Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-17
SECY. WILSON'S
GREAT SPEECH.
Tells What the Department of
Agriculture Has Done for
Irrigation.
He GIVES FACTS AND FIGURES.
Experiments Caused by the Great
Drought Of IOoI--Crops for
Alkali Soils.

Alkali Soils.
Secretary OF Agriculture Wilson took 40
his subject Irrigation Investigations
Made by the United States Department
OF Agriculture" lie said IN part;
1.-THE outstanding Of our waters that go
20 waste when the snow melts In the
mountains, through government agencies,
Is a new departure for which we may
thank President Roosevelt. All other IN
tiuonces combined would have failed to
secure the legislation, IL was "a wise
movement II viii result IN making homes
for millions more people 1t viii make
markets for manufactures ana business
for commerce. II will help 70 balance of
the growth Of our cities. 1t viii result
In producing the hundred million dollars
worth OF sugar We now buy abroad. II
will do all this and much more, and stu
leave large areas that cannot be irrigated.
OBJECT or THIS CONGRESS.
"The principal object Of this congress In
the past has been the securing Of govern
ment aid In the building OF irrigation
works so that the greatest possible area
Of the arid lands VI the west might be
brought under cultivation. That object
has been attained but the most optimib-
tic friend Of irrigation admits that when
all the available sources Of water shall
lave been put to use, either by public or
Iriyatc works, only small fraction 81
the arid lands can be reclaimed. In such
n situation there are two things which
may be done TO Increase the area which
can De rcclaimed one Is. to Increase the
water supply; the other Is to make "a bet.
ter use OF what we have The work Of
the agricultural department as authorized
by Congress, Is along the latter line. Some
of the possibilities along this line which
have been suggested by our work UP to
the present time will be here presented,
together with a general statement of what
We are doing to realize them.
FIELD WORK.
up to the present time large part of
the field work Of the department has been
measuring the quantities Of water used 4
irrigation Measurements have been
made at the heads of canals, at the
heads Of laterals, and at the mrgins OF
fields The great differences between the
quantities diverted by some canals and
the quantities dellverd to farmers by
them, led to a series Of measurements 20
find out whore the water taken from the
streams but not delivered to farmers
{. Such measurements made up to
o Including the season Of 1901 show
that canals on an average lose 615 per
cent Of The water entering them at each
mile Of their length, some small canals
losing IN 9 single mile ~ high as g. 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 oue-third OF the volume diverted,
Sats tSat i YR Ga saH na'
or these losses from canals means an in.
crease of at least n third In 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 tho
measurements locate these sections.
Where this is the case, the losses can be
stoppd by lining the canals or putting In
fumes for these short distances where the
losses are greatest The measurements
show anothr fact: The percentage Of
losses from small canals is much greater
that that from large canals. Averages
Of our measurements show that:
PERCENTAGE OF LOSS,
Canals carrying 100 cubic feet per sec
ond or more lose .9S per cent per mile,
Canals carrying from 30 to 100 cubic
feet per second lost 2.6I per cent per mile
Canals carrying from rs to 80 cubic feet
per second lose b.2 per cent per mile.
Canals carrying less than q cubic feet
per second lose 7.iS per cent per mile
These figures show that the percentage
OF loss from small canals IL more than
seven times that from large canals, Great
saving can, therefore, be made by run
ming water In large canals rather than III
larger number OF smll ones.
In lining bitches 10 prevent loss, and the
department Is collecting all available in
formation on this subject. The problem
Is not to find means OF conveying water
without loss. but to find a cheap means
OF doing this. Where the crops raised will
Justify the expense, the loss can be
stopped, but the expense IL too heavy for
ordinary crops, or at least has been con-
sidered So As the demand for water be-
comes greater, larger expense Will be JUS
tihd But what is needed Is canals We
are working on this problem, Its solution
means, az has been shown, an addition OF
at least One-thlrd 10 the area which can
be reclaimed.
LOSSES FROM LATERALs.
"The losses from laterals have been
shown TO be nearly II not quite as great
as those from bitches. We are studying
methods Of constructing laterals and Of
making them more economical carriers OF
water. All the field agents Of the irrign-
tlon Investigations have been instructed
To study the practise Of the best farmers
ports from an these agents win be digest
ed and combined and published In the
form OF farmers bulletin. Experiments
looking to the same end are being carried
on. As with canals, the question OF saw
ing the losses from laterals Is a question
Of expense, and what We are looking for
10 some cheap check on these losses the
saving OF which means the addition OF
another third to the reclaimed area,
SAVING IN USE.
"Great as are the possibilities OF saving
BY stopping the losses from canals and
lnterals, they are not so great as the pos
slbiliues OF saving In use. Our measure
ments OF the quantities actually used by
farmers show that some use from Ave TO
ten times as much water as others who
are raising the same crops under similar
conditions. and who secure equally good
If not better returns. There is no way OF
telling what proportion Of farmers use
too much water, but the measurements
referred 10 seem TO Justify the estimate
that on an average farmers use at least
twice as much water as is necessary un.
der present conditions. Ii this saving can
be made, Il means doubling OF the area
which can be reclaimed and that with
little expense to anyone, since most canals
cover much more land than they now
supply with water The department can
OF course, do nothing To- enforce economy
In use. II can only point out the fact
that equally good returns from the land
now irrigated can be secured with half
tho water, In the hope that self-ntcrest
Will induce farmers 20 use the smaller
quantities, one method has however,
been suggested by our Investigations.
That ~, TO base charges for water on
the quantities used rather than ON the
acreage irrigated. A report from New
Mexico shows that farmers who paid ac-
Cordlng to the quantities they received
used 2 per cent less water than others
under the same canal who paid flat rate
per acre, and used what they wanted. a
similar test IN Idaho showed that those
who paid for the quantities received used
~ per cent less than those paving tho
acreage rate-an average for the two Sec
tons OF p per cent. A large majority OF
farmers receive water from ditch COM
panles OF some kind and whenever they
DO this means ut inducing economy is
available, But most farmers use these
excessive quantities OF water In the belief
that II IL necessary 10 DO so. The depnrt-
ment. therefore has a large opportunity
Lor usefulness In showing them the bene-
hts OF more economical use.
USE MORE THAN NEcrseApv