Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-03-14
IRRIGATING LANDS.
DESCRIPTION or THE BIG DITcHEs
OUT IN COLORADO.

Construction of Canals for IrfiratFbn.
Tapping the River or Creek-Floodlng
the Crops In Dry season--surprisin
Resulte-Pronts.
The great system OF irrigating lands in
dry sections for crops Is as yet in IT'S In
fancy, but wherever tried it has done
well, and irrigating bitches have yielded a
large return 70 the investors in them.
Most OF the largest bitches are in Col
orado, where 100000 acres OF land are
subject to irrigation. OF this vast body
less than 100000 acres have been ir-
rigated, leaving 1900, 600 to be wa
tered yet. The canals in course of
construction will water about LOO. 600
OF the 2, 600, 900 acres. This Is enormous
when we consider that the whole
system of irrigation has grown up almost
within the past five years. The San Louis
Park canal, watering 400, 600 acres; State
Land canal, 40, 900 acres; Citizens canal.
10000 acres. and Del Norte anil Suguache
canals 1901 acres, may be mentioned as
among the most successful Colorado
bitches. These three canals cover 100. 600
acres of government land. 200 600 acres of
patented land, and 10000 acres Of state
land. They will furnish homes for be-
tween 8, 3,000and 1000 farmers The water
for the canals is taken from the Rio
Grande river near the town Of Del Norte.
The largest canal is 100 feet wide at its
head and gradually narrows down to
twelve feet. It's depth varies from two to
six feet. It has when full a capacity for
watering 100000 acres of land.
CONSTRUCTING CANAL.
How do they make irrigating canalsa
Easy enough and quite rapidly. First is
the construction of the main canal. The
water Is taken from q river or creek, the
supply being regulated by head pate.
The canal may be ten, twenty or fifty feet
wide and one, five or ten feet deep, ac-
cording to the volume OF water desired.
Generally the canals s,4e wide and shallow
like creek Indeed, they are merely
artificial creeks, and when grass grown
and planted with trees along their banks
are hard TO tell from the natural streams.
4 favorable place for tapping the river or
creek having been found, the canal il
carried forward to the high grounds. It
is generally given about half the fall of
tho river or creek, SO it soon reaches an
elevation far above the natural stream
aud has the lands between it and the
stream below its waters. At intervals as
needed, small canals are taken out and
carried to the farms Each lateral has
head gate and measure for the water. The
laterals are built so as to cover the greatest
number of farms. At certain distances
sublaterals are taken out from the main
laterals, and these sublaterals too have
head gates and water measures. The SUBJ
laterals are used by individual farmers.
If before plowing time there has been rain
enough to soften the ground the farmer
does not resort to his ditch, but, IL the
season Is dry, he opens his headgate and
saturates the ground. The seeding is
then done. Ten acres Is about the allow
ance of land that can be irrigated in one
day per man. Unless water is very plenti-
ful farmers are limited to eighty acres each
to be irrigated In one season, but this does
not include grass lands.
After the crops come up they are irri-
gated or simply flooded. The quantity Of
water put Oh is about equal to what would
fall in three days steady rain When the
crop is half grown it is irrigated again.
Two irrigations are considered enough for
d crop in q season, unless the weather is
very hot and dry, and then three irriga-
tions may be put on. It will thus be seen
that every farmer holds in his own hands
the means OF making crop when he has
irrigating ditches