Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-07-15
WATER FOR IRRIGATION.

| Water Is as necessary for plant life
as for animal life and the constantly
recurring droughts are serious mat
ter, How to supply the needed mois-
ture to growing crops at all times
great problems of the age Irrigation
is the only solution In many Instances
not only in dry places but in humid
climates as we'll Water, however,
varies In its component parts, What
may be good for one kind OF soil
would be injurious to another. Pro
fessor +, IL. King OF the Wisconsin
Agriculture College after an exhaus-
tive study and research, has lately
published through the department OF
agriculture a bulletin ON irrigation In
humid climates In speaking OF what
waters are best suited to irrigation, the
professor goes ON to say:
AS genral rule the best waters
for irrigation are those having the
highest temperature and containing
the largest amount of suspended and
dissolved mineral matter, provided
the material carried by the waiter is
not injurious to plant life.
without question the water OF
highest value for irrigation IL the
sewage of cities when 1t Is adequately
diluted and when II does not contain
poisonous chemicals from the waste
of factories Sewage which is SO tur-
bid as to leave n coating Of sediment
upon the land is liable to work injury
! by clogging the pores In the surface
soil and thus int, 'ering with It's pro-
per aereration; but sewage of this
character is the exception rather than
the rule.
The amount of sewage discharged
into streams and lakes Is extremely
large. and IL irrigation In the humid
sections of the United States Is to be
entered upon, II Ia important that at
tCntion should be directed to the fact
that the utilization of sewage for crop
production need not be limited to sew
age l&rms, tor Il very large amount OF
se age now IL and will continue to be
for long time disch rged into streams
and lakes to run to waste. Ii Will
very often happen, particularly in the
case of sewage bearing streams, that
irrigation plants may be 30 placed M
to utilize these impure waters and.
other conditions being equal. those
lads which can he irrigated with this
class of waters will pay the largest in
terest on the money invested. In mr.
rarging, therefore, to take the water
out Of such streams care should be
taken to 30 place the intake below the
city or town that IL may draw upon the
most impure water which passes, It
viii ever be practicable In some cases
10 divert the sewage bearing portion
of the stream to one side ana thus
prevent 1t from becoming noccssarily
diluted before reaching the point
where 1t il to be used.
Next In value to warm sewage
waters stand those which are muddy,
or which carry In suspension u large
amount Of sediment, and there are no
soils upon which such waters Will be
are coarse and sandy, for In these
cases the fine silt will help to improve
the texture and greatly increase the
water-holding power. Aside from
ibis effect OF silt upon sandy lands, the
amount Of fertilihing ingredients
which 1t contains Is very large, and
hence such water Is valuable upon
any land suitable for irrigation. This
being true, II Will often be found de-
sirable to irrigate certain lands In the
winter, and particularly early In the
spring, when the river water Is turbid,
even though the land may already be
saturated with water.
There are very mlny sections of
cnrtry whore the topography If
alll pit and hilly, and particularly
wheI raVires lead through fields,
wforc II would be possible, by sys-
TIN OF lroad. wattlc.like ri iges not
high enough nor abrupt enough to
seriously interfere with tillage To so
check the surface washing OF fields ms
not Crly to prevent outlying, but at
the same time to retain the water and
the fertility which would otherwise
ppfs from the fields into the streams,
While, therefore, the most Impure
vi Il re- are likely 10 prove best for ir.
r,Pation, II Is nevertheless true thct
thu rurest and softest Of waters will
IL found very helpful when usea
uLfe: favorable conditions. There
arc occasionally some natural wlir"s
which are positively injurious VIII N
applied to the land. These usually
Issue from peaty or DOGGY swamps.
The Injurious properties Of these
waters are due to the sulphate Of iron
which they contain.