Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1913-01-23
WATER APPLIED TO ALFALFA
Systems Have Been Planned In Noun
tain States to Deliver Water In
Quite Small StreamA


Colorado. Montana. Wyoming Utah
and TO a large extent In Idaho. says
the Denver Field and Farm This
manner of wetting dry soil originated
here in the mountain states and the
past half century has witnessed a
gradual evolution of the plan. so that
now il has not only become firmly
established but is regarded as the best
suited TO the conditions under which
II is practiced. 1t can be profitably
used on slopes that are too steep for
other methods. Fields having firm
soil and a fall of twenty-five to one
hundred feet have been flooded sue
/ cesSfully. From this extreme the
slope may diminish to less than one
tenth OF foot in 100 feet. Its cheap
ness is another feature which recon-.
mends 1t TO the farmer OF limited
means Ordinary raw land can be pre-
pared for flooding at an expense OF 81
/ TO s. an acre. Again. IL is adapted TO
the use OF small water supplies Here
In the mountain states the irrigation
systems have been planned and built
/ TO deliver water In comparatively
small streams for use in flooding or in
! burrows. and water users should be
/ certain that the larger volumes re
! CURED for checks and borders can be
secured before going TO the expense
| II preparing their fields for either OF
| those systems In grading the land
for this particular method It is not
customary to make many changes In
the natural surface. Only the smaller
knobs are removed and deposited in
the low places An EFFORT is made al.
ways. however. TO make the farm lat.
erals fit into the natural slope and con.
tguration OF the tract TO be watered
so as to bring the water TO the high
places On steep slopes the laterals
may be less than fifty feet apart: on
fatter slopes they may be 200 feet or
more apart. Whatever the spacing II
Is always desirable to have the slope
between them as nearly uniform as
possible. When the land in its natural
state is uneven. the grading can be
done with a scraper II II Is compare.
lively smooth and level a homemade
drag or leveler serves the purpose
fairly we'll. The main lateral Is usual.
" built TO the highest corner OF the
field and the smaller laterals extend
out from IL. spaced 20 70 225 feet
apart. the spacing depending on the
slope OF the ground and the coarse
ness OF the soil. The size OF the lat.
erals IS governed by the head which
may be had. but on steep slopes and
on soil that erodes readily small
heads are best The proper location
for field laterals Is usually evident to
the irrigator without the use OF sur.
veying instruments although in fields
where the fall Is slight II Is often nee.
essary 70 have a Typographical survey
made and the laterals located by an
engineer Field laterals are always
so located that they cover the highest
parts OF the field and their distance
apart in alfalfa varies from ten &c
twenty rods The head required for
flooding from field laterals varies from
two TO three cubic feet a second and
Is divided between two or three later.
ais. Canvas or coarse manure dams
are used TO check the water in the lat.
erals and 10 force It out over the
banks and down the slopes OF the
fields. In less than three hours the
oughly moistened. To apply one wa.
tering In this way costs from fifteen
to thirty cents an acre. In irrigating,
canvas dam is first inserted in each
ditch OF set OF bitches. 70 to 100 feet
below the head. The water is then
turned into each channel and flows az
far as the canvas dam by which II is
checked and as a consequence rises
and flows over the low places OF the
lower bank or through openings made
with a shovel When these small
tracts have been watered, the canvas
dam Is raised. dragged down the lat.
eral 70 to 100 feet. and again inserted
In the channel to serve the next tract
Manure dams sometimes take the
place of the movable canvas dams
Some time before a field is to be irri.
gated and after the ditching Is done
coarse manure IL placed In small
! heaps within each ditch channel at
suitable intervals and each heap Ia
covered with earth on its upper face
to depth OF one to two inches. When
this check has served its purpose Il
Is broken and the water flows down
until stopped by the next check. In
| some Instances permanent wooden
check boxes are inserted in each lat
eral. while in others the canvas dam
Is used. The thorough irrigation OF
four acres is considered a good twelve
hours work for one man. BY the use
OF 100 inches. two men can irrigate
seven to ten acres in twenty-four
hours at cost of 45 to 65 cents the
acre. In summarizing the advantages
OF the flooding method. 1t may be said
that In first cost 1t is one OF the cheap
est. 1t Is adapted to the delivery Of
small volumes Of water in continuous
streams. 1t is particularly well adapt
ed to forage and cereal plants NJ all