Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-09-12

ubuI Iuo uohh VI bllo hiuW VI Whlpl
way from which the water is to bC
procured. Begin the ditch in the de-
preston down which the water usually
runs otter a rain. Dig a narrow
ditch on level in the middle of this
dram until the upper end is from
three to eight feet below the surface
of glound at the lower end OF the
ditch. The bottom should be level,
as the ditch IS not made to drain the
land, but to hold the water. The
bottom Of the ditch should be treated
much the same as a storage reservoir,
either tramped or covered with some
preparation that will hold water.
Then coarse sand, gravel, broken
rock, brick or cnders should BIO put
in to the depth Of from 10 to Il inches,
this to be covered with q layer Of dirt
and well tramped to keep the spaces
through which the water flows from
filling up. The ditch must then be
filed up and leveled off, At the lower
end a dam is put across to held the
water and catch hesurface washings
The laterals should be constructed in
the same manner, but on Il smaller
scale.
II the water is to be used for stock
or household purposes rs well as irri-
eating, pipe should be placed at the
dam end of the ditch, having Il sand
point on the end connecting with the
waterway, The sand point should be
we'll covered with gravel which serves
as a filter. A faucet can be put on
the other end of the pipe SO as to stop
the flow of water when not needed.
This method of irrigation should
meet with favor from those who have
lands lying at the mouth of arryos or
on rolling lands, as 1t is superior to
the pumping plant and common drain
age reservoir inasmuch as it does
away with the labor connected with
surface irrigation, and the ditch once
constructed is permanent.
IRRIGATED FROM PIN.HoLE LEAK,
For those who may be skeptlcal as
TO the water percolating any distance
by sub-irrigation from undertow
bitches it may be well to cite an Incl.
dent that came under the observation
of several citizens of Goodand during
the summer of 1893, Il season noted
for It's paucty Of rainfall and crops.
On the Beabam addition a particular
spot about 60 feet in diameter, pre-
sented u marked contrast to the sur.
rounding prairie, IA on the spot in
question the buffalo grass had made
an enormous growth and was as green
as a well kept lawn while the grass
adjacent, so brown aud scared, be
spoke long weeks of parching drouth
and fever heat. The oasis attracted
the attention of the water commission
or who suspected big leak and set
out to repair it. Digging down he
found the ground about the main
thoroughly soaked with water and the
leak so small that a pin inserted in
the hole of the pipe completely stopped !
the flow of water.
If such minute stream as that,
buried five feet under the ground |
could thoroughly soak such large
area, what could not be expected of a
ditch fashioned after the accidental
discovery of the Quaker brethren?
The possibilities of irrigation are
great and many, and by using the ma
tural rainfall, drainage and under
flow waters there is not a farmer in
Sherman county but what can so turn
them to account as make farming
here u profitable pursuit and
pleasant OccuUHtlOn.
La years to come, when every 40
acres of these boundless prairies is
occupied by a family OF happy and
prosperous people, living in beautiful
homes, on every side orchards, VIM
yards, groves and productive fields Of
grains, an ideal picture of urban
beauty, it will be hard indeed to con
vince the tourist that in the past this
garden spot was known as the great
American desert and that it's scatter
ing inhabitants more than once fed
from the hand of charity.
But as surely as the one condition
has been, so shall the other be. Time,
is all that is required, the brains and
muscle and natural resources are even
now at work upon the great evolution