Amador ledger., 1900-02-16
The Agricultural Condition
of Western States.
THE ditch Rider" AND HIS DAILY DUTIES
National Irrigation Would Not Con-
fict With Legitimate Private
Water Enterprises.

SuUJecJ OF puDncablOn just issued lof
free distribution by the Irrigation
branch of the Department of Agricul
ture. 1t was prepared by j. G. Ulrich,
an irrigation engineer of Denver, and
describes particularly the States of
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and
Wyoming. The bulletin explains how
bitches are built and operated, its
main purpose evidently being to inform
those to whom the subject is new and
strange, and thus enable them to avoid
the costly mistakes to which beginners
in irrigation farming are liable.
The difference is shown between
bitches built and operated by individ-
uals, corporations, or districts and the
difference of methods of operation.
The detailed organization and manage
ment of the canals are described,
especial attention being given to the
duties of the ''ditch rider,' the
official with whom the farmer comes
into most frequent and intimate con-
tact. His duties consist in patrolling
the ditch throughout the season of
actual operation for the purpose of
seeing that the works are in good re-
pair and to superintend the proper dis
tribution of water to the various stock
holders of irrigators from the system.
Where ditch does not exceed twelve
or fifteen miles in length one ditch
rider is expected to patrol its entire
length. but upon more extensive sys-
TENS several may be required to per-
form these duties.
The different methods of applying
the water to the land flooding, furrow,
and compartment systems) are de-
scribed, and the conditions under
which each is especially applicable are
explained. The advantage of reser-
voirs in equalizing the flow of streams
and in increasing the irrigable area is
pointed out. The quantity of water
necessary or used for irrigation auctu-
ates during the irrigation season, but
unfortunately the period of maximum
use does not usually coincide with the
period of maximum flow OF the streams.
An adequate system of storage will not
only protect irrigators from the varia-
tion in supply from month to month but
assist in reducing the fluctuations from
year to year. 1t will enable the floods
of years of large discharge to be held
back for the years of drought. Reser-
voirs are simply secondary means of
utilizing waters which otherwise run
to waste and they are the only safe
guard of irrigatOrs on streams in
which the natural flow has been over
appropriated.
The bulletin contains a number of
illustrations showing location of canals,
and dividing gates used, and a dia-
gram showing the variations in :the
flow of streams.
The West would long since have had
working examples of national irrigation
and government construction of reser-
voirs, had it not been for western Oppo-
sition. This statement has been made
by photographer Newell of the Irriga-
ton branch of the Geological Survey
and by others who have been connected
with irrigation development, surveys,
etc., for long period of years. 1t was
thought at first that vast fortunes
were to be made out of dam sites, the
construction of reservoirs by private
capital and the selling of water-rights
to settlers. But the experiences of the
last ten or twelve years have shown
that private capital in storage reser-
voirs is not generally good invest
ment. Right here comes in the ques-
ton of title to water, and whether the
right to the water should go with the
land. Irrigation investments have
proven safe, and money can now be
found for investment, only in projects
organized as cooperative canal COM
panies, or where the title of the land
and the necessary water is united,
while under the water-right system it
is impossible to longer secure the in
vestment of intelligent capital.
The difference between the two plans
is very clear. Under one, the farmer
owns the land and the company sells
him water right. This is the system
which has almost invariably turned
out disastrously. Under the other sys-
tenn the owner of the land also owns
share in the water property, so that
the ownership of land and water are
united.
This is the successful system. So
with proper management, the co-Opera-
tive system can be successful as far as
it goes; but it is necessarily limited in
extent.
At this point national irrigation
comes in. Some have conceived the
impression that national irrigation con-
templates the building or ownership by
the government of all reservoir and
irrigation works. This is erroneous.
No one proposes such a policy. The
national irrigation movement contem-
plates the construction of reservoirs,
ETC., by the government, only when
such work is beyond the scope of pri-
vate enterprises or private capital,
while at the same time national irri-
CATION would operate along the same