The Ash Ditch is near the Johnson, and is taken from the river in southeast quarter of section 3, T. 30 S., R. 26 E., and is 1 mile in length, 3 feet wide on the bottom, and 2 feet deep. It has a discharging capacity of 24 cubic feet per second.

The May Ditch leaves a short arm of the river in the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of section 18, T. 30 S., R. 26 E. It is 2 miles long, 8 feet wide on the bottom, and 2 feet deep. Its appropria tion is 4,000 inches, equivalent to 80 cubic feet per second. Its location was made November 29, 1873.

The Joice Canal is taken from the river in the northeast corner of the southwest quarter of section 23, T. 30 S., R. 25 E. It is nearly 4 miles long, 12 feet wide on the bottom, and 2 feet deep. It appropriates 6,250 inches of water, equivalent to 129 cubic feet per second. Its location was made May 26, 1873.

The Dixon Canal is a branch of the Joice Canal, diverting the water from the latter for about 2 miles, and then it branches out to the northward, irrigating lands on the borders of the reclaimed swamp-land district. It is 8 feet wide on the bottom and 4 feet deep. The appropria tion is 3,456 inches, equivalent to 69 cubic feet per second. Its location dates April 13, 1875.

The foregoing canals and ditches are all on the north side of the New Kern River, or now Kern River proper. Those on the south side, about the same number, are located on both sides of Old River. The first one in order on the river, locating at the highest point on the left bank of the stream, is the property of the Kern Island Irrigating Canal Company, called the Kern Island Canal.

It is taken from Kern River near the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of section 9, T. 29 S., R. 28 E., about 2 miles northeast of Bakersfield, through which town it passes. It is 18 miles long, with a width at the head-gate of 483 feet on the bottom and a depth of 4 feet. It terminates at Kern Lake. At Bakersfield the canal makes a vertical fall of nearly 20 feet, furnishing water power for a large flouring mill. This important canal has two main branches, the town branch, supplying Bakersfield and vicinity, having a length of 2 miles, and a central branch, diverging from the canal south of the town, and running nearly parallel to it, varying from one-half to 2 miles distant, for a distance of 10 miles in a southerly direction. This branch has a width of 20 feet on the bottom, and a depth of 3 feet, with slopes of 3 to 1. The central branch has nineteen drops in the distance of 10 miles, placed at intervals of half a mile. The Kern Island and its branches have thirty-one lateral ditches, besides a connecting ditch with the Stine Çanal, having a total length of over 80 miles. The Kern Island Canal appropriates 20,000 inches, equivalent to 400 cubic feet per second. Its location dates from the latter part of 1870.

Next below the Kern Island is the Old South Fork Canal. It is taken from the river in the central northern part of the northeast quarter of section 17, T. 29 S., R. 28 E., about three-fourths of a mile below the head-gate of the Kern Island Canal. It runs 3 miles southwesterly into the bed of the Old South Fork of Kern River, in which its waters are conveyed to Kern Lake in a nearly southerly direction. The canal has 'a width of 26 feet on the bottom, and is from 2 to 3 feet deep. Its distributing ditches aggregate 7 miles, one of the principal of which is the Cotton Ranch Ditch, irrigating 1,100 acres of alluvial bottom lands, north of and adjoining Bakersfield. Most of the water diverted into the Old South Fork is turned into the Panama Slough, and again diverted below by the Panama Ditch. This canal is also used at times

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as a feeder for the Kern Island Canal. The appropriation is 3,800 inches, equivalent to 75 cubic feet per second.

The Farmers' Canal, owned by the Farmers' Canal Company, takes its water from the river in the northeast quarter of section 24, T. 29 S., R. 27 E., about 200 feet above the Southern Pacific Railroad bridge across Kern River with a 48 feet opening, fronting parallel with the river, the water entering the canal at right angles with the stream. The first artificial channel to the Panama Slough is about three-quarters of a mile in length. The total length of the main channel is about 15 miles, consisting wholly of natural sloughs. It has 4 miles of branch constructions, varying from 10 to 20 feet in width. It has 30 miles of distributing ditches. The artificial channel is 50 feet wide on the bottom and 3 feet deep, and the natural channel varies from 20 to 50 feet in width, with a depth of 6 to 10 feet, having nearly vertical banks. The soil through which it passes is generally a firm, clayey loam, and permits natural irrigation of adjacent lands by percolation. A great deal of this land along the old channel is thus kept constantly moist and requires no irrigation. It appropriates 14,400 inches, equivalent to 287 feet per second. Its location was made April 29,-1873.

The Castro Ditch derives its water at the junction of Old and Kern Rivers, in the northeast quarter of section 26, T. 29 S., R. 27 E. It is 16 feet wide on the bottom, 2 feet deep, aud 5 miles long. It crosses Panama Slough, and irrigates a small amount of land east of that channel. The appropriation is 1,000 inches, equivalent to 20 cubic feet per second.

