American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-03-11

the slope of the land, the character
Y OF the soil and the labor require
ments In the application.
Probably themost common method
of irrgiating crops Is flooding from
field bitches and flooding between
~ievees. called the border method and
the furrow method.
These methods are described as
follows:
Flooding from field bitches or
laterals is the most common method
OF apply water to grain, alfalfa and
otner grass crops.
II requires the least preparation
for fields and therefor appeale to
the new settler. Ordiary raw land
can be prepared for flooding at an
expense Of from SO to Sc per acre.
In grading for this particular metho
1t Is not customary to make many
changes in the natural surface of
the land. Only the knobs are re-
moved and deposited inthe low place
Field having a firm soil and fall
OF 20 feet and over up to 100 feet
have been flooded successfully by
this method. This method consists
OF running contour laterals through
the field at right angles TO the sup
ply lateral. These laterals are run
on a light grade from so to 600
feet apart, and running the water
from these laterals over the sur
face OF the field without other di-
rection than Is given to 1t by the ir-
rigator with his shovel.
IT requires more labor in applying
water than any other method and
requires a larger head of water.
f The direction OF sowing If the
drill Is used Is of Importance where
: land Is to be flooded. The mlniatur
drill furrows can be taken advan-
tage of whore they run with the slop
TO lead the water quickly over the
land In Flooding. and when it is
desired to check the rate of flow on
SOL which have a rather steep slope,
This would appear to be of consid-
cradle assistance in flooding and Is
worthy OF a trial.
In flooding the device most com
monty used to turn water from a
ditch on the land Is a canvas dam.
IT consists simply OF a reetan-
gular piece of canvas, one side of
which Is rolled around and nailed
to a piece of 2x4 or a round
piece of wood long enough to reach
well across the ditch.
Check gates are some times put
In but not often.
Water Is run in one or more lat
erals at the same time, depending
upon the size of the stream de-
livered to the %irrigator. The usual
stream run in a lateral Is from one
to n and a half second feet.
Water is turned into one or more
laterals and floods down to the first
dam. where 1t is held up and made
to flow through the openings in the
lower bank of the ditch and flow
across the field to the next ditch.
When this section has received
enough water the dam is taken up
and removed further down the ditch
and the operation is repeated until
the entire field is irrigated.
IL the land Is In good shape one
man with as large a stream as he
can handle a water 10 acres a
day.
A modification of the flooding me
thod Just described Is flooding be-
tween levees or borders. This me-
thod requires more preparation of
the surface before irrigating than
does any other method. but requires
less labor in applying the water and
the water can be applied without
J any waste. A supply ditch is u
across the greatest slope. From
this supply ditch parallel levels or
borders are III down the slope at
intervals of 40 to so feet dividing
the land into "a series OF fields.
Each land Is made level between
borders. so that the water can be
made to flow down the slope in a
sheet extending across the land from
border to border. When the slope
Is excessive or irregular. contour Dor
ders are used.
II the field Is properly prepared
the water requires no attention
by the irrigator after he has
turned 1t into a border. until It has
received enough water when II is
shut OF and turned into the next.
IL the soil Ia very light the lands
must be short or the upper end will
get o much water. IL the soil Is
heavy they may be longer.
Lands vary In length from 800
to 1900 feet.
The border OF levels dividing the
land may be more or less per-
manent, they are usually about n
foot high and two to four feet wide
at the base. They are made by
throwing together two or four fur
row slices and cmoothing them over
with a ridger. These borders are
seeded the same as the rest OF the
ground. They are broad and low 80
that a crop al be planted on them.
and machinery can be run over them
5 without difficulty.
In ~irrigating. a large stream OF
water should be used as the water
, requires very little attention ex-
cept to turn II from one land to
nrother.
Ths supply bitches are usually
permanent with gates where the
water Is turned into the fields.
This method is adapted to both