American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1912-05-16
SUIT SOIL CONDITIONS
Irritation Becomes More Expe'-
sive Year by Year.
Most Economical Distribution OF water
viii Depend on Running It Proper
pistance-carefuI Preparation
10 Necessary.

Water becomes more expensive year
by year and much more money Is now
spent to make irrigation in the Held
effective than formerly. Given skilled
help and big heads Of water our COM
mon system Of laterals 30 or Az yaros
apart is a good one, and the amount
of water that can be handled by =
good man by using several ditcnes Is
only limited by the size OF the head
ditch. though the ordinary hand Will
have enough to do to run two or tnree
bitches full. There are now much Det
ter ditch plows than formerly. which
leave a better ditch bank to keep the
water from breaking back into the lat
erals from which 1t has been forced
and good banks are the measure OF a
good ditch flow, which must be suited
to the land. laying the banks farther
back in friable soils than on stin
loans or clays, or they will cave IN
when the water strikes them. Inc
heels Of the lays should have three
to five inches cut off them or they
will cut In under the bank and the
water will find the crack and under
mine the embankment, which will fiat
ten out.
With really good banks to u
bitches the upper parts Of the land
we have laid OF are watered In prac-
tically the same way as by the check
system, where We merely depend on
the head ditch to carry water and
larger or smaller embankments are
put through the field. leaving level
spaces between.
The distance water should be run
from the head ditch without running
a supply down the laterals will depend
on how easily it is controlled and how
much it soaks into the ground in its
passage down the field. On some i'm
pervious soil it Is better to run it the
whole way II we have a fair head
and the lands do not exceed a quarter
of a mile.
This is exceptional, however, and
would only apply to old alfalfa fields
or meadows which have become very
hard from lack of cultivation. The ir-
rigator with his shovel can tell when
land has taken water enough, and
should never be deceived in this re-
spect with ordinary crops, though of
very deep rooted ones, like alfalfa,
roots reach down beyond our ken.
Some soils will absorb water so
easily that 1t must be assisted over
the surface by the use of the corruga-
tor and frequent changes in the lat
erals, whilst on others 1t merely fills
the plowed soil and passes on easily
over the surface. A good loan will
stand up much better than a clay In
which the particles are so fine that
when thoroughly wetted they become
soapy. settling as they dry into a hard.
compact mass, which it is very hard
for air to re-enter. Clay soils, how
ever. will grow good crops II they
are carefully watered and conditions
are such that the crop comes away
last, shading the ground so it will not
scald or crack. Where checks are
made, their size should be governed
by the above conditions, IS we'll as the
ability of the water supply to food a
given area without waste of water.
n the levels of the land. which, of
course. necessitate small areas, or the
checks will have to be made incon.
%veniently high.
The area to be flooded may run
from a few feet Of lawn I'D to thirty
acres a very usual size being from
three-fourths to one and one-half
acres. The economy of the check will
depend on how closely its size ia
adapted to the most economical dis
tribution of water and the amount noe.
essary for the plants.