Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-17
SECRETARY WILSON
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF AGR1-
CULTURE MADE ADDRESS.
Senator Newlands Of Nevada Spoke on
State Cooperation With Ma
tional Irrigation.

There was no abatement of the enthusi-
asm which has thus far been feature OF
the congress. and the auditorium was at
an early hour crowded with delegates ana
interested visitors.
Only those living here or coming into di-
rect contact with the people whose for
tunes depend so largely upon regular
supply of water for their lands can fully
appreciate the intense interest that is felt
all over the dry belt of the west in irIiga-
ton and possible legislation touching It,
Everybody is an "irrigationist' and moth
ing else occupies the attention of this city
at this time.
the congress in a speech which was receiv-
ed with great enthusiasm, his words lend
ing the hope that the next Congress would
take even a greater interest IN the subject
under discussion than did the past Ills re-
marks were principally devoted to state CO.
operation