management would have been less. Check weirs were placed in the

FIG. 14. South Side Tule Eiver Canal.

canal every half mile, but did not serve long. They were soon washed 

out of place. Their purpose was to prevent excessive erosion (the fall in 

the direction of the canal being about 15 feet per mile) and to facilitate 

diversion into branch ditches. After the first set of these structures 

was gone the expense of placing a weir in the main canal at the head 

of a distributary was thrown upon the owners of the latter, but the 

canal management reserved the right to approve the design and to 

supervise its construction. The original check weirs were of the flashboard type. The bays had a width of 4 feet. The timbers supporting 

the flashboards were inclined. The principal defect seems to have been 

the placing of the floor of the structure at, and not below, the grade 

height of canal "bottom.

Fine Ditch. The head of the Fine Ditch is about 3 miles below the 

head of the South Side Canal. It commands a district intermediate 

between Tule Eiver and the lands irrigated with water from the South 

Side Canal. The ditch was built and is owned in common by a number 

of farmers, w.ho apportion its water among themselves. It is about 7 

miles long.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 17 PL. XVI

A. REGULATOR AND WASTE WAY OF SOUTH SIDE TULE RIVER CANAL.

B. REGULATOR OF PIONEER CANAL, LOOKING UPSTREAM.
GEUNSKY.] CALLISON SLOUGH AND ENGLISH DITCH. 81

Callison Slough. Callison Slough (Woods Central Ditch) is a highwater eseapeway from the south side of Tule Eiver, about 5 miles due 

west from Porterville. It was probably one of the many new channels 

formed by the freshets of 1861-62. Water enters the head of this 

slough under control of a regulator at the high stages of the river, and 

at lower stages the flow is increased by means of a temporary wing 

dam of sand, which is extended farther and farther upstream as the 

river falls. The flow of the slough has been under control for irrigation since 1878, in which year a company was organized for this purpose, under the name of the Woods Central Irrigating Ditch Company. 

The head gate was made 18 feet wide. About $1,560 was expended 

in converting the slough into a serviceable ditch. Several small distributing ditches have been constructed from the slough to the lands 

of irrigators, and about 1,000 acres represent the extent of annual 

actual wetting.

When the Tipton irrigation district was organized, in 1891, arrangements were made by its directors for the use of Callison Slough in comFIG. 15. Head of Callison Slough and English Ditch.

mon with the Woods Central Irrigating Ditch Company. A. new regulator was soon afterwards put into the head of the slough. It was 

made 30 feet wide, it being understood that 10 feet of its width was to 

serve the original users of slough water, and the other 20 feet the irrigation district. The district canal is out of service at the present time.

Old English Ditch. The head of this ditch is immediately below the 

head of Callison Slough, and its water is used on several small farms 

between Callison Slough and the river. The ditch was constructed 

about 1869. It is about 8 feet wide on the bottom, 2 miles long, and 

annually irrigates between 100 and 200 acres. Whenever it is desirable 

to use water after the high stage of the river, a long temporary wing 

dam of sand is constructed at its head, just below, and almost parallel 

with, that at the head of Callison Slough.

Stockton Ditch. This ditch takes its name from a small private ditch 

which was in use for a few years preceding 1871. It was built in 1874 

by a company composed of eight farmers who desired a common source 

of supply. It leaves the south side of Tule River about midway

IKK 17 6
82 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. 1*0.17.

between Porterville and Woodville, and has a westerly course to the 

vicinity of the latter settlement. The ditch is about 6 miles long, and 

is 15 feet wide at its head. Water is ordinarily available for it from 

February to June. No restriction is placed upon the locality where 

each stockholder may use his water. The water is delivered in turn to 

each person entitled to its use, the time of a "run" per share of stock 

being fixed annually by the directors, usually at forty-eight or twentyfour hours per share. The lands irrigated by this ditch have in part 

been included in the Tule Elver irrigation district, and are to become 

dependent upon its works for their water supply.

Ball & Harris Ditch. About one-half mile below the head of Stockton Ditch a small ditch, irrigating several hundred acres of land, leaves 

the river. It is known as the Ball & Harris Ditch (or the Markham, 

or Pierce & Markham, or Pierce, Markham & Booth Ditch). It was 

built about 1871, and is reported to have been in continuous use after 

1874. The ditch is only 3 to 5 feet wide on the bottom. Its regulator 

has a width of 6 feet. This is one of the ditches whose rights have 

been merged with those of the Tule Eiver Irrigation Ditch Company.

Empire Ditch. The head of this ditch (also called Pheil & Otto, 

Stover, or Lower Pioneer Ditch) is on the south side of Tule Eiver, 3 

miles east of Woodville, at a point known as the Forks of Tule Eiver. 

Its course is westerly; it is 3 miles long and irrigates several hundred 

acres of land in the immediate vicinity of Woodville. Its width is 2 to 

3 feet on the bottom, and its estimated capacity is about 5 second-feet. 

The lands served by this ditch are in part in the Tule Eiver irrigation 

district.

Woodville Ditch,. This ditch has its intake on the south side of the 

river about 1J miles northeast of Woodville. Its course is westerly; 

its length is about 7 miles, and its width in the upper sections about 10 

feet on the bottom. The regulator has a width of 12 feet. The ditch 

was constructed in the years 1883 to 1885. It is one of the few ditches 

constructed and managed on the principle of proportional assessment 

of stockholders to meet those expenses only which are incurred on the 

ditch above the point where water is delivered to each irrigator. This 

is another of the small ditches whose rights have been merged with the 

Tule Eiver Irrigation Ditch Company.

Tipton Ditcli. This ditch (also called Mitchell Ditch) was constructed for the irrigation of lands near Tipton. Its builders agreed 

to contribute to the cost of construction and maintenance of so much of 

the main ditch as was above the upper limits of their lands in proportion to their respective interests in the canal water. The construction 

of the ditch commenced in 1881, but it was not completed for several 

years. The head of this ditch is on the south side of Tule Eiver, about 

3J miles northeast of Tipton. The ditch has a southwesterly course, 

is 6 to 7 miles long, about 20 feet wide near its head, and is planned to 

deliver a relatively large amount of water to the area dependent upon
GBUNSKY.] TULE RIVER DITCHES. 83

it during the short period (about February 1 to June 15) when water is 

ordinarily available.

