Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-09-01
WEATHER BULLETIN.
.,osn PREDICTIONS GIVEN ny W.
II. FOSTER.


O. Joseph Mo-, Aug. 3l.-My last bull
,.,,n gave forecasts Of the storm waves
- rross the continent from 2fth 10
" and from September I'd to 9Th.
~ next will reach the Pacific coast
nm September eth. cross the west OF
sns.i,ies country by close of Sth, great
ns,,rnl valleys 9Th to nth and eastern
s,ates 18th.
o,mnany this disturbance and following
rlIl be short period OF warm, dry
winds. -, -. a., 49,.
pnckies country about September 7th,
'rsaf central valleys 9th, eastern states
i'm. -
Ahout thirty-flve years ago the
.nskers accidentally made a living
wing and a blind irrigation ditch that
x destined to lead to grand results.
the rains had washed a long deep
,,ch into their fields and In order to
s,np the wash the ditch was iilled with
trnsh and old broken brick was thrown
an The brush to weight It down. The
sr,ek and brush were covered with dirt
and thus the whole was left without
further notice.
when spring came what was suppos-
,Sod 10 be a wet weather spring had
troken through the soil at the mouth
a the covered ditch, but 1t attracted
little attention.
sry weather came, the spring continu-
IA 10 flow and 1t was noticed that the
water was clear.
II proved to he a perpetual spring.
ard was turned to use In watering
live stock
when fall came and the crops were
mRtured It was noticed that the veg
n u tar
along and near the covered ditch than
At other places. Back water In the
ditch had supplied moisture TO the soil
above and hence the extra growth.
The above accidental incidents fur
pished the starting point for what Is
known as undertow irrigation. which
will reclaim many desert places when
pnce understood and appreciated
For over thirty-fiVe years practical
farmers have been experimenting with
the quaker ditch and those experiments
and the attending experiments have
brought out the perfected system Of
undertow irrigation.
The reader must not suppose that he
can build q successful ditch from tho
Information given above, nor that he
can find all the goods points by a few
experiments. A careful study Of kinds
Of soil and the flow OF ground water
4 neCcessary to "A thorough understand
Ing Of this system.
Il will require time to explain this
system and as few individuals gath
er the idea long before the public
becomes awakened. It viii be best to
correspond with the writer where II ~
desired TO make an curly test Of this
system.
The soil must be understood and
knowledge Of the strata IL obtained by
4 using long augers. something like the
old fashion augers used to bore wooden
pumps.
Besides the auger method, one who
i ID experienced can determine much by
Observing the general aspects Of the
land. as to what lies beneath the SUR
4 face. This part of the subject has so
4 many phases that 1t cannot be discuss
Cd here.
Having determined the right place 10
begin the undertow irrigation, a point
Is selected near the top Of the ridge at
[ he head Of a branch or draw.
Begin a ditch in the middle of the
n depression down which water usually
runs after a rain. Dig a narrow ditch
a on level In the middle OF this drain
until the upper end is from three TO
Il eight feet deep. This will give you u
ditch 300 feet long, more or less.
Remember that this ditch Is not made
10 drain the land, but to hold the
I've stock or to furnish moisture to
h lhe crops growing above and about
The ditch and therefore do not neglect
level
This ditch Is to be filed in with from
4 lNo 10 ten Inches OF something that
WV hold water. Fine gravel covered
Win coarse sand II the best. Broken
STATE, covered with larger pieces OF
STATE Is good. TNllng covered with
sand and gravel will answer the pur-
pese. Burnt clay or burnt gumbo, such
Is used by railroads for ballasts,
WI answer every purpose, Coal end
ds will do the work.
IN TOP Of the gravel the earth should
umped so as to prevent the dirt
ION Milling up the gravel spaces. The
wafer VIII percolate in at the sides
tau bottom and will find it's way out
d ton. P'"''
~ the ditch to level with the land
smisee with the dirt previously thrown
w anu throw up dirt dan. at the