The Stine Canal, belonging to the Stine Canal Company, has its headgate also at the junction of Old and Kern Rivers, adjoining that of Castro, in the northeast quarter of section 26, T. 29 S., R. 27 E. It occupies the bed of Old River for the distance of half a mile. This canal is 80 feet wide on the bottom, 3 feet deep, and 15 miles long. It has two main branches, with numerous forks, varying in width from 12 to 20 feet on the bottom, and having an aggregate length of 32 miles, and 411⁄2 miles of distributing ditches. It is next in importance, in this system, to the Kern Island Canal, and shares with the Farmers' Canal in irrigating T. 30 and 31 S., R. 27 E., besides supplying water for other lands west and south. Its appropriation is 55,980 inches, equivalent to 1,117 cubic feet per second. It was located December 12, 1872.

The Anderson Canal heads also in the northeast quarter of section 26, T. 29 S., R. 27 E., at the junction of Old and Kern Rivers. Its headgate connects with those of the Stine and Castro, and the same system of wing dams serves for all. The canal runs southwesterly 4 miles, is 15 feet wide on the bottom, and 24 feet deep. This canal is used exclusively for irrigating Stockdale ranch, located about 53 miles southwest of Bakersfield. Its appropriation is 5,057 inches, equivalent to 101 cubic feet per second. The location was made October 9, 1872.

The Gates Canal, owned by the Gates Canal Company, is taken out of Kern River, in the southwest quarter of section 26, T. 29 S., R. 27 E., and runs in a south westerly direction 21⁄2 miles. It is 12 feet wide on the bottom and 2 feet deep. It also is used exclusively in irrigating Stockdale ranch. Its appropriation is 5,057 inches, equivalent to 101 cubic feet per second. This canal was located originally without record early in 1872, and relocated October 7, 1878.

The Buena Vista Canal belongs to the Buena Vista Canal Company. Its head-gate is in the northeast quarter of section 33, T. 29 S., R. 27 E., and runs southwesterly through Bellevue ranch, located about 8 miles west of Bakersfield. It is 13 miles long, 30 feet wide on the bot

tom, and 3 feet deep. It has numerous ditches of various dimensions. Its appropriation is 14,000 inches, equivalent to 279 cubic feet per second. Its location was July 15, 1870.

The James Canal, which is the property of the James Canal Company, heads in the northeast quarter of section 33, T. 29 S., R. 27 E. It runs southwesterly 174 miles, is 60 feet wide on the bottom the first 3 miles and 40 feet the remaining distance, and is 3 feet deep. This canal also flows through Bellevue ranch, supplying water for this ranch and all lands still farther south and west. The amount of appropriation is 19,730 inches, equivalent to 394 cubic feet per second. Date of location, October 15, 1871.

The Plunkett Canal, belonging to the Plunkett Canal Company, com mences in the northwest quarter of section 33, T. 29 S., R. 27 E. It runs southwesterly through Bellevue ranch, and is used exclusively for it. Amount of appropriation is 5,057 inches, equivalent to 101 cubic feet per second. Date of location, December 31, 1872. It is 3 miles long, 12 feet wide on the bottom, and 24 feet deep.

The Meacham Canal is the property of the Meacham Canal Company, commencing in the northwest quarter of section 6, T. 30 S., R. 27 E., and flows through Bellevue ranch southwesterly about 4 miles. It is 12 feet wide on the bottom and 3 feet deep. Its appropriation of water is 1,500 inches, equivalent to 30 cubic feet per second. It was located April 15, 1873.

The Wilson Canal commences at a point on Kern River, near the head-gate of the Meacham Canal, in the northwest quarter of section 6, T. 30 S., R. 27 E., and also flows through Bellevue ranch 23 miles in a southwesterly direction, and is 5 feet wide on the bottom and 2 feet deep. It appropriates 500 inches, equivalent to 10 cubic feet per second, and was located August 15, 1874.

The Henley Canal begins in the southeast quarter of section 9, T. 30 S., R. 26 E., and runs southwesterly 2 miles. It is 3 feet wide on the bottom and 2 feet deep. The amount of the appropriation is 2,880 inches, equivalent to 57 cubic feet per second. Its location dates January 29,

1874.

The Frazer Canal takes its waters out of the Kern River, in the northeast quarter of section 16, T. 39 S, R. 26 E. It flows south westerly 24 miles, and is 5 feet wide on the bottom, with a depth of 1 feet. It appropriates 2,600 inches, equivalent to 52 cubic feet per second. It was located April 15, 1873.

