The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-29
IRRIGlTION.
Hsw 10 IL Applied 60 Lnpd In Colorado ana
Ofher Mnsfern tttntaa.

Hsw tt r. Applied 20 Lnpd In Colorado ana
Othcr western states. 1
DENVER, Col, Dot. 22.-Nearly one-baIf
OF tho world requires Irrigation for growing
crops. In ono half OF tho territory Of the
United States IL Is also required. Irrigation mas
been practtsed 10 New Mexico for more than
200 years, and 1t Is well established In Color ado,
Montana, Idaho. Utah, Arizona. and Nevada.
as well 40 in much Of California. Many rules
aud regulations are required. because the supply
VI water IL always In excess Of the amount Of
land sought to be cultivated.
In all old world counties weak farmers suffer.
Even IN Damascus, where every drop Of water
runs by law" Christians not allowed as
much water as Mohammedans. The complaint
Is Of water being shut OF above" and this. In
hot, dry weather. Is fatal to vegetation. In old
Mexico to be seen the ruins OF cities that
once were aourlshing, and they mot their doom
| because other cities we're established above,
taking on the water
| The eject Of deprvinR town or farming
community OF water Is comparable to that pro-
| duced by sn earthquake or plague. Every
| earthly prospect dark Gus, all kinds Of buaness
| end. famine and death approach. 10 Italy aud
india Government regulates the supply. but
| great difficulties exist upon Anal distribution.
| In no country has the system been so thor
| oughly studied and wisely managed as In Colo
RADIO, by improving upon old Moorish laws
| Two principles have been placed 10 the funds-
mental law of the new State Constitution. which
| are. arst. The water Ct streams belongs to the
people," and sooond " Priority of appropriation
| gives priority OF right" This last provision
happily and forever settles the right TO water OF
those who come nrst built cities and towns,
| and made rural homes.
| The average COST OF getting out water IL $40
nm acre. Who're an isolated farmer has COM
mand Of small stream coming directly from
| the mountains the cost Is much less. Where
| water Is brought la long canals aud over q rough
country. and where dykins Is required. the cost
| 10 much greater. In the vicinity OF Ogden,
Utah. Is plateau OF several hundred aores now
| covered with orchards, an | the oost OF bringing
water To Il, across q valley, was over $3.50
acre. rhe land now sells for $1,000 an acre.
Almost always the canals OF bitches that to
supply a number Of farms arc built by corporate
companies. which sell the water to the farmers
for bout sl5o an acre per annu,n, aud 1t ia cal
cUiated that an inch of water delivered at
inches pressure, to run through the whole sea-
son, night and day, will be sufficient for one
IS and even $40 a lot; In suburbs, from s5 to sio
an acre. These rates are always cneerfuiiy PAID.
Where the dependence is on rainfall. il Is sell
dom tnat water companies make much money!
tablished PROBABLY II has become as nearly
perfect as possible. First, the land OF tue colony
beers Of the colony at cost. At the same time
two large irrieating canals were dug with
common fund. and the use OF the water wa at
tached to the land in pernetuity. 40 tbst water
Is as mucn part OF an ~ or l6O-acre farm as are
the foundation rocks. The cost OF the land and
the water has been. altogether. about $l3 an
acre. An annual tax IA laid for superintendeDce
and repairs OF about Is Gems an acre THIS Ia
for farming land For town aud suburban land
II Is 81 for a lot and III an acre. when enlarge
ments OF the canals are made, assessments are
hpportioned, and the work Is done by the
farmers Themselves Another provision Is to be
noted that Is decidedly peculiar While water
in this community Is attached TO the realty. a
farmer may sell his water TO another farmer for
one year only. or several farmers may unite TO
exchange water-as for Instance, three farmers
uniting will each. for three days In the week,
havs three times the amount OF water that each
would be entitled to during six days. Large
volume is thus obtained and irrigation Is done
most expeditously, and as grain he'ds require
water no oftener than once IN two or three
weeks, the advantages OF this exchange IRE
great.
