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Show ' -v. t CONSERVING WATER IN ROWS Every Farmer Experiences Much Dif-ficulty Dif-ficulty In Getting Water to Reach the Extreme End. f (Pv K. B. IHH'SK. Colorado KxtxTtn"'"' SlRtlOtl.) The difficulty that every farmer es periences in ordinary row irrigation is to so control his supply that th water fiowB down each row at thf same rate and with sufficient velocity so that when the water reaches tht lower end of the row the upper em! has had time to bo sufficiently moist ened for the water to reach the roott of the plants. In order to uceom plish this every field should have a ditch running along Its highest part, I properly laid out. This will be be.sl accomplished by making openiugi through, the side of tills ditch through which the water rims Into the rowB, level; that is to say, fixing them s that when a dam is put in, which brings the water over the bank and forces it though each opening with the same velocity and therefore have the same head. It will, therefore, be p paying proposition to make these openings permanent A box made of lumber or roncreU with openings in the side, each sec tion Bet level, with a drop at the end of each section, so that by placing the dam at the end of the section the same quantity of water is discharged through each opening and finds its way to each row and is sent down each with tho same velocity and the same quantity of water 1b supplied to each row. This quantity can be regulated regu-lated by Increasing or decreasing the head on each opening, and with thi arrangement It will be found that lit bor. time and water will be saved. Another thing, nfter an Irrigation by means of the row method many fanners fann-ers have found it advisable and profitable profit-able to harrow across the rows. This fills the ditches and the ground that is saturated with loose earth, which forms a "dust mulch" and thereby prevents excessive evaporation from the rows, while if this is not done tha bottom and sides of the ditches take on a crust, the particles become packed together and excessive evaporation evap-oration takes place. For the next irrigation ir-rigation it will be necessary to again run the cultivator through the rows in order to form the ditches for another anoth-er application of water, and by the time this second irrigation occurs the plants will be so far advanced that it will be impossible to harrow a second sec-ond time, but the first harrowing can be done with very little damage to tha crop; in fact 11 is a benefit to the ' crop, even though some ofjlhe plant , are destroyed. : n - |
