Show f prevention OF WASTE development of west depends on full water supply larger saving will be effected in fu ture as it Is 13 found that less arri gation gallon Is needed mea measurement sure checks loss B L G CARPENTER colorado agri cultural college the prevent prevention lon of waste of water Is a matter of public importance the land suitable tor for irrigation so much exceeds the water supply not only in colorado but throughout the west that the agricultural development de on the use of the supply to its fullest capacity though the building of storage reservoirs the stopping of waste improved methods of irrigation which were all recommended in bul letin 13 1890 have been carried out to a great extent and the agricultural products it if not the agricultural area has greatly increased and much tin provement pro 1 measurement has come the pressure remains about the same A larger saving will be effected in the future as it Is found that less ties of water are needed subdivision into smaller and smaller streams becomes necessary and measurement will become more exact and it will be justifiable to expend larger sums or exact devices aside from the accuracy a good system of measurement eaves saves a large amount of water A careful account Is I 1 known to be the basis of sound bound finance an accounting in itself pro duces economy for it causes an arrest of thought and directs attention to the matters under consideration and reveals the source of waste it is also true in water administration the very fact that water Is measured checks extravagance it if it be not pleasured measured nea the idea Is easily fostered that it Is not valuable enough the mere inere fact fart that measurement Is made and an account kept makes each user more careful in ditches where no at tempt has been made to control the tise lise by individuals it Is surprising to notice the saving caused by beeping keeping an account and thus showing how aluch nuch each has used and to compare abne ne with another in cities it Is well wn that the mere installation of water meters and keeping account of the water used by each individual often reduces the consumption to one third what it was before an and d yet no one has suffered when water Is plen ticul a system or lack of system works without trouble the practice then Is to give water enough to stop complaint when the water becomes scarce then inexactness in measure ment means that some one gets more than his share sham this means that some else gets less and the result may be serious upon the crops in all parts of the state where the pressure for water ater is felt there has been a great increase in the value of land and this Is almost entirely from the increase in the value of water reservoirs have been built at an ex pense of millions of dollars to take ad van vantage of streams of water that a few years since were considered to be in significant this increase in the value of water has only begun and arid therefore the conditions which justify pains and expense to obtain accurate measurements will increase companies will go to much greater expense tor for this par idular purpose than they now consider justifiable it Is true that the present practice Is generally I 1 behind what could reasonably be expected from present conditions even now in the exchange between reservoirs in northern colorado the comp companies antes have found it justifiable to employ a skilled person for that par nicular work at considerable expense the statement made in the first edi edt tion may be repeated there will never be an easier time cor for arranging satisfactory measurements than now tor for the demand will not be less and with time and the in crease in the value of water there will be many who will feel that they have rights vested in certain methods of measurements which may be antrin unjust SAVING OF WATER AND TIME much harm done to soil and crop by umbus nes and ignorant use of irrigation the amount of water used in differ jat nt districts runs from 12 to 4 feet the acre but why the growers use so much water few I 1 any seem to fully understand the tact fact Is most people use three or tour four times more water than Is necessary and do a good deal of harm to their soil and also to the crop by an and really ignorant use of a valuable quantity the soil is a sponge which will retain only a certain amount of moisture if t more water Is supplied it simply leaches down and is lost or runs away carrying with it a fertilizing element of the soil in solution and only those which are in solution are of any value to plant life the prin cipal value of water Is to make the fertilizing elements soluble uble proper tillage following I 1 il gation extends the time of service of the water in the soil and thereby lesses the amount of irrigation as well as the frequency of application this makes a saving of both water and time and it tt a season when both are valuable |