The question of equally dividing the water
was problem that presented itself to the
Greeley settlers during the first year and so
cess OF the settlement as whole depended
upon It, for when the farmers along the upper
liIe OF the canal, which Is thirty nve miles long,
were permitted 10 draw water as they pie sed,
those along the lower line got none, and those
| intermediately hal an interrupted supply. The
difficulty lay not 50 much IN a short supply as IN
want u proper Distribution, ana particularly
| in waste. he sense OF justice In the majority
Of men who are unresttained ny law Is not, on
the average, high. In addition 20 the necessity
for dividing water equitably al the fumes OF
the 9 eat canals. II WAS also necessary tnat IL
should TO DIVIDED equally among farmers along
the lines Of main laterals, some Of which ale
three aud four miles long, while there are SUI
laterals going To remote farms. one viii at
once see the difficulties presented and also
readily understand why disturoances arise IN
Oriental cluntnes. Now, one Of the leading
farmers VINO by the wayis n literary man also
devised a method when has forever solved THIS
vexed problem. and 30 great II the satisfaction
The device consists OF flame twelve feet
long, ten 10 tnIrty inches broad. and fiye feet
high, set nc TIE bottom Of tho embankment,
nd % ne hnff q IN.
canal. AT tue upper end "a II gate, which, dur
ing tue season, Is oar y open, aud at the lower
END or land side II another gate, winch opens
horizontally. Inc water CONES into the uume,
and theie stands at dead level. Now the mum
Der Of acres requiring water for the season Is
definitely usrertained in tue spring and the car
rylng rapaciy Of the canal being known, a diyi-
dend Is struck. giving AN equal definite amount
Tor ehch acre Upon hhed par close TO the
lower gate. slots, checks, or figures are made Ill
dicsting twenty, forty, or eIgnty acres, ana
when tue horzontsl gate Is opened, 1t l. set 50
as to correspond TO the figures on the oar. aud
tue water flows Tor the required acres ami as
t comes from dead or stlli water, In all the
fumes with an equal pressure, the amount de-
lveied IRON each hume say for eigh acres IL
eqIhl, each TO each as mas neen demonstrh. cd.
both 10y measuring and weighing. II appears to
be the case that IA mankind moves westward
many Oh ana iaIse ueas disappear, ana new
ones are adopted untrammeiled by traditions
and long staullsned customs.
Irrigation IS always q necessity where the gem
era elevation IL several thousand feet above the
sea level or where mountain ranges run across
the SKY 50 us to arrest the tail OF moisture, and
In each case the water used Tor irrigation Ifst
fails upon mountains. Except IN Area. igrsa-
ton Is almost always prlctisei I'm signt Z noun.
taius perpetualy covered with snow. The gene
raj 81 walton OF the vi ms Of New Mexico is d OOO
feet; Of dorado, 800; OF Montana and IdauO,
$500: 81 Utah, 300; Of New d., 45O0; Of the
plateaus around Jerus lem In Palestine, 5000.
he average amount OF rain fail IN tue countries
OF the higher elevation is about L. inohea per an
mum; IL those u the lower, 10 to Is inches aud
In those last wheat and other small grains q IA
be grown without irrigation, providing there
are winter or latter rains,' as IN CaliiornI aud
Palestine, but gardens or veget Dle crops must
be irrigated also, vines anu fruit trees m tue
earlier Stages Of their growth. Tue annual rain
fall OF the Atlantic states Is abotn 30 inches,
Of England 50 inches. An acre Of wneat re-
quires for IT'S maturity n depth Of 10 To II inches
OF waler. IN the aggregate, ali over the surface.
1his Is equal 10 the suDlly on the great INFERIOR
plains, but there II comes at such irregular Ia
terVais that no dependence IS placed Upon II ex-
cent for terminating the seed Of small gram,
wnich almost always is sOwn early In spring, 50
as TO receive tho benefit Of the last SHOWS.
SDould snow or rain fnil, the grain must be
started by irrigation, which IL always dreaded
because bare surface bakes ana becomes hard,
though something depends on the nature OF tho
soil, WIENER SANDY or adobe. Grain once above
ground breaks the crust by its rapid growth.
In preparing for irrigation two things are about
equally necessary, one, "A sure water supply, the