The Kern Valley Water Company has two main canals for the reclamation of swamp land in District No. 21, in Buena Vista Slough, and a distributing canal. The principal canal is that on the west side of the district, following, generally, the border of the swamp lands for a distance of 24 miles. At its head it is 125 feet wide on the bottom, 7 feet deep, with sides sloping from 3 to 1 and from 7 to 1, and a grade of nine-tenths of a foot per mile. The grade is very irregular, and we give it in detail. For one-half mile the grade is nine-tenths of a foot; 9 miles, it is 2 feet; one-half mile, 2 feet; and 14 miles, level; vertical drop, 1 feet; 1 mile, 8 feet; 2 miles, level.

Below this main channel, a parallel distributing canal, 30 feet wide on the bottom and 2 feet deep, was constructed about 10 miles long. On the east side of the swamp a canal about 6 miles long was coustructed for irrigation purposes, having a width on the bottom of 25 feet, a depth of 3 to 5 feet, and side slopes of 3 to 1. The appropriation of water of the Kern Valley Water Company is 100,000 inches, equivalent to 1,995 cubic feet per second, and its location dates April 7, 1877. The

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appropriation of the Kern Valley, east side, is 30,000 inches, equivalent to 599 cubic feet per second, and the location dates April 9, 1877.

The rains of winter and the melting snows of summer on the upper Sierra thus maintain a full flow in Kern River for about two-thirds of the year, the period covering the greatest demand for irrigation. Kern River has a slope through the valley of 6 to 8 feet per mile, and lies in a shallow, sandy bed, with banks of sandy soil 3 to 6 feet high. These are favorable conditions, and enable water to be taken out at almost any point at comparatively small cost. Few permanent, costly dams, or very expensive head-works have been found necessary; a simple wingdam of sand and brush, running out into the channel of the river at an acute angle up the stream, serves every purpose, in most cases, for diverting water into the canals, there being only five weir extensions across the river in the whole system.

Then, again, the slope of the irrigable lands of the valley is so great there is no difficulty in running canals in almost any direction over them, nor in distributing water in the smaller ditches, or in draining it off. It is therefore peculiarly favorable for irrigation, yet the soil is too friable to permit of canals of any considerable size taking the natural slope of the ground without serious erosion and damage.

The grade over these sloping plains is regulated by "drops" or weirs, placed at proper intervals, with movable weir-boards, which are also convenient and necessary for raising water to enter distributing ditches.

These drops are constructed similarly to the canal head-works, and are characterized by an absence of ponderous gates for regulating the water and extreme lightness of timber used, studying the greatest economy in material. Head-gates are a necessity when the water is taken out of the river to control the admission of water to the canal. They are made entirely of wood, there being no stone readily accessible in this vicinity. The better class of these head-gates are constructed upon a foundation of anchor-piles driven into the sand as far as possible, with sheet-piling of 2-inch planks at the upper and lower sides of the struct

ure.

Weirs, as before indicated, are constructed not only for drops, but for raising water for entering distributing ditches. Side gates are at the head of distributing ditches for the purpose of admitting water from the canal into such ditches. They are constructed upon the same principle as head-gates.

The canal flume is the usually constructed flume for carrying one stream of water over another across a gulch or ravine.

Wing dams are built of brush and in the river, from the lower side of the mouth of the canal up the stream, at an acute angle with the current, to turn the waters of the river into the canal.

Waste-gates are built at the heads of canals and also along their course to let off any oversupply of water. Inverted siphons are put into canals for the purpose of carrying their waters under another

canal.

A module is put into a gate or other structure for the measurement of water.

There are four general classes of irrigation as conducted in California. First method.-Constituting irrigation of vines and trees, as prac ticed in some portions of Los Angeles and San Diego counties, under which the water is conducted through pipes having openings at each different vine or tree to be irrigated, all of these small distributing pipes being supplied from one large pipe. This of course is a highly expensive mode of irrigation, and one which can not be practiced except where an exceedingly small amount of water must be utilized to the greatest degree possible and where the results as derived therefrom are of great benefit.

Second method.-By building ditches at stated distances apart, the land being irrigated by the seepage or percolation of water through the soil, from one ditch to another. This method is applicable only in districts having a loose soil, through which the water can easily pass, and is not to any extent valuable for use in Kern County, where such conditions do not exist.

Third method. By building the ditches on the ridges or highest ground in the land to be irrigated, and from them running the water downhill and holding it back by means of small temporary checks, or, in cases of vines or trees, running the water downhill through plow furrows. This method of irrigating is well adapted to the irrigation of orchards and vineyards, thereby utilizing the water to good advantage; but in the irrigation of grass or alfalfa land, or in other cases where it is desirable to cover simultaneously a large area of land, it has been found to be more expensive than, and in the irrigation history of Kern County, has generally been supplanted by, the fourth method.

Fourth method.-By building ditches at stated distances apart, running downhill with the slope of the country, and between them building permanent levees on contour lines, the latter being distributed with the grade at varying distances of fall, as desired, of 6, 9, 12, 18, or 24 inches.