Janes Ditch. This is a very small private ditch, the head of which is 

about a quarter mile below the head of Tipton Ditch. It follows the 

river bank, crossing Lone Oak Slough and South Tule River to a small 

tract of land irrigated with its water.

Lone Oak Slough. This is a small high-water channel breaking out 

of the south side of Tule Eiver due north from Tipton, about a half 

mile above the railroad crossing. It has a southwesterly course, and 

supplies water to several independent small distributaries known as 

the Hively, the Creech, and the Rogers Lower ditches. The flow of 

water in the slough is controlled by a regulator, put in about 1891.

Hively Ditch. This is a small private ditch, about a mile long, 

receiving water from Lone Oak Slough just to the west of the railroad 

crossing.

Creech Ditch. This is another small private ditch, about a mile long, 

leading from the south side of Lone Oak Slough.

Rogers Lower Ditch. This ditch also receives water from Lone Oak 

Slough. It is a mile below the Creech Ditch, and is about 2 miles long.

The combined irrigation from Lone Oak Slough ditches probably 

does not exceed 200 acres.

Fanclier Ditch. Another of the Tule River ditches, owned in common 

by four or five irrigators, is the Fancher Ditch, which for several years 

prior to 1884 is reported to have received its water from the river at 

the point where Callison Slough unites with South Tule River. A weir 

was constructed in the river channel and the diversion was made from 

the slough channel. About 1884 it was found necessary to extend the 

ditch upstream about half a mile to a new head, where for some time 

water was admitted without control. The ditch has a southwesterly 

course, is about 2 miles long and 12 feet wide, and usually irrigates 

several hundred acres.

Finney Ditch. On the north side of South Tule River, near the lastmentioned diversion, is a small private ditch, known as the Finney or 

Berry Ditch. Its head is a quarter of a mile below the head of Fancher 

Ditch. Water is there diverted into a small natural depression, in 

which it flows about half a mile to points where it is used by several 

irrigators. This ditch came into use in 1884.

Swall Ditch. Another small private ditch, on the north side of South 

Tule River, is the Swall Ditch. Its use dates back to 1875. Its head 

is 2£ miles below the head of the river channel called South Tule River. 

It is about 2 miles long, and has a westerly course.

Gully Ditch. This ditch receives water from the south side of the 

main channel of Tule River, 1£ miles below the head of South Tule 

River. It has a southwesterly course, is about 2| miles long, and, ia 

common with the Swall Ditch, supplies water to several hundred adres. 

It was constructed in 1875.
84 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

Swatt & Wessling Ditch. This is a small ditch on the south side of 

the main channel of Tale River, about a mile long, which connects this 

channel with a small natural water course. Its head is 3J miles below 

the head of South Tule River. It has been in use since about 1884.

Great American Ditch. Before the Tule River Indian Reservation, 

above Porterville, was thrown open to settlement the construction of a 

small hillside ditch for the irrigation of lands intermediate between the 

north-side hills and the river had been commenced. This ditch had its 

head on the west side of North Fork about 8 or 9 miles above Porterville, and was intended solely for the use of the Indians. This work 

was subsequently to have been completed by a corporation which seems 

to have been organized principally for speculative purposes. There is 

but little left of the enterprise except the name.

Pleasant Valley Ditch. This is a diversion from the west side of 

North Fork of Tule River, about 2£ miles above its junction with Middle

zoo +00 Ft:

FIG. 16. Head of Pioneer Canal.

Fork. The ditch has a southerly course for over 5 miles, thence a 

north westerly course for 5 miles, and thence a southerly course for over 

2 miles. It commands Pleasant Valley lands. Its bed width is about 

6 feet for several miles, thence 4 feet. The ditch was constructed in 

1889 by the Pleasant Valley Ditch Company, organized as a corporation 

the previous year by farmers requiring water for stock and irrigation 

purposes.

Pioneer Canal This canal, controlled by the Tule River Pioneer Water 

Ditch Company, is the most important of the several irrigation works 

receiving water from Tule River. It was constructed and first came into 

use about 1867. Its head was then located three-quarters of a mile 

below the junction of North and South forks of Tule River. The freshets 

of 1877-78 destroyed the upper section of the canal and at the same time 

cut* a high-water channel near the base of the hills at the northern 

border of the bottom lands. This new channel was at once utilized for
PIONEER CANAL. 85

the canal water. A regulator was put in its head and has been maintained. The canal j>roper terminates at the flour mill'at Porterville, to 

which it supplies power. Its course is along the base of the hills on 

the north side, and generally half a mile to 2 miles from the river. The 

bottom lands thus commanded above Porterville are very productive. 

The canal has a length of about 7 to 8 miles. Its fall is somewhat 

irregular, generally 6 to 7 feet to the mile. Its bed width is 8 to 12 

feet, and the depth of water carried 2 to 3 feet. Its regulator is of the 

box or culvert type. A loose-rock fill on top of the structure gives it 

weight to prevent its being undermined. Three vertically sliding gates 

control the inflow of water. The width of the regulator between side 

walls is 18 feet. The capacity claimed for the Pioneer Canal is 72 

second-feet.

Before a reorganization of the canal company was effected, several 

years ago, the canal water was delivered to stockholders in proportion 

to the amount of stock owned by each. Stockholders were permitted 

to take their water at any convenient point through a suitable outlet 

gate, constructed and maintained by the user of the water taken. No 

water was sold by the canal company, and all expenses of management 

and repairs were assessed to the stockholders. The result of this system of operation was the union of interests by groups of irrigators, 

who then made a common diversion of water from the main ditch and 

built distributing ditches, which are managed much the same as independent ditches.

The most notable branch of this character was the Farmers Ditch. 

It received water from the Pioneer Canal at the mill, and, passing to 

the east and north of Porterville, had a course a little north of west, 

skirting the southern border of Old Tule River Swamp. Its length 

was about 12 miles. It was owned by an organization formed in 1875, 

ownership being represented in 12 shares. Each share of stock 

entitled its holder to a proportional interest in the canal down to a 

point where he diverted or intended to divert his water from the main 

canal. The company did not sell any water. Water was used from 

the canal in rotation, the duration of a run per share of water being 

mutually agreed upon.

