The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-26

the courts, whose duty it is to de-
termine exactly what the law is,
largely regardless of it's consequences,
but from the standpoint of the farm
ers, to see whether the privileges
accorded to them and the limitations
placed upon them tend to promote
their prosperity; and from the stand
point of the nation, to determine
whether the laws as they are pro-
mote the largest and best use of our
water supply. If they fail in either
of these objects, it is our work to
find the cause and recommend the
changes which are needed.
But not all the limitations upon
the. use of water by farmers are con-
tained in the laws. Farmers are
united either as purchasers of rights
from canal companies or as mem
bers of stock companies, and they are
controlled fully as much by the terms
of their water-right contracts or the
articles of Incorporation and the by
laws of their stock companies as they
are by the laws. There are also local
customs which have all the force of
laws. These rules, whether pre-
scribed by contracts, by bylaws or
by custom, have a very marked inf1u-
ence on the well being of the farmers
who are subject to them We are
studying these institutions to deter
mine which are good and therefore
worthy to be retained, and which
should be done away with. Both the
laws and institutions are very largely
beyond the influence of the individual
farmer. He has no choice but to COM
ply with their requirements. We,
therefore. owe it to him to make
these conditions what they should be.
'All the practical details of irriga-
ton farming are also being studied
for the purpose of giving to farmers
the benefits of the experience of all
others. These studies include methods
of preparing land for irrigation;
methods of locating and constructing
laterals. and of making the small
structures needed in applying water
to crops.
Methods Being Studied.
Eve are studying methods of apply
ing water to crops to determine which
are the most economical of labor and
water, which produce the best results
in crops and in the condition of the
soil. Our experiments to determine
what quantities of water produce the
largest returns have already been
mentioned.
Experiments in this country and
elsewhere have shown that the stage
of the growth of the plant at which
water is applied has a great deal to
do with the crop produced. The ex-
periments show that water applied to
grain crops at certain stages tend
to make them produce larger rela-
ffvyo -,
erwise would; water applied at other
stages tends to increase the produc-
tion of seed Water applied to root
crops at certain stages makes them
run to tops, and at other stages it
goes to enlarge the roots. The time
of applying water to beets affects
their sugar contents, and water ap-
piled to potatoes at the wrong time
may ruin the crop. All these things
are well known in general way, but
they are merely suggestive of the pos.
sibilities of a careful, scientific study
of the methods and times of apply
ing water to crops.
1T may be possible that regulating
the time of applying water to crops
and the amounts applied will be found |
to be one of the greatest agents in
undesirable qualities and
perpetuating valuable ones in all our
crops raised under irrigation. The
possibilities along this line are un-
limited, as they are along all lines of
agricultural practice.
Farmers cannot, as rule, make
these experiments for the improve
ments of the crops themselves. They
lre dependent upon the returns from
heir fields for their living, and must
therefore stick to methods and to
,rops which have proven to be sue
sessful. Progress in agriculture, both
n the arid region and elsewhere.
must depend very largely upon the
work of the government in testing
lew ideas and introducing those
which prove beneficial.
Not the West Alone.
''The work just outlined applies to
hat part of the country where irri-
,ation is necessary to profitable
But irrigation is not con-
ined to the west. In the east it is
cming to be looked upon in the same