The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1897-09-24

1
reason not being properly understood,
the statement does not meet with
credence sufficient TO give the PROPOSE
tion EXPERIMENTAL trials. The PROPOSE
tion, however, is true, and is based upon
the laws of evaporation and capillary at
traction. By capillary is meant a small
tube or tine hair thread. Moisture in the
soil tens 10 rise and seek the surface
where il disappears in the atmosphere.
This moisture 10 rising to the surface
when The soil is wet, heavy and com
pressed eventually forms little hair-like
paths and tubular vacums in the soil
leading from the moisture underneath
to the surface. up and through which
the moisture ascends with increased
rapidly and is evaporated. By cultiva-
tion the soil is stirred up and these
tubular and thread like water ways are
cut off. broken up and destroyed and the
capillary attraction of moisture to the
surface ceases and the moisture under
meath the surface remains there TO water
the roots Of plants. With this explana-
tion ths value Of cultivation to conserve
moisture in the soil is readily understood.
This also explains why it is that we
sometimes see the high places in land
which has gone 10 seepage" the wettest
place 10 the field. The capillary attrac-
tion is greatest at that point. By stir
ring up the soil and destroying those
water ways the high places will become
dry ground.
There Is one other most Important
matter in the use of water in season Of
scarci,y and that is distribution there
OF by rotation. 1t is a fact capable of
demon tration that the lowest water We
have ever had in our streams on the
" estern Slope can be made 10 do three
times the service it does by rotation.
Give priority No. all the water in the
ssream for few hours il necessary. to
irrigate his crops and then let No. 2
take il and so on down the line TO No. 40.
Ths c7ops Of all will thus get a good
vsetins. where il we try to give No.
fifth o. all the water in the stream and
Nos-2 3, 4 and 8. the remaining As. the
chances are that Nos. G to 40 will get the
water ad Nos. to 5, who are supposed
to get Y will not get any.
The waste OF water by seepage
and evaporation especially in small
ditchee when run in small
quantities. in dry hot weather. is
very heavy, so that it is best TO run as
Ia r,-a n,,~ f;,;.s ~ ,-,,ar as ;s ,s,ss;hl, IL,
a single body. Again, stream or uatu-
raj vatcr way is the most extravagant
channel for conducting water TO be
found. The gravel in the bed distribut-
es and broadens the water contact with
the sod causing the greatest amount of
seepage and the stones and rocks in the
stream keep the water stirred up and
heated so as to cause the greatest evapo-
ration possible. 1t would be a great
saving In water to conduct same through
properly constructed ditch channels in
stead Of in the natural river bed and
there = hardly st cam whose waters
could not be SO carried during the eS-
trems low water season.
II is not TO be expected that \. with
n late priority at the head o, stream
will let water pass down to B. who has
an carly priority twenty miles below.
when A. knows the water will all be con-
sumed by seepage aud evaporation before
it reaches b. A. will make his own law
aud cay TO himself this water is going to
waste and will open my headgate to-
night and use it." B. below calls it steal
ing his water, but it is not, for the seep-
age aud evaporation OF the stream is so
great that not one drop of it could
possibly ever reach Il. But take this
Waterfront OF the stream and carry it
down in a large ditch. as can be done by
a proper system Of rotation and the
water will reach its destination without
such great loss by evaporation and seep-
age. This question OF evaporation. water
tumhaing over hot stones. dashed into
spray and caught up by the hot dry
winds is OF more importance than first
impreasion would accord to il. Is it not
true That when we speak OF Colorado
streams as flowing from a distance and
then sinking into the ground we mistake
the fact; that such statement is not
true a many OF the streams. but on the
contrary the hot dry winds and atuos-
phers has Tapped up the water which
otherwise would flow at the surface. and
left oily the water underneath, which is
protested from the unqucnchable atmos
phcrtc thirst OF our Colorado elm ate.
To This waste by evaporation is added
the still greater waste by seeragc. In
our Rivers. the L Uucompahgre for INSTANCE.
n wcll sunk leo feet. and in places loco
feet evou. from the bank Of the river.