The cost of construction was apportioned to each member in proportion to his interest in the canal. Each member bore a proportional 

part of all expenses incurred along the canal above the point at which 

he was to receive his water, and did not contribute toward the construction of the canal below that point. Expenses of maintenance and 

repairs were apportioned on the same basis to those actually using 

water. As the canal had a total length of 12 miles, and some of its 

water was used within 3 or 4 miles of its head, these expenses were 

about four times as great for the most distant irrigator as for the one 

nearest the head of the canal.

Farmers Ditch in its upper sections was also known as the Old State
86 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [HO. IT.

Ditch, being one, or on the line of one, of the ditches that was intended 

to divert the flow of flood waters from the Old Tule Eiver swamp lands, 

and which had been constructed with money from the State swamp-land 

fund. This ditch, in somewhat altered alignment, together with the 

North Branch of Pioneer Canal (which might also be called the North 

Side State Ditch), has become one of the principal distributaries of the 

reorganized Pioneer Canal Company.

Water is still delivered to stockholders in proportion to stock owned, 

but without actual measurement. A change is to be made at once, 

according to which water is to be sold to stockholders on the basis of 1 

miner's inch per share of stock. The canal capacity, 50 second-feet, is 

equivalent to 3,600 miner's inches under 4-inch pressure, and there are 

3,600 shares of stock in the corporation. The price to be charged for 

water is to be fixed at 5 cents per 24-hour miner's inch.

The area of citrus fruits dependent upon this canal for water has 

within the last few years rapidly grown to 1,000 acres. About 900 acres 

of other orchards are also irrigated by this canal. The orchard lands 

for the most part lie to the north and east of Porterville.

The wetting of orchard land is generally accomplished by allowing 

small streams of water to flow in a number of furrows between rows of 

trees, usually four, and to harrow the surface as soon after the application of water as possible.

On the lower section of the Farmers branch of the canal alfalfa and 

grain are irrigated in rectangular checks. Land there is smooth surfaced and comparatively level, consequently the cost of preparation for 

irrigation is small. It is said to have been as low as 50 cents per acre 

for ditching and checking.

The value of water stock at the present time is said to range from 

$200 to $300 for stock entitling to water above the Porterville Mill, and 

$50 to $100 for stock entitling to water below the mill. This difference 

in price is due to the fact that most of the flow of the canal mast be 

delivered at the mill for power purposes, and that water for diversion 

from the canal by irrigators above the mill is therefore limited.

Traylor Ditch. This is a small private ditch having its head on the 

north side of Tule Eiver half a mile below the head of the Pioneer 

Canal. It has a course about midway between the larger ditch and 

the river, is about 2 miles long, and irrigates a few acres of river bottom 

land.

Porter Stottgn. -Porter Slough breaks through the north bank of 

Tale Eiver about 4 miles above Porterville. It was made the principal channel of Tule Eiver by the freshets of 1861-62, but within a 

few years contentions arose as to the apportionment of water to this 

channel and to that which afterwards became the main channel of the 

river. Obstructions placed in the head of Porter Slough were repeatedly removed by settlers along the slough. It is claimed that such 

obstructions, in part at least, caused the rapid enlargement of the other
GBTJNSKY.] TULE RIVEE DITCHES. 87

channel of the river by the freshets of 1867-68, and that ever since that 

time some work at the head of Porter Slough is annually necessary to 

put water into it at ordinary stages of the river.

Since the construction of the works for the irrigation of lands in the 

Tule River irrigation district, water is turned into the head of Porter 

Slough through an artificial channel or cut 700 feet long, in the head of 

which a regulator is maintained. This regulator has a total width of 

3G feet, divided into nine spaces, of which seven are separated from 

the other two by a longitudinal partition. The water passing through 

the larger portion of the gate is for the irrigation district, the rest is 

for the Hubbs & Miner Ditch, which formerly received its water 

through an independent head some miles below Porterville. The 

actual flooding of lands with water from the slough before its use by 

the Tule River irrigation district was not very extensive, but the 

presence of water in the channel accomplished much wetting of 

adjacent agricultural land.

Hockett Ditcli. This is one of the small ditches which was constructed immediately after the freshets of 1861-62 to replace Somers 

Ditch, which was destroyed by the high waters. Its head is on the 

north side of Tule River, about 1J miles below the head of Porter 

Slough. It supplies water for several hundred acres of land between 

Porter Slough and the main channel of the river southward from Porterville. The Somers Ditch, whose water rights are claimed for the 

Hockett Ditch, is reported to have been constructed in 1858, and it is 

probable that some of its original owners had attempted to make 

diversions of water as early as 1854.

Wallace Ditcli, The head of the Wallace Ditch is immediately below 

that of the Yandalia Ditch. Although the diversion of water for this 

ditch is made on the south side of the river, it is at once carried over 

to the north side in a small flume, and its use is entirely on the north 

side. It is a small private ditch, occupying a position between the 

Hockett Ditch and the river and supplying water to a few acres in 

the same vicinity as Hockett Ditch.

McGee, Putnam & Caldwell Ditcli. This is another small north-side 

ditch, having its head about 1| miles below the bridge south of Porterville. It commands lands between the river and Porter Slough just 

west of those covered by Hockett and Wallace ditches. It is said that 

the use of water through this ditch commenced about 1863.

Gilliam Ditch. This ditch leaves the river about a quarter mile below 

the McGee, Putnam & Caldwell Ditch. It is a small private ditch 

which is also known as the Gillis Ditch, or the Gilliam & McGee Ditch. 

It was probably constructed in 1862 and commands a portion of the 

district originally irrigated by the Somers Ditch.

Hubbs & Miner Ditch. This is a north-side ditch supplying water to 

eight or ten farmers, whose interests in the ditch are represented by 

shares of stock. The head of the ditch was about 2 miles below the
88 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

Porterville road bridge until, in 1893, a combination with the Tule Eiver 

irrigation district was effected, according to which a common head or 

new inlet from the river to Porter Slough was constructed. Of the 

water diverted from the river, the surplus not required by the irrigation 

district goes to the lands dependent upon the Hubbs & Miner Ditch 

for water.

