Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-01-05

Don H. Bark, who is in charge of /
irrigation Investigations of the United
States department of agriculture in
Idaho. discussed the making and To-
eating of farm bitches and the mea-
surement of water by means Of weirs.
The bitches should be placed where
they will interfere the least with cul-
tivation. Wherever possible locate
them along the line fences. 1t is bet
ter to fume the water over a slight
depression or build a dixie than to cut
up your land or your neighbours into
irregular shape in trying to carry the
ditch on grade. Where the ditch IS
built on grade allow two-tenths of
foot fall for each 100 feet of length
This will give sufficient velocity to
prevent the deposition of sediment
carried by the water This is impor-
tant as any deposit viii mean extra
labor in cleaning the ditch. Build the
bitches with sufficient capacity in or
der that they may carry all the water
that may be required. 1t is better to
make them a little too large than a
little too small Some men have made
their bitches barely large enough 70
carry the constant flow that is al
lotted to their tracts. In the event
tina roaion of water is instituted their
bitches are entirely inadequate to car
ry the doubled or trebled amount that
they should then carry Having small
bitches they can convey to their fields
but a fraction of the water that is
coming to them and that is a serious
loss. With rotation the farmer may
for instance get twice the amount of
water in half the time he has been
wont to receive it. Sufficient size is
thus an important matter.
bikes may be necessary on your
own land or in your neighbours field
through which your water must come
In building them allow for settling
in order that the repair of the dixie
later may not be necessary. Such ad-
ditional work will interfere with the
crops that have been sown and viii
prove an aggravating job. Placing adj
, ditional earth on the dixie to take
} care of the settling is a factor o.
safety that should be attended to
Seed the dyke down to blue grass 81
that it will hold. The same may .
, done with the ditch banks as we'll.
There is much need of information
3 concerning the measurement of wa
ter. Very few farmers know how t.
- measure water and even the ditch rid
. er is often incompetent in this re
; spect. Erroneous IDEAS regarding Wa
: ter measurements are quite preva
lent. This gives rise to trouble be
tween them an the ditch rider. Yer
3 frequently certain men will thin
: that they are not getting their share
Z Not knowing how to measure waite
= so as to settle the dispute altercs
: tions occur. On the other hand if tn
= party knows how to measure waite
z he is in position to determine whetf
= er or not he is getting the prope
3 amount. A better understanding
2 water measurements would do awe
= with much trouble among irrigator
: Careful measurements often shO
Z that certain men receive quite di
. ferent amount of water from tn;
= which they should get, or that whic
: they think they are getting. This
2 bad thing as they are mistaken I
9 to the amount of water they are u
: ing and thus may get erroneous ide'
= in regard to the requirements of di
9 ferent crops. Because of these fac
= an account of proper measurement
: of water should be of interest to
: rigators.
9 The legal standard for the meas'r
: ment of water in Idaho is the c b
: foot pei. second; that is, a cubic 70
z of water delivered in a secon
: time. 1t is equal to $50 gallons of p
: ter per minute. A stream of w r
- which equals a cubic foot per re
- ond will cover an acre of land aho
. two feet in day GA hours). If q
- same amount be applied on four acr
< il will cover that amount of Ian
3 six inches in that time. Five eight
= of a second foot viii cover so acres
: land three inches deep every ten day
z The miners inch in. Idaho is &
9 amount of water flowing throul
an opening an inch square under
Z head of six inches from the center
3 the opening With such head a.
= such an opening a second foot of W