The Delta independent., 1915-06-11
The Best way to Irrio.te Grain.


The best way of irrigating grain and
alfalfa is by what is called the CORFU
gated method. The water is run In
small, shallow burrows from which 1t
percolates laterally through the soil,
but does not run over the surface.
small stream is run for a considerable
time in each furrow until the adjacent
soil has received enough water. 1t
is adapted to heavy soils, which take
water slowly and to considerable
grades as the furrows can be run
across the slopes at any angle which
gives the drop required for the de-
sired velocity of water. 1t is adapted
to the use of small streams, since wa
ter can be run in few or many furrows.
according to the size of the head.
Feed bitches are run across the
slope while burrows run downward or
across at an angle, according to the
steepness of the pitch. The bitches
should be nearly level so that when
water is held up by the dam it will
flow over the lower bank throughout
considerable length of the ditch. Usu-
ally check boxes or canvas dams are
put into the feed bitches so that water
can be held on a series of levels. The
check boxes are supplied with flash
boards which hold the water to any
desired height and allow the surplus to
flow over and down the ditch to the
next check. The water is often turned
out to the furrows through lath fun
nels placed in the lower bank of the
ditch for that purpose. The tunnels
in the section of a ditch between two
check boxes are on level above the
surface when unchecked. but at such
height that when water is held up by
flashboards in the check box they will
be submerged slightly and will dis
charge water to the burrows
The tunnels increase the cost of pre-
pairing the land for irrigation, but de-
crease the labor required in applying
the water. and their use makes pos
sible a very even distribution. AS wa
ter is allowed to run in one set of fur
rows for several hours this system
is especially valuable when night irri-
cation is practiced. Water can be
turned into a set of furrows and needs
no further attention. In some places
water is turned out through cuts inf
the lower bank of the ditch and divid-
ed among the burrows by the irrigator
with his shovel. This requires con-
stant attention by the irrigator, which
are used. In some cases the supply
ditch is cut and the water turned di-
rectly into the burrows, but in a ma
jority of instances where there is
possibility of the soil washing it is
the practice to use a distributing fur
row in addition to the supply lateral
ditch This is rather shallow. having
width of one to three feet. and is
run below and parallel to the head
ditch some three to six feet distant.
The water is turned from the supply
ditch into the distributing ditch and
from the distributing ditch into the
furrows. The advantage of the dis
tributing ditch is found in that IL one
section washes ont and used elsewhere
until the break has been repaired. II
is not common to use the double ditch
except at the top of field. The fur
rows are usually made with fur
rowing sled, which consists of two or
three runners made of logs or six by
six inch timbers, spaced at whatever
distance is desired between the fur
rows, and sharpened at the front end.
These will make burrows three TO five
inches deep. In grain fields the fur
rows are made one and one-half to
three feet apart, depending upon the
character of the soil. Nowadays. how
ever, the corrugator is more largely
used. When drawn over field the
rings make the burrows and crush the
clods. which aids in the even distribu.
tion of the water. The length of fur
rows is $50 to 500 feet, according to
the slope of the land and the nature
of the soil. Feed bitches are run
across the field at these intervals and
take up the waste water from the fur
rows above them and supply water to
those below.
State Normal School Diplomas.