Fulweiler and Hunsaker ditches. The next north-side ditch has its 

head about 6 miles below Porterville. It is known as the Fulweiler 

Ditch. Its construction was commenced by an organized association 

of farmers, but work was soon abandoned. One of the owners subsequently commeuced operations again, and was joined in 1884 by 

several other farmers. The ditch was about 1£ miles in length, having 

a northwesterly course to a point where a junction was effected with 

another small ditch, known as the Hunsaker Ditch, whose head is half 

a mile below the head of Fulweiler Ditch. The Hunsaker Ditch had 

a length of about 2 miles. Its central section was used in common by 

the two ditches an arrangement effected to overcome right of-way 

difficulties which were encountered by the owners of the Fulweiler 

Ditch. The Hunsaker Ditch was constructed in 1871. About 400 acres 

were irrigated from the two ditches. All of the lands served by the 

Hunsaker Ditch and part of those served by the Fulweiler Ditch are 

now in the Tule Eiver irrigation district and are dependent upon its 

canals for water.

Pletts Ditch. This is a small ditch receiving water only during high 

stages of the river. It has been in use since 1872, but has'ordinarily 

irrigated only about 10 acres of alfalfa and orchard land. Its head is 

just below the country road leading northward from Porterville.

Thomas Ditch. Less than a quarter of a mile below the head of the 

Pletts Ditch, also on the north side of Tule Eiver, is the Thomas Ditch. 

It is also called the Walker Ditch. It was constructed about 1871 or 

1872. Like other high-water diversions from Tule Eiver, it has had no 

regulator at its head. The extent of actual flooding with its water has 

been about 25 acres. The lands it watered are now served by the Tule 

Eiver irrigation district canals.

Elrod Ditch This is one of the same class of small ditches just 

enumerated. It is a reconstruction of" an older ditch which was known 

as the Lewis & Walker, about 2 miles below the Thomas Ditch. The 

original ditch came into use in 1871. The lands irrigated by it are now 

a part of the Tule Eiver irrigation district.

Hay & Brown Ditch. This was an insignificant ditch on the north 

side of the river about 5 miles east of Bayou, which affords water for 

the flooding of a few acres at flood stages of the river. Like the other 

small ditches named, it has been absorbed by the Tule Eiver irrigation 

district.

M. M. Burnett Ditch. This is a small high-water ditch from the north 

side of Tule Kiver, a mile southeast of Tagus. 'It is about a mile long,
GEUNSKY.] TITLE RIVER DITCHES. 89

has a bed width of 5 feet, and cost about $100. It was constructed in 

1886.

Bond Ditch. This is a small ditch which carries water southwesterly 

three-fourths of a mile from a point on the north channel of Tule Eiver 

at the head of Sehoolhouse Branch. It unites with Eogers Ditch for 

the irrigation of the same lands. This ditch was constructed in 1871.

Rogers Upper Ditch. This is a diversion from the north side of the 

Stadtmiiller Branch of Tule Eiver, made in 1880. It has a northwesterly course for nearly a mile, to its junction with the Bond Ditch. The 

two ditches belong to the same owners.

Rogers Middle Ditch. This is a ditch from the lower end of the 

Schoolhouse Branch of North Tule Eiver. It is a short ditch 6 feet 

wide, having a southerly course, and drops its water into a natural 

channel, whence it is again taken for the irrigation of several small 

tracts. It was constructed in 1880.

Klein Ditch. This ditch was practically duplicated by the Eogers 

Middle Ditch. The diversion was made from the same point, but in a 

ditch located a few feet farther east, and the same natural channel was 

used to convey water about a mile to its place of use. The mention of 

the ditch is merely historical; it went out of use about 1880.

Lamarsna Ditch. This is another of the very small high-water ditches 

which abound in the Tule Eiver country. It was constructed in 1878 

or 1879, to supply water to several farms lying between the main channels of Tule Eiver about 3 miles southeastward from Bayou. It has 

been in actual use very little, and but a few acres of alfalfa have been 

dependent upon it for water.

Bacigalupi Ditch. Southward from Bayou, on the north side of the 

main channel of Tule Eiver, is another high-water ditch, which has 

been in use more or less since about 1882. It is a short private ditch 

which supplies water for use on several hundred acres of land.

Bacigalupi & Greighton Canal. This canal was constructed, in part 

at least, in 1877. It is really a diversion from Elk Bayou, the southernmost delta channel of Kaweah Eiver, but as Lower Elk Bayou may also 

be considered a Tule Eiver channel, receiving water from Porter Slough 

and being the main channel of Old Tule Eiver, it will not be out of place 

to enumerate this canal among the Tule Eiver ditches, particularly as 

the flow of Main Tnle Eiver into the lower end of Elk Bayou is chiefly 

relied upon as a source of supply for this ditch. The head of the ditch 

is on the north side of the bayou, about a quarter of a mile above its 

junction with the main channel of Tule Eiver. The canal has a northwesterly course for about 4 miles, thence a southwesterly course for a 

like distance to near the eastern margin of Tulare Lake. It was built 

primarily for the reclamation of land entered as a desert claim. The 

regulator built in the head of the canal was soon washed out of place 

and the upper end of the original canal was considerably enlarged by 

erosion. The upper part of the canal was originally about 8 feet wide
90 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSPIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

on the bottom, but a width of 12 feet on the bottom, with a water depth. 

of 2 to 3 feet, is claimed for most of its course. So far as can be learned, 

there has been but little systematic irrigation in the territory commanded by this canal.

Tulare Lake Canal. This canal, which was built in 1890, takes water 

from Tule Eiver at a point 10 miles due west from Tipton. It has a 

bed width of 40 to 50 feet and a depth reported at 4 to 5 feet. It lies 

within the extreme high-water limit of Tulare Lake. Its course is due 

south and its length is 3 miles. It commands the lands westward to 

the present lake margin. Water is expected to be available in this 

canal from about February to July. It is reported to have supplied 

water this season to 7,000 acres of grain land. At the head of the 

canal structures of the ordinary open flashboard type are in use for the 

diversion and control of the water. The cost of the canal head works 

is said to have been $3,000, and the cost of the main canal and 10 to 15 

miles of branch ditches, including the head works, was about $10,000.

TULE RIVER IRRIGATION DISTRICT.

