Irrigation practice and engineering. Volume 1. Use of irrigation water and irrigation practice

New York: McGraw-Hill book company, Inc., 1915. — 254 p.
In the preparation of this volume and of the two following larger volumes, the author has endeavored to present a book which will fill the needs of teachers and students in technical
colleges and universities and which may be used as a reference book by engineers engaged in irrigation work, by managers and superintendents of irrigation systems. In this work the writer has been guided by his experience as a teacher of irrigation practice and engineering for many years and by experience obtained through his professional practice, which has given him opportunities to become acquainted with irrigation practice and projects in most of the states of the western part of the United States and in western Canada.
Personal contact with engineers engaged in irrigation work, examination of their reports and plans for proposed irrigation systems and inspection of constructed systems show that engineers
who have had little experience in irrigation work have not considered the relative importance of the agricultural phase of irrigation problems. The planning and construction of an irrigation system cannot be totally separated from the operation of the system. On nearly all new projects the completion of the construction of a system and the operation of the system must be carried on at the same time, usually both under the direction of the chief engineer. Where an old system is to be extended, construction and operation must be carried jointly. It usually develops that the experience obtained by the engineer in planning and constructing a system makes him the best qualified man to operate the system, and not infrequently does he become the manager of the project. For these reasons it is important that a treatise on irrigation engineering be preceded by an introductory part on the use of irrigation water and irrigation practice.