, 1911-01-26
TO IRRlCATE GRAIN
Most Common Method Is Flood
Ing From Field bitches.
II Requires Least Preparation Of Fields
and Therefore Appeals to New
settlers-DirectIon Of Sow.
Ina is Important.

By WALTER W. M'LAuGHLIN. Irrtga-
ton Engineer. Irrigation Investigations.
U. S. Department of Agriculture.)
The fact that grain rop cover the
entire surface restricts the methods
which can be used for It's irrigation.
They must be irrigated by some form
of flooding or in small burrows in
which the grain can grow. In general
flooding is considered less desirable
than other methods wherever any 9TH
er method can be used, because the
wetting of the entire surface in
creases the area exposed to evapora.>
ton, and causes soils OF some types
10 puddle and bake until exposed to
the sun and wind; but these ob1ec.
lions to flooding have less weight with
grain than with other crops, because
1t is seldom that grain fields are irri-
CATER after the seed is planted until
the grain is six or eight inches high
and protects the soil from sun and
wind. From the standpoint of the set
tier, however. flooding is better than
other methods, because 1t requires less
preparation of the land for irrigation.
and the land is smoother for handling.
i'bhbkg thS ihoot I
of irrigating grain crops is flooding
from field bitches, but they are also
flooded in strips between levees,
called the border method, and in ba-
sins formed by dividing a field by
levees running both ways, and water
ing by burrows.
Flooding from field bitches was the
method adopted for irrigating grain
in the sections of the arid regions
first settled. and It is still the pre-
vailing method in those sections. II
requires the least preparation Of the
fields and therefore appeals to the new
settler. 1t can be used on quite roll
ing ground, since the field bitches can
be run along the ridges and the wa
ter allowed to flow down the slopes in
all directions. On the other hand, 1t
requires more labor In applying water
than any other method. and requires
a larger stream of water han the
furrow method, although one man can
not use 81 large a stream as he can
in either the border of check method.
On steep land flooding is liable to
cause cutting, and in cold, damp sea-
sons flooding is said to aggravate trou-
BILE from rust.
The method consists in running
small bitches through the fields and
running the water from these bitches
ove the surface without other direo-
ton than is given to 1t by the irriga-
tor with his shovel.
The direction of sowing If the drill
is used is of Importance where land
is to be flooded. The miniature drill
burrows can be taken advantage of
where they run with the slope to lead
water quickly over the land in flood
ing, n when it is desirable to check
the rate of flow upon the soils which
have a rather steep slope or which do
not absorb water readily. the burrows
can be u across the slope. This de-
vice will be of considerable assistance
to farmers who food their and and is
worth a trial. The cost of drilling will
vary from 35 to 70 cents per acre. and
will probably average 45 cents.
The proper location of the field
bitches depends Upon the lay of the
land. On rolling land they will run on
the ridges, and the water will now
down the slope. On land with a uni
form slope, or a slope in N direction,
they will be laid out in one direction
and at regular intervals, the most COM
mon practise being to run a supply
ditch down the slope along the margin
of the field and from this run bitches
through the field across the slope with
Just enough grade to carry the wa
ter. The water flows from the lower
bank Of each ditch down the slope to
the next ditch. Another arrangement
is to run the supply ditch across the
slope and from this run field bitches
down the slope and turn water out of
both sides. letting it run down the