In no portion of the State has the necessity for harmonizing conflicting claims to water and adequate control of its diversion and use been 

greater than on Kaweah and Tule rivers, and it is on these rivers that 

the successful operation of the irrigation-district system was to be 

anticipated. It seemed as though all irrigators could only gain, and 

none lose, by bringing the many small independent ditches under one 

management, as authorized by the district law. And, in fact, no difficulty was encountered in formiug on Tule Eiver two irrigation districts, 

both of which have constructed canal systems, but in both of which 

there is now much dissatisfaction with the operation of the law and 

with the results thus far achieved. Of course the disappointments and 

failures are, in part at least, due to the general depression of the farming industry; but with an increasing tax rate as a burden upon those 

who meet their district obligations, and with probable confiscations of 

the property of those who continue delinquent, the problem of district 

management becomes difficult of solution.

The Tule Eiver irrigation district was organized in September, 1891. 

A bond issue of $90,000 was soon followed by a second of $10,000. The 

district has an area of about 22,000 acres practically all the lands 

within or immediately adjacent to the delta of Tule Eiver. The district 

has a greatest length in the direction of the river of 13 miles, its eastern limit being about 6 miles west of Porterville, and a breadth of about 

4 miles. Some of the land within exterior boundaries has been excluded.

The entire bond issue has been expended in completing the canal 

system. The bonds could not be sold readily and were finally, through 

the hands of a nominal purchaser, turned over to the contractors, who 

carried on operations by hypothecating them. The canal system consists of a main water way to and into the district Porter Slough and
TULE RIVER AND TTPTON DISTRICTS. 91

two principal laterals, one on each side of Tale Eiver. At the head of 

Porter Slough a cut 700 feet long has been made from the river into 

the slough. In this cut a regulating gate 36 feet wide has been placed, 

which is intended to serve the irrigation-district canal as well as the 

Hubbs & Miner Ditch. Of its 9 bays or openings, 7 are for the district 

and 2 for the other ditch. After flowing in Porter Slough for 7 or 8 

miles the district water is taken into a large canal whose head is 3 

miles west of Porterville, and which has a westerly course for 2£ miles 

to a point near the north bank of Tule River. The water is there 

separated into two canals, of which one has a northerly course back to 

Porter Slough and the other drops its water into Tule Eiver, from 

which it is again reclaimed half a mile below. Porter Slough is the 

main north side lateral for 6 or 7 miles; thence an artificial canal continues westward to near the western limit of the district. The southside main lateral has a course almost due west for 11 to 12 miles, holding a position within one half mile to a mile of the south boundary of 

the district. The older ditches within the district and smaller laterals 

complete the distributing system. The dropping of the south-branch 

water into Tule River 'is only a temporary arrangement, it being proposed to carry this water over the river in a flume.

Water is expected in the district canals from about March 1 to July 1. 

The irrigators are this season allowed to take water as they please, 

canal operation being blocked by litigation. It was at first proposed 

to meet operating expenses by levying an assessment upon the property 

of the district. This was done one season, and cost of operation was 

about $2,000. The following year, 1896, water was sold at 20 cents per 

irrigating head per hour, the head of water being understood to mean 

the amount which would pass over a clear overfall 4 feet long and 1 

foot deep. This year, as already stated, water is taken by irrigators 

as they can get it,

TIPTON IRRIGATION DISTRICT.

The Tipton irrigation district is a second district dependent upon 

Tule River for its water supply, but its right to make a diversion 

extends only to the flood flow of the river. This district was organized in 1891. It contains 17,040 acres, located on the south side of 

Tule Eiver, south of the lower portion of the Tule Eiver irrigation 

district. A first issue of bonds of $50,000 was followed by a second 

to the amount of $20,000, but the second series has never been disposed of.

The district receives water through Callison Slough, the southernmost 

delta channel of Tule Eiver. Arrangements were made with the Woods 

Central Irrigating Ditch Company whereby a regulating gate was to 

be placed and maintained for common use in the head of the slough. 

This was done. The gate was made 30 feet wide, 20 feet for the irrigation district, and 10 feet for the Woods Irrigating Ditch. The main
92 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. [NO. 17.

district eanal was taken out of the slough about 2£ miles below its 

separation from the river. It reached the district by a course a little 

south of west, and four principal laterals were extended from it westward into the district.

The canal system cost the district $505000 in bonds and an additional 

$11,000 represented by outstanding warrants. Here, as in other districts, bonds did not sell readily for cash at or above the limit prescribed by law, and here too the bulk of them went to the contractors 

of ditch work through a nominal purchaser.

The tax collector of the district has been temporarily enjoined from 

selling property for delinquent taxes. The residents of the districts 

do not seem able to pay the irrigation tax, which has been from 3 to 

over 4 per cent per annum. The operating expenses, including salaries 

of all officials and employees, were about $3,000 while the district was 

still in operation. Irrigation has therefore been extended very little, 

if any, under the district system, so that on the whole the outlook for 

this district is not encouraging.

METHODS OF IRRIGATION.

Irrigation from Tule Eiver, with its many channels of slight depth, 

is very readily accomplished; so easily, in fact, that most of the farmers 

along its banks have in the past drawn its water through small ditches, 

generally owned in common by several irrigators. Small high-water 

ditches, frequently without head gates, are numerous, and there are but 

few irrigation works on a large scale. The dams in use to divert the 

water into the heads of the ditches are usually temporary structures 

of sand and brush. The only ones which are expected to withstand the 

freshets are those at canal heads above Porterville. The banks of Tule 

Eiver are so low that but little cutting is required to carry water from 

the point of diversion away from the river* banks. Only the lands near 

and above Piano and Porterville, and those along the Farmers' Canal, 

are favored with water for irrigation during more than the spring 

months.

