sents a very prosperous appearance. Irrigation began in this district prior to 1880 and reached its present stage of development about 1900. In this valley there are three ditches which divert water from the river, while one other ditch receives its water by pumping from wells. The irrigated areas are as follows: There are in this valley about 300 acres of illigable land not under ditch. Clifton district.-The Clifton district includes the land extending from Pleasanton Valley as far down the stream as Clifton. The river in this district is confined in a deep, narrow canyon, which widens out slightly in places, forming several restricted valleys. Irrigation is carried on in the most favorable of these valleys. There are five ditches serving to irrigate areas, as follows: With the exception of the Sliger ditch, which diverts directly from the river, all of the above ditches are supplied by water pumped directly from the river. About 2 miles above Clifton the Arizona Copper Co. diverts some of the flow of the river for power purposes, but the entire flow so diverted is later returned to the stream. No irrigation takes place on the San Francisco below the Clifton district. Summary of irrigation on the entire San Francisco River.-In the Alpine Valley 980 acres are under cultivation, the land being subirrigated. Below the Alpine Valley and throughout the remaining course of the river the land is irrigated either by ditches diverting directly from the river or by ditches supplied by direct pumping from the river. There are in all 37 ditches along the stream, which serve to irrigate 1,739 acres. In addition to this area 21 acres have been previously cultivated, while 2,682 acres are irrigable and located either under the present ditches or under their possible extensions. 1 Diverted by pump. ECT. this dis The following is a tabulation of the ditches and the areas situated under each: oment Ditch ownership.--The Luna Irrigation Co., which operates the Luna Reservoir, is a mutual corporation, owned by the water users under the project, each shareholder being assessed for the expenses and the water apportioned according to the number of shares controlled. The remainder of the ditches are classed as individual or partnership ditches. Each ditch in the latter class is owned by two or more partners, each sharing the expense of maintenance according to the interest held in the ditch and receiving the water in the same proportion. Acres, approximately. 300 200 30 30 200 780 Water supply for irrigation on the San Francisco River.-Notwithstanding the high altitude of the greater portion of the drainage area, the run-off of this tributary of the Gila is torrential and flashy in character, and while the flow is continuous, yet it becomes very low during the dry seasons. Discharge measurements have been made for a number of years at Alma, N. Mex., which is above the confluence of the San Fran cisco and the Blue Rivers. The results of these measurements are to be found in Water Supply Papers No. 269, page 224, and No. 309, page 234. These measurements show that the flow at Alma varies from a maximum of nearly 1,000 second-feet to a minimum of 6.9 second-feet and that the average monthly flow varies from 100 to 300 second-feet. Discharge measurements made in 1911 below the confluence of the San Francisco with the Blue, at a point 11⁄2 miles above Clifton and published in Water Supply Paper No. 309, page 235, give a maximum discharge of 1,240 second-feet, a minimum discharge of 56 second-feet, and a mean or average flow of 325 second-feet. From these measurements it will be seen that there is an adequate water supply for irrigation purposes in the several districts along the San Francisco, as well as in the extreme upper valleys known as the Alpine and the Luna districts. In the Alpine Valley most of the land is subirrigated, while a reservoir in the Luna Valley conserves the irrigation waters in that district. Probable future uses.-In the following table is given an estimate of the areas subject to cultivation in the different districts along the San Francisco River: As already stated, irrigation in the Alpine district is not necessary. In the Luna Valley, with the reservoir at its present height and capacity, an additional area of 1,000 acres could be served, the only change necessary being the enlargement of the present ditches, In the Reserve and Frisco Valleys, there seems to be no likelihood of an increase in the area under irrigation. In the Alma and the Pleasanton Valleys, extensions of the present ditches are contemplated and it may be reasonable to expect that the entire cultivatable area in these valleys may be irrigated in the near future. It is believed that if present conditions continue in force, at least 1,500 acres in addition to the land now irrigated can reasonably be expected to be put under cultivation on the San Francisco within a short time. Irrigation on the tributaries of the San Francisco.-Besides the Blue River, there are several lesser tributaries to the San Francisco and some irrigation takes place along these small streams. On the Center Fire Creek, which joins the San Francisco 6 miles below the town of Luna, an area of about 300 acres is being irrigated at present. Along the Tularosa River, which contributes its flow to the песе heigh d. tebe Rive-S of the dr orrential et it beg ber of ve San Fr rements r and No. Alma vat num of rom 100 Aluence ve Clif 33. gir charge -feet. ■ adequ cts alo known ost of th conserv estime long San Francisco at a point just below Frisco, approximately 200 acres IRRIGATION ALONG THE BLUE RIVER. The Blue River, rising in the southeastern corner of Apache County, Ariz., flows in a southeasterly direction, across the northeast corner of Greenlee County, and one-half mile into New Mexico, crossing the State line 3 miles south of the southern boundary of Apache County; thence taking a course west of south, the river returns into Greenlee County and discharges into the San Francisco River, 20 miles above the town of Clifton, the county seat of Greenlee County. At the point where the river enters New Mexico, a branch stream, the Dry Blue, enters the Blue River from the northeast. Above this fork, or junction, the main stream is known as the Campbell Blue. The Dry Blue is a small stream heading about 4 miles south of Luna, N. Mex. The Blue River flows in a narrow canyon throughout its entire length, the surrounding country being very rough and mountainous, with numerous washes entering the river bed. The few valleys which occur along the course of the river are small and narrow, and the river, in traversing these, leaves many small irrigable tracts on either side of the channel. Just above the forks, on the Campbell Blue, is a small valley about 1 miles in length and about 1,500 feet in width, which constitutes the largest on the river. When the American settlers began to arrive in this region, about 1885, they found a few Mexicans farming small areas along the Blue River. Several of these old Mexican farms have since been abandoned. Evidences of prehistoric irrigations, as well as ruins and caves of ancient cliffdwellers, are found at different places along the Blue River. Some of the ditches now used along the head waters of the Blue River are said to have been originally constructed by the ancient cliffdwellers. Since 1885 the extent of irrigation along the Blue River has slowly increased, in spite of the fact that considerable land has been lost by flood erosion. On the Campbell Blue there are two ranches which are irrigated by means of four ditches, while below the forks, or on the Blue River proper, the irrigated areas are situated at irregular intervals. From the forks of the Blue River to the confluence with the San Francisco there are in all 22 ditches, which serve to irrigate a number of small patches of land. Summary. On the entire stream system of the Blue River there are 26 ditches, all of which are now in use except one, the Carthy ditch. The following table shows the date of construction and abandonment of each ditch, the area irrigated at present, the areas previously irrigated, and the irrigable area under the ditches: Ditch ownership.-The ditches are individually owned, none serving more than one ranch. Water supply.-The flow of the river is flashy and intermittent, dependant upon the rainfall and upon the drainage area. During the winter considerable snow falls upon parts of the basin, which frequently remains until late in the season, and sometimes causing torrential floods after a warm rain. During May, June, and July the water supply is derived from springs or seepage water from the basin, the flow becomes very small and often the stream bed is dry at numerous places along its course during these months. The summer rains usually begin late in July. During the progress of this investigation two float measurements were taken on the Blue River, with results as follows: July 11, 1915, 500 feet below forks.. July 10, 1915, mile above base line ranger station__. Second-feet. 8.97 46.50 These measurements were taken at points located about 30 miles apart, at a time when the stage of the river was slowly falling. Between these points several streams of various sizes join the river, a few of which were discharging as much as the river itself at the point of the first measurement, or as either of the forks. Inasmuch |