The advocate., 1897-09-22
For the Farmer.
REgERYOTRs FOR PUMPED WATER.

The following is taken from Professor
COwgllrs pamphlet on Irrigation Prac-
tice on the Great Plains:"
Reservoirs are, as a rule, made on
land which has been under cultivation.
In preparing for the work all trash
should be removed and the ground would
Is to serve as the foundation of the dam
should be about four times as broad as
the height Of the proposed embankment
around the reservoir. 1t is a good plan
In ploWing this foundation to turn the
burrows so as to leave dead furrOw
In the middle and then pump water into
this dead furrow, wetting all the base of
the dam thoroughly. After this has suf-
ficiently settled to admit Of driving over
1t 1t Is we'll to tramp it by driving horses
or other heavy animals over 1t until 1t
is we'll compacted. The land in the in
terror OF the reservoir is plOwed and
the loose earth is removed to the en-
bankment, usually with the ordinary slip
scraper, although in the construction Of
.ery large reservoirs wheeled scrapers
e sometimes used.
"In depositing the soil which is to con-
stitute the embankment, 1t Is better to
keep the parts which become the faces
higher than the center, thus leaving
channel all around through the whole
of the embankment At the close Of each
days work care should be taken that
this channel be continuous, and that the
top Of the embankment be about the
same height all around, so that water
may be pumped into the channel in the
heart of the bank, thoroughly soaking
it. In soils that are at all likely to
seep it is very important that the pre-
caution of soaking the bank daily as 1t is
built be observed. II not made too soft
In the evening 1t will usually be in con-
ditiOn to tramp In the morning, and this
should be done by driving repeatedly
around on top of the embankment made.
IL each days work is treated in this way
there will be little trouble from seep-
age though the bank Of the completed
reservoir.
"The crumbling soils of Kansas will
usually take about the correct form for
a bank as deposited from the scraper and
under the tramping here recommended.
Some who prefer to have the banks
sleeper than they are usually left in
this way trim them up with a shovel,
afterwards sOddlng to prevent further
crumbling. This answers very we'll for
the outside Of the dam, and sod used
inside is protection against wash
ing until the soil shall have be-
come so thoroughly settled as to be
less affected by the action OF the waves.
IL the reservoir is small 1t Is sometimes
inexpedient to take from the interior
the entire amount Of earth required for
the embankment. Experience has shown
that soil near the surface more readily
becomes a water-hOlder than does that
from the substratum. In any case 1t is
not safe to employ the gravelly subsoil
which prevails almost everywhere in
the larger valleys of western Kansas.
after the completion of the bank the
next work is to make the bottom Of the
reservoir water-tight This is done by
plOwing the entire area to depth Of
three or four inches, narrowing 1t fine,
and then pumping in enough water to
cover the entire bottom-if indeed 1t
does not seep out too fast to admit OF
this. In any case, water should be
pumped in until considerable area is
thoroughly soaked. AS soon as this is
settled sufficiently, so that heavy ami
mails will not sink in more than six or
eight inches, horses or cattle are turned
An and driven around over the water
soaked area until it becomes hard. Then
more water is pumped in and larger
area soaked. 1t is usually found that
after the first partial soaking and the
ehtbseuuent tramping the entire area of
she bottom may be covered with water.
Enough water should be put in to thor
oughly soak every foot of the area, so