Crops cultivated above Porterville are principally fruits, including 

citrus fruits, for which this section is famed, vegetables, and other 

summer crops. Below Porterville the most important crop irrigated is 

alfalfa. Most of the irrigated land near Porterville and Piano, where 

not in the river bottom, is a moderately dark loam. Water is applied 

to trees, vines, and vegetables in furrows run between rows. The slope 

of the ground in the region just indicated is ordinarily too great to 

permit of irrigation by any of the systems of flooding in checks, as 

elsewhere practiced. When irrigating in furrows, the water is delivered into a number of these at the same time from a small distributing 

ditch. The quantity of water admitted into each is so small that it 

does not cause erosion. As soon as the loose soil between furrows is 

thoroughly wet, irrigation is complete and water is turned oft'.
GBTJNSKT.] METHODS EMPLOYED ON TITLE RIVER. 93

This system of irrigation was observed on a hillside about 1 mile 

east of Porterville. Water was diverted from a branch of the Pioneer 

Canal into a small distributary lying along the upper edge of the 

orchard to be irrigated. The amount used as an irrigating head was 

about half a second-foot. From the distributing ditch the water was 

diverted at regular intervals through small tubes of tin, stuck throngh 

short boards and placed temporarily into the side of the ditch; thence 

it found its way into the furrows. The grade of the furrows was about 

1 foot in 20. The water was allowed to flow in thirty furrows at the 

same time and required the attention of one man. Constant attendance 

was required, but the labor was very light. This system of irrigation 

can be practiced to advantage only in the daytime. The- furrows were 

about 3 feet apart; there were three furrows between each two rows of 

trees,

By means of this system of irrigation the ground was wet to a depth 

of 3 feet or more. After a few days the ground was well cultivated, in 

order to reduce the loss of water from the surface by evaporation. The 

soil of the tract thus irrigated is a light black loam, a dry bog, which 

becomes very soft and sticky when wet. The proprietor gave his vines 

and trees only one irrigation per annum. The average annual rainfall 

in this vicinity is about 11 inches. It is less at points farther west, 

being only about 7 inches along the central line of San Joaquin Valley 

at points opposite Porterville.

Lands along Tule Eiver west of Porterville are for the most part 

level and have a smooth surface. Irrigation is generally accomplished 

by flooding in checks having an area of only a few acres each. Alfalfa is 

irrigated every four to six weeks while water is available; orchards and 

vineyards, once or twice a season, according to water supply; corn land, 

ordinarily once before seeding; and vegetables, almost continuously 

during the time water is available. Every ditch owner tries to keep 

water in his ditch as long as possible, because it is useful for stock 

purposes when not required for irrigation. The soil along the river is 

generally a sandy loam, usually resting on firm clay, called hardpan, 

found at a depth of 1 to 6 feet. Ground water near the river is about 

14 feet; it is to some extent affected by the flow of water in the river 

and in ditches and its use in irrigation; but the time between irrigation 

periods is so long that the water table has not been permanently raised 

in consequence of irrigation. Irrigation has produced no marked 

changes in the character of the soil, though it is occasionally claimed 

to have been the cause of an increase of alkali at the surface of some 

of the lands irrigated. Fevers are, and always have been, prevalent to 

some degree along Tule Eiver, and it is not possible from the limited 

data collected to determine to what extent the healthfulness of the 

country has been affected by the practice of irrigation.

Private ownership of ditches has been the rule on Tule Eiver. 

The sale and measurement of water is now, however, about to become
94 IRRIGATION NEAR BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA. {HO. 17.

an established fact on the Pioneer Canal, and has already been introduced in the Tule Eiver irrigation district; but it practically amounts 

only to systematizing water distribution, compelling economic use, and 

putting the burden of canal maintenance upon the irrigator alone, the 

sale being restricted either to holders of canal stock or to taxpayers in 

a district.

PUMP IRRIGATION AT UNDSAY.

The water development by means of artesian wells in San Joaquin 

Valley is a subject of considerable interest, but can not be dealt with 

fully in this paper, owing to lack of detailed information concerning 

recent developments. But the use of water secured by pumping from 

a subsurface source has been so successful, in at least one portion of 

the field under consideration, that a brief reference to it will not be out 

of place.

Lindsay is a new settlement on the east-side valley plain, about 10 

miles northwest of Porterville. It was at first proposed to bring water 

into that locality from Kaweah Eiver, but before the difficulties in the 

way of canal construction were overcome it was found that a layer of 

sand at about 60 to 65 feet below the surface afforded a fair supply 

of water. Centrifugal pumps have been brought into service to develop 

this water supply. The pumps are placed in pits about 30 feet deep, 

near the surface of the ground water, and water is delivered by them 

through pipes to the place of use. Both steam and gasoline engines 

are in use to supply power. The irrigation is confined almost exclusively to citrus fruits, the cultivation of which commenced in this locality 

about five years ago. The water surface in the wells is lowered during 

pumping from 10 to 27 feet, according to pump capacity. The total 

height water is raised, including friction in pipes, is said to exceed in 

some cases 70 feet. One irrigator, with 2£ cords of oak wood at $4 a 

cord, and one pump, claims to be able to irrigate from 20 to 25 acres of 

orchard land per day, according to distance from pump. The method 

of irrigation is by multiple furrows between rows of trees. The soil is 

a rather stiff, chocolate-colored loam.

There are four steam pumping plants and about six gasoline pumping 

plants now in that vicinity.

Irrigation is continued throughout the summer months from about 

May 1 to October 1. Trees over one year old receive waiter every five 

to six weeks j younger trees more frequently.
INDEX.

Page.

Altairrigation district, situation and organization of................................. 24

Anderson Canal, description of............ 48-49

ArujoDitch, description of................. 43

Ashe Ditch, description of................. 60

Bacigalnpi Ditch, description of............ 89

Bacigalupi & Creighton Canal, description 

of........................................ 89-90

Bakerafield, examples of irrigation near... 69-70 

Ball & Harris Ditch, description of........ 82

Bond Ditch, description of................. 89

Beardsley Canal, description of............ 50-51

Browns Valley irrigation district, notes on. 23-24 

Buena Vista Canal, description of.......... 49

Callison Slough, description of............. 81

Galloway Canal, description of............. 51-55

Carothers Ditch, description of............. 76

Castro Ditch, description of................ 48

Central irrigation district, location and area 

of........................................ 23

Cereals, furrow irrigation of................ 32

Checks (level), farrow i rrigation in........ 33

College City irrigation district, location of. 23 

Colusa irrigation district, location and area 

of........................................ 23

Cost of preparing land for irrigation ...... 67

Creasey Ditch, description of.............. 75

Creech Ditch, description of............... 83

Deer Creek, irrigation from................ 76

Deer Creek Consolidated Ditch, description

of........................................ 76

Dixon Canal, description of................ 61

Duty of water, examples of irrigation 

showing ................................. 69-75

Edwards Ditch, description of............. 58

Elrod Ditch, description of ................ 88

Empire Ditch, description of............... 82

Emery Ditch, description of............... 55

Fancher Ditch, description of.............. 83

Farmers Canal, description of.............. 47

Farmers Ditch, description of.............. 85

Fine Ditch, description of................. 80

Finney Ditch, description of.............. 83

Fisher & Abley Ditch, description of...... 48

Flooding between parallel levees, description of..................................... 31-32

Flooding in contour checks, description 

of..................................... 27-29,66

Flooding in level checks, description of.... 30-31

Flooding in rectangular checks (not level), 

description of............................ 29-30

Fraaier Ditch, description of............... 50

Fulweiler Ditch, description of............ 88

Furrow irrigation, description of .......... 32-33

Page. 

