The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-09-18

without carbOnaceOus matter that is
introduced by the growth Of the plant
and exhausted by continuous Guilt
walton I'm most soils.
Nature gives us various problems
10 consider. Heavy rainfalls wash
away vegetable Erowths from up
lands and bring sterility. Light rain
falls fail to give sufficient moisture.
which is the carrying system for the
plant Research By the scientist
prevents washing i'm one case and
develops deeper roofing plants in the
other, as well as methods of cult
walton suited to each.
Object of Congress.
THE principal object Of this con-
gress IN the past has been the secur-
ing Of government aid I'm the build
ing of irrigation works so that the
greatest possible area of the arid
lands of the west might be brought
under cultivation That object has
been attained. but the most optimistic
friend of irrigation admits that when
all the available sources Of water
shall have been put to use, either by
public or private works, only a small
fraction Of the arid lands can be re-
claimed. In such a situation there
are two things which may be done to
increase the area which can be re-
claimed; One is to increase the wa
ter supply; the other is TO make a
better use Of what we have. The
work Of the agricultural department.
as authorized by congress, is along
the latter line. Some of the posi-
biHtles along this line which have
been suggested by our work up to
the present time Will be here pre-
-nnfnd nor- % oil CT 70
ment of what we are doing to realize
them.
up to the present time a large part
Of the field work of this department
has been measuring the quantities of
water used in irrigation. Measure
ments have been made at the heads
of canals. at the heads of laterals
and at the margins of fields The
great differences between the quanti-
ties diverted by some canals and the
quantities delivered to farmers by
them, led to a series of measure
ments to find out where the water
taken from the streams but not de-
livered to farmers went. Such meas
urements made up 20 and including
the season of 1901 show that canals
on an average lose 6-75 per cent Of
the water entering them in each
mile of their length, some small
canals losing in a single mile as high
as 81 per cent of the water diverted
by them. The general average Of the
volume lost by canals in their entire
length is usually given as One-third
Of the volume diverted. although our
measurements would indicate that it
is even greater. The saving Of these
losses from canals means an increase
Of at least a third i'm the area which
can ultimately be reclaimed. The
measurements made show that in
many canals the larger part OF the
losses occur in short sections Of the
canals, and the measurements locate
these conditions. Where this is the
case, the losses can be stopped by
lining the canals or putting in fumes
for these short distances where the
losses are greatest. The measure
ments show another fact: The per
centage Of losses from small canals
are much greater than those from
large canals. Averages of our meas
urements show that:
What the Figures Show.
Canals carrying 100 cubic feet per
second or more lose IS per cent per
mile.
Canals carrying from fifty to 100
cubic feet per second lose 2.67 per
cent per mile.
Canals carrying from twenty-five
to fifty cubic feet per second lose
80 per cent per mile.
Canals carrying less than TWEEN
ty-five cubic feet per second lose as
per cent per mile.
These figures show that the per
centage of loss from small canals is
more than seven times that from
large canals. Great savings can.
therefore, be made by running water
in large canals rather than FIN a
larger number Of small ones.
Various experiments have been
made in lining bitches to prevent
loss, and the department is collect
irg all available information on this
subject The problem is not to find
n means Of conveying water without
loss. but to find a cheap means OF
doing this. Where the crops raised