The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-12-13
IRRIGATION STUDY
BEING PUSHED
Department Experts Exam
ining the Subject

WASHINGTON, DEC. 12.-The growing
importance of irrigation is shown IN the
report of Dr. A. c. True, director Of the
office of experiment stations in which
the irrigation Investigations now being
carried on by the office Of experiment
stations under the immediate supervision
of Prof ElWoud Mead are descrlDed
These Investigations cover practically the
whole of the United States, and zeal with
a large number of important questions
They embrace studies of the laws which
control the ownership ana division or
streams among irrig&tors, measurements
to determine the amount OF water re-
quired to irrigate an acre Of ldnd, Tic
collection of data showing the cost OF
its diversion and application TO crops, and
the value of the products SrcWn by It's
use. They also include investigations OF
the cost of pumping water, tire htud o.
machinery best adapted 10 this purpose,
ana OF the losses from seepasa and Cvap-
oratiOn in the transit of water through
canals and laterals Speaking pt the
progress Of this branch OF The work, tN-
rector True SAYS:
'Pettcr facilities Tor obssc 'ttion ana
moro carahe observers lave lermitced an
eAtecsion on the studies OF the duty 81
water So as TO embrace al entire stream
Those In charge OF the division of rivers
that uluch of the water diverted returns
again; that I'm some places the How of the
! stream sinks in the san0 10 again re-
/ appear on the surface lower down. Each
/ stream has therefore problems OF Its
own, and its behavior, as irrigation eN-
/ tends, must be studied and understood in
/ order that the largest and best use OF its
\ waters may be made Experience has
| shown that not only Is the lana along
one portion of a stream much more val
i liable that another portion, but that It's
/ waters can be made TO irrigate much
larger area in favorable sections than IL
\ unfaVOrable ones are chosen Ihe area
which stream Will irrigate In certain
sections of its course can be doubled or
trebbled in more favorable sections. As
! an illustrations Il may be stated that dur
4 ing the past season, while snake river
/ was dry at one point in its channel az
a point forty miles below 1t contained
over two thousand cubic feet per sec
I ond. The percentage Of the volume OF
water used which returns 20 the channel
| OF the stream helps TO measure the ulti-
mate duty Of water, and In order TO as
I certain this, studies were inaugurated the
1 past season 70 keep a record OF the vol
ume diverted by the different canals along
I an entire river. the volume OF the original
| flow and the total volume which seepaBe
I and percOlatiOn permitted 10 De used
These studies viii not only answer the
| question of how much land the stream
can rrjgate, but win show the locations
where water can be diverted
SUPPLEMENT RAINFALL.
An interesting phase Of this work Is the
| extent TO which irrigation is being used
To supplement rainfall In the humid por-
tons OF the United states. Dr, true 5
report shows that
Of irrigation canals haye peon buiit ana
more money expended for pumping plants
to furnish water for irrigation IN the
state OF Louisiana than I'm any Of the
arid states. The application OF lrrisa-
ton TO growing rice has raised the value
Of large areas OF land from s. 20 $40 an
acre 90 $50 TO 500 an acre, and promises
10 make the United States an exporting
instead Of an importing country so taf
as this product Is converned AZ the re-
quest ~ those interested, Mr. FRANK bong
irrigation expert, has been detailed 20 aid
IN the solution OF the prvoiems created
by this new form Of agriculture alOnB the
Gulf coast, and Mr.. George M. keeneN
Is making similar investigations alonE
the Atlantic seaboard In the Mississippi
valley provision for the experimental use
of water in irrigation was begun IN 1900
! in Wisconsin under the direction OF Prof
H. H. King, and In Misso' III under the
direction Of Prof. H. ]. Wat RS The work
! in New Jersey, inaugurated ,he year pre-
vious has been continued. The severe
drought Of 1901 has given more than To-
cal Interest 20 these Efforts to provide
| "a water supply whenever needed, Tor tbs
lands Of The humid states. TIE director
. OF the Missouri experiment station states
that their irrigation experiments are be-
ing watched hy the farmers Of that stats
, With more interest than any work pre-
yiousy attempted by the station.
RESERVOIRS.
The need OF reservoirs 20 supplement
the natural fow On streams and the pos
Z sibnity of their construction on largt
I scale hy the general government. give.
I 70 the measurements 0f sediment ane
the studies of ita character and Interest
I a. CONGRESS as well as farmers direct
/, y anccted. These studies have been car
ried on by Prof J. e. Nage. OF the agri
cultural college OF Texas The amount 81
solid matter carried in water used IA lr
rigation can not but have an importoni