Gates Canal, description of............. 49

Gilliam Ditch, description of .............. 87

Goose Lake Canal, description of.......... 56

Great American Ditch, description of...... 84

Gully Ditch, description of................ 83

Henley D itch, description of............... 50

Hively Ditch, description of................ 83

Hockett Ditch, description of.............. 87

Hubbs & Miner Ditch, description of...... 87-88

Hunsaker Ditch, description of. .......... 88

Huron irrigation district, location of....... 25

Irrigation, methods of.......... 26-36, 66-68,92-94

State control and legal regulation of 

water snpply for..................... 19-23

Irrigation districts, details concerning .... 23-25

James Canal, description of................ 49-50

James & Dixon Canal, description of....... 58-59

Johnson Canal, description of.............. 59-60

Joice Canal, description of ................. 60-61

Jones Ditch,description of................. 83

Jones & Tuckey Ditch, description of...... 56

Kern and Tulare irrigation district, notes 

on........................................ 25,63

Kern Island Canal, description of........... 43-45

Kern Elver, hydrography of ............... 37-41

irrigation from......................... 42-75

Kern Valley Water Company's canals, description of.............................. 61-63

Klein Ditch, description of................. 89

Kraf t irrigation district, location of........ 23

Lamarsna Ditch, description of ............ 89

Legal regulations of use of running water, 

methods of............................... 19-22

Level checks, furrow irrigation in.......... 33

Lindsay, pump irrigation at................ 94

Lone Oak Slough, description of ........... 83 

Madera irrigation district, location and area 

of........................................ 24

May Ditch,description of.................. 60

McCaffery Ditch, description of............ 51

McCord Canal, description of.............. 51

McGee, Putnam, & Caldwell Ditch, description of................................... 87

Meacham Canal, description of............. 50

Mitchell, Springer, & Kose Ditch, description of................................... 79

Modesto irrigation district, location and 

area of................................... 24

M. M. Burnett Ditch, description of........ 88-89

Measurement of water, modes of........... 65-66

Newell, F. H., letter of transmittal by ..... 11

Old English Ditch, description of.......... 81

Old South Fork of Kern River, description 

of........................................ 48-47

95
96 INDEX,

Orchards, farrow irrigation of............. 32-33

Orland South Side irrigation district, location and area of.......................... 23

Panama Slough, description of............. 47

Pierce & Barker Ditch, description of...... 43

Pioneer Canal, description of ........ 57-58,84-86

Piano Ditch, description ot................. 79

Pleasant Valley Ditc h, description of...... 84

Pletts Ditch, description of ................ 88

Plnnkett Ditch, description of.............. 50

Porter Slough, description of .............. 86-87

Porterville, irrigation near................. 92-93

Poso Creek, irrigation from ................ 75-76

Poso irrigation district, notes on........... 25

Purcell Ditch, description of............... 75

Railroad Canal, description of.............. 56

Ray & Brown Ditch, description of ........ 88

Eio Bravo Banch canals, description of.... 42-43

Eogers Upper Ditch, description of ........ 89

Bogers Lower Ditch, description of........ 83

Bose Ditch, description of.................. 79

San Joaquin Valley, area, general character, 

and hydrography of..... ................ 15-18

Sausalito Ditch, description of............. 76-77

Schuyler, J. D., cited on cost of preparing 

land for irrigation.. ................... 67

cited on duty of water................. 69,71

Selma irrigation district, location of....... 24

Soils, characters of ........................ 41-42

South Pork of Kern Eiver, description of.. 46-47 

South Side Tule Eiver Canal, description of. 79-80 

South Tule Eiver Ditch, description of.... 78-79

Statutory provisions governing use of running water............................... 19,22

Stine Canal, description of................. 48

Stockton Ditch, description of............. 81-82

Subsoil irrigation, methods of.............. 33,36

Page.

Sunset irrigation district, location and area 

of... .................................... 25

Swall Ditch, description of................. 83

Swall & Wessling Ditch, description of.... 84

Thomas Ditch, description of. ........ 88

Tipton Ditch, description of............... 82-83

Tipton irrigation district, notes on......... 25,91

Tray lor Ditch, description of.............. 86

Trees, furrow irrigation of................. 32-33

Tuiare irrigation district, work in......... 24-25

Tuiare Lake, fluctuations of level of....... 16-17

Tuiare Lake Canal, description of.......... 90

Tule Eiver, description of.................. 78

irrigation from............."............ 78-94

methods of irrigation from............. 92-94

Tule Eiver irrigation district, notes on. 25. 90-91 

Turlockirrigation district, work in........ 24

Vandalia Ditch, description of.............. 79

Vegetables, furrow irrigation of........... 33

Vines, furrow irr igation of................. 32-33

Vineyards, furrow irrigation of............ 32-33

Wallace Ditch, description of.............. 87

Warren,A.K., cited........................ 38

Water, duty of........................ .. 69-75

modes of measurement of.............. 65-66

prices of................................ 65

State control and legal regulation of use 

of.................................... 19-22

Wible Canal, description of................ 56

Wilcox Ditch, description of............... 79

Wild flooding, description of............... 26-27

Wilson Canal, description of............... 50

Winfleld Ditch, description of............. 76

Woods Central Ditch, description of....... 81

Woodville Ditch, description of............ 82

Wrightlaw, features of.................... 20-21
1895.

Sixteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1894-95, Part II, 

Papers of an economic character, 1895; octavo, 598 pp.

