Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-01-12
IRRIGATION.
How to Tap a Reservoir and Ar
range for Getting the Water over
the Land to be Irrigated.

ton of a reservoir in former article
nothing was said of the opening from
which the water was to be taken, but OF
course this opening should be provided
for while the walls of the reservoir are
being constructed AS the bottom OF
the main ditch should never be lower
than the level of the ground where the
ditch starts from the reservoir, 1t Will
be necessary to build up the walls OF the
main ditch. Soil for this purpose may
be secured in leveling up the land to be
irrigated. The outlet from the reser-
voir to the main ditch should be located
along the highest level of the land you
wish to irrigate so that the water may be
kept high enough to run into the small
bitches, which in turn must be kept
above the general level of the land over
which the water isito flow. Should the
bottom of main ditch be below the top
level of the ground, then all the water
in the bitches below the land level will
be wasted.
To put land in shape to irrigate, pillow
the land as deep as convenient and make
drag in the form a capital letter A,
with the base 8 feet wide and the top 16
inches wide, which may be constructed
as follows: With plank 2x6 inches and
IL feet long for side pieces and suitable
plank for cross pieces, to bind the out
side pieces firmly together. The side
pieces should be arranged on edge.
When ready to go to work hitch to the
wide end of the frame and drive straight
across the field from one side to the
other; the wide spreading ends OF the
drag gather in the lose earth, ClOds and
all, and heap it up back behind. This
forms a ridge that will separate the field
into beds. Some irrigators only make
these lands 16 feet wide, while others
make them two, four ore more rods wide.
The width will depend largely on the
size of the reservoir. Ii the land is so
large that it will require more water
than the reservoir will contain at one
time, it will not be properly watered.
After the field has been laid off into
lands or beds as described, then if the
ground between the ridges is uneven a
scraper will come into good play. The
humps should be scraped into the low
places, and after this is done harrow
or drag should be used, and, to finish
up, with a board leveler, well weighted
down, should be dragged over the land to
put the beds in perfect condition, so
that the water will spread evenly and
flow rapidly over the ground SO as to
cover the entire bed The ends of the
bed should come up to the main ditch or
a large lateral ditch so that the water
can be turned in full volume out of the
water ditch onto the end of the bed. To do
this, construct dam about opposite the
ridge which separates the bed to be
watered from the next bed below it, and
then cut the lower side of the wall of the
ditch about the middle of the bed to be
watered and allow the full volume of the
in the ditch to flow out onto the end of
the bed to be watered. The bottom of
the ditch as we have before said should
be above the level of the ground com
posing the bed.
The length of the beds will depend en-
tirely on the lay of the ground and kind
of soil. If comparatively level but
sloping gently, ten to forty rods is
good length. The height Of water in
reservoir above ground level, kind of
soil and slope of the land have certain
effects, and no general rule Will fit every
case. 1t may be well to make short beds
under one condition, while in certain
cases beds may be made eighty rods
long.
To irrigate such crops as potatoes and
corn they should be watered between
the rows. To do this a furrow should
be run between the rows, beginning at
the end of the land by the ditch, and
only water enough turned on from the
ditch to fill up the burrows.
Vegetables and all crops that are
started by level cult yation should be
Watered in small areas, or over shorter
distances, to avoid. over or insufficient
watering. As soon as vegetables can be
cultivated in rows the water should be
confined to the space between the rows
when irrigating.
Dams for use in the bitches may be
made of canvas. For this purpose take
piece of scantling long enough to reach
from one embankment to the other of
the main ditch and fasten to the one
edge of it canvas cloth yard or so wide.
To use the dam, place the bar of canvas
across the embankment of the ditch
where needed and take hold of the lower
side of the canvas and spread it across
the lower part of the ditch up stream.
Then with a shovel throw a small
amount of earth on the loose edges to
hold it down, and if you have had no
previous experience you will be sur
prised with the satisfactory result OBJ
tanned with this dam. It's chief advan-
tage is the ease and quiclness it may be
changed from one place to another. 1t
is a portable dam-Anthony Republi-
can.
Four Big Successes.