Show I i i I I I i I WATER APPLIED TO ALFALFA I Systems H Have Been PI n. n Mountain Moun thin tain States to Deliver Water In I Quite Small Smarr Streams Flooding from field ditches or laterals latex later ala als Is still the most common method methodI of applying water to alfalfa out In this country especially In the states of Colorado Montana Wyoming Utah and to a n large extent In Idaho says the Denver Field and Farm This manner of ot wetting dry Boll oll originated hAre bore In the mountain states and the tha past half century has hM witnessed a aI gradual evolution of the plan so 80 that now It has not only become firmly established but Is regarded as the best suited to the conditions under which It Is practiced It can an bo be profitably used on slopes that are too steep for tor other methods Fields having a firm soil loll and a fall tall of twenty-five twenty to one onehundred onehundred onehundred hundred feet have been flooded suc sue From this extreme the slope may diminish to less than one one- tenth of a foot in JOO feet Its cheapness cheapness cheap cheap- ness is another f feature which recommends recommends mends it to tho the farmer of limited means Ordinary raw land can be prepared prepared pre pro pared for flooding at an expense of 2 to 5 5 an acre Again it Is adapted to the use of small water supplies HereIn Here HereIn In the mountain states state the Irrigation systems have been planned and built to deliver water in Ia comparatively small streams for tor uS usein in flooding pr in furrows and water users should be certain that the larger volumes required re ro requIred for checks and borders can be bo secured before going to the of Dr preparing their fields for tor either of I those systems In grading the land fur for this particular method it L Is not not I customary to make ke many changes t fi fn the natural surface Only the smalls smaller r knolls are removed and deposited inthe in inthe inthe the low places An effort Is made always al al' always ways however to make the farm lab lati fit into the natural slope and configuration con figuration of at the tract to be watered so 60 as to bring the water to the high places On steep slopes the laterals may be I less ss than fifty feet apart on flatter slopes they may be bo feet teet or more mole apart Whatever the spacing it ft itIs itis 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 bedone bedone bedone done with a scraper If It is comparatively comparatively comparatively smooth and level a homemade drag or leveler serves the purpose fairly well The main lateral Is usually usual ly built to the highest corner of the field and the smaller laterals extend out from it ft spaced 75 to feet apart the spacing depending on th the slope of the ground and the coarseness coarseness coarse coarse- ness of the soil solI The size of the laterals laterals lat lat- laterals Is governed by the head which may be had but on steep slopes and andon andon andon on soil solI that erodes readily sm small II heads are best The proper location for field laterals Is usually evident to the irrigator without the use of surveyIng surveying surveying sur sur- instruments although in fields where the fall Is slight it Is often necessary necessary necessary essary to have a topographical survey made and the laterals located by an engineer Field laterals are always so located that they cover the highest parts of ot the field and their distance apart In alfalfa varies from ten to twenty rods The head required for flooding from field laterals varies from two to three cubic feet teet a second and andIs andIs andis Is divided between two or three later als ale als Canvas or coarse coarse manure dams are used to check the water in t the e laterals lat mt laterals and to force It out over the banks and down the slopes of ot the fields In Jess less than three hours the upper foot of at the soil Is usually thoroughly thor thor- moistened To apply one watering wa watering In this way costs from fifteen to thirty cents an acre In Irrigating I a canvas dam is first inserted in each ditch or set o of ditches 75 to feet teet below the tha head The water Is then turned into each channel and flows as aa asfar asfar far as the canvas dam by which It ia is checked and as a consequence rises and flows over the low places of the lower bank or or through openings made with a shovel When these small tracts have been watered the canvas dam Is raised dragged down the lateral lateral lat lat- eral 75 to feet and again Inserted In the channel to serve the next tract Manure dams sometimes take the place of at the movable canvas dams Some time before a field Is to be irrigated Irrl gated and after the ditching is done coarse manure is placed In small heaps within each ditch channel at suitable intervals and each heap is covered with earth on its upper face tace to a depth of one to two inches When this check has served Its purpose ItIs it itis itis is broken and the water flows down until stopped by the next check In some instances permanent wooden check boxes are inserted in each lateral lat lat- eral while while in others the canvas darp is used The thorough Irrigation of at four acres is considered a good twelve hours' hours work worle for one man By tho the use of inches two men can Irrigate seven to ten acres in twenty-four twenty hours at a cost of at 45 to 65 cents the acre In summarizing the advantages pf of the flooding method it may be said that at In first cost it Is one of the cheap cheap- test jest it is adapted to the delivery ol ot volumes of water In continuous Jl J rf uns ams ms it Is particularly well adapt forage and cereal plants of at all alli the i top soil soli IK Is not removed he high places to fill fin up the I w s and firm soil solI although on Je i d' d irregular hillsides can be successfully watered The Tho chief die dIs- V s the fatiguing labor rethe rethe re re- i 01 01 i the water ErV |