Contains a paper on the public lands and their water supply, by F. H. Newell, illustrated by 

a large map showing the relative extent and location of the vacant public lands; also a report 

on the water resources of a portion of the Great Plains, by Robert Hay.

A geological reconnoissance of northwestern Wyoming, by George H. Eldridge, 1894; 

octavo, 72 pp. Bulletin No. 119 of the United States Geological Survey; price, 

10 cents.

Contains a description of the geologic structure of portions of the Big Horn Range and Big 

Horn Basin, especially with reference to the coal fields, and remarks upon the water supply and 

agricultural possibilities.

Report of progress of the division of hydrography for the calendar year 1893-94, by 

F. H. Newell, 1895; octavo, 176 pp. Bulletin No. 131 of the United States 

Geological Survey; price, 15 cents.

Contains results of stream measurements at various points, mainly within the arid region, 

and records of wells in a.number of counties in western Nebraska, western Kansas, and eastern 

Colorado.

1896.

Seventeenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1895-96, Part II, 

Economic geology and hydrography, 1896; octavo, 864 pp.

Contains papers, on "The underground water of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado," 

by G. K. Gilbert; "The water resources of Illinois," by Frank Leverett; and "Preliminary 

report on the artesian areas of a portion of the Dakotas, by N. H. Darton.

Artesian-well prospects in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region, by N. H. Darton, 1896; 

octavo, 230 pp., 19 plates. Bulletin No. 138 of the United States Geological 

Survey; price, 20 cents.

Gives a description of the geologic conditions of the coastal region from Long Island, N. Y., 

to Georgia, and contains data relating to many of the deep wells.

Report of progress of the division of hydrography for the calendar year 1895, by F. 

H. Newell, hydrographer in charge, 1896; octavo, 356pp. Bulletin No. 140 of 

the United States Geological Survey; price, 25 cents.

Contains a description of the instruments and methods employed in measuring streams and 

the results of hydrographic investigations in various parts of the United States.

1897.

Eighteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1896-97, Part IV, 

Hydrography, 1897; octavo, 756 pp.

Contains a "Report of progress of stream measurements for the year 1896," by Arthur P. 

Davis; "The water resources of Indiana and Ohio," by Frank Leverett; "New developments 

in well boring and irrigation in South Dakota," by N! H. Darton; and "Reservoirs for irrigation," by J. D. Schuyler.

1898.

Nineteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1897-98, Part IV, 

Hydrography, 1898; octavo, pp.

Contains a " Report of progress of stream measurements for the calendar year 1897," by F. H. 

Newell and others; " The rock waters ot Ohio," by Edward Orton; and " Preliminary report on 

the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred and third meridian," by 

N. H. Darton.

WATER-SUPPLY AND IRRIGATION PAPERS, 1896-1898.

This series of papers is designed to present in pamphlet form the results of stream measurements and of special investigations. A list of these, with other information, is given on the 

outside (or fourth) page of this cover.

Survey bulletins can be obtained only by prepayment of cost, as noted above. 

Postage stamps, checks, and drafts can not be accepted. Money should be transmitted by postal money order or express order, made payable to the Director of the 

United States Geological Survey. Correspondence relating to the publications of 

the Survey should be addressed to The Director, United States Geological Survey, 

Washington, D. C.

[IRK 17]
WATER-SUPPLY AND IRRIGATION PAPERS.

1. Pumping water for irrigation, by Herbert M. Wilson, 1896.

2. Irrigation near Phoenix, Arizona, by Arthur P. Davis, 1897.

3. Sewage irrigation, by George W. Rafter, 1897.

4. A reconnoissance in southeastern Washington, by Israel C. Russell, 1897.

5. Irrigation practice on the Great Plains, by E. B. Cowgill, 1897.

6. Underground waters of southwestern Kansas, by Erasmus Ha worth, 1897.

7. Seepage waters of northern Utah, by Samuel Fortier, 1897.

8. Windmills for irrigation, by E. C. Murphy, 1897.

9. Irrigation near Greeley, Colorado, by David Boyd, 1897.

10. Irrigation in Mesilla Valley, New Mexico, by F. C. Barker, 1898.

11. River heights for 1896, by Arthur P. Davis, 1897.

12. Water resources of southeastern Nebraska, by Nelson Horatio Darton, 1898.

13. Irrigation systems in Texas, by William Ferguson Hutson, 1898.

14. New tests of certain pumps and water lifts used in irrigation, by O. P. Hood, 1898.

15. Operations at river stations, 1897, Part I, 1898.

16. Operations at river stations, 1897, Part II, 1898.

17. Irrigation near Bakersfield, California, by C. E. Grunsky, 1898. 

In press:

18. Irrigation near Fresno, California, by C. E. Grunsky.

19. Irrigation near Merced, California, by C. E. Gruusky.

20. Experiments with windmills, by Thomas O. Perry.

In addition to the above, there are in various stages of preparation other papers 

relating to the measurement of streams, the storage of water, the amount available from underground sources, the efficiency of windmills, the cost of pumping, and 

other details relating to the methods of utilizing the water resources of the country. 

Provision has been made for printing these by the following clause in the sundry 

civil act making appropriations for the year 1896-97:

Provided, That hereafter the reports of the Geological Survey in relation to the 

gauging of streams and to the methods of utilizing the water resources may be 

printed in octavo forru, not to exceed 100 pages in length and 5,000 copies in number; 1,000 copies of which shall be for the official use of the Geological Survey, 

1,500 copies shall be delivered to the Senate, and 2,500 copies shall be delivered to' 

the House of Representatives, for distribution. (Approved, June 11, 1896; Stat. L.,l 

vol. 29, p. 453.) '

The maximum number of copies available for the use of the Geological Survey 

is 1,000. This number falls far short of the demand, so that it is impossible to 

meet all requests. Attempts are made to send these pamphlets to persons who 

have rendered assistance in their preparation through replies to schedules or donation of data. Requests specifying a certain paper and stating a reason for asking for 

it are attended to whenever practicable, but it is impossible to comply with general 

requests, such as to have all of the series sent indiscriminately. 

Application for these papers should be made either to Members of Congress or to 

THE DIRECTOR.

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

Washington, D. C. 

[UB 17]