The Ordway new era., 1910-09-30
LEVELING THE LAND
Amount Of Grading and Smooth
ing for Irrigation Varies.
II Is Great Mistake Not to Prepare
Ground Properly In First Instance
so Crops Can Be Readily
Irrigated.

(By ELIAS NELSON. Irrigationist. Uni
versity OF Idaho Agricultural Expert
ment Station.)
The amount OF grading and smooth
ing over that land may need for the
application Of irrigation water varies
with the lay Of the land. Some fields
have such uniformly even surface
and slope that very little work besides
a smoothing over is required. Often.
however. knolls occur that must be
scraped off and depressions that must
be filled: where the land Is very rough
much grading will be required. There
are few fields which will not require
some moving of dirt with scrapers.
In some parts Of Idaho leveling is
overdone. while in other places there
has not been enough. The surface
soil. as we know. has accumulated hui
mus and is we'll aerated and thus
suited to the growth OF plants. With
the subsoil 1t is different Whenever,
therefore. the surface soil Is scraped
of 1t requires a year or two or more
to bring such ground into a produc-
tive state. On this account no more
leveling should be done than is neces-
sary for proper irrigation. Where the
soil is deep heavy grading may be
done. but where 1t Is shallow tie grad
ing should be limited.
The purpose OF leveling and grading
is to SO fashion the land that water
may be evenly distributed over 1t.
Often, however, some extra leveling
is advisable to do away with bitches
that would otherwise be required and
that would cut up the land In irregular
shapes.
It Is a great mistake not to level the
land we'll In the first instance SO that
crops can be readily irrigated. for II
1t Is done properly at the outset It Is
done for all time. On the other hand.
1t is also mistake to grade exces.
sively when there Is no real necessity.
The best time to level is in summer
or in fall. as the soil is dryer then
and hence not SO heavy to move and
there is no trouble about pudding the
soil. In spring. when the soil Is moist
or wet. leveling cannot be done SO
advantageously.
The location OF the bitches is deter.
mined by the lay of the land and the
system Of applying water to be in
stalled. In general We may say that
1t is desirable to run the ditches at
right angles to the line fences when.
ever the lay OF the land will permit
It. Such bitches Of course will not
have a uniform grade. Where bitches
are located In that way the fields are
rectangular and hence all farm oper.
ations can be easily performed. Often
1t way be well even to make fills SO
rs to make bitches straight rather
than following curved lines.
On many farms the lay Of the land
is such that the bitches cannot be
run at right angles to the line fences
but must conform In a measure to the
contours. making irregular shaped
fields unavoidable. Under such condi-
tions make the bitches on a grade of
from .0S to .15 part Of foot per 100
feet.
As a general thing we should figure
to irrigate with the general shape Of
the land. as by so doing water can
be more evenly and expeditiously dis
tributed over the land. AS regards
the location OF the bitches and the
details OF the system Of applying wa
ter each farm Is n problem In itself.
Where the whole farm has one gen.
eral slope 1t is simple matter to de-
termine where the bitches should go.
Often. however. there are various
slopes and the system Of bitches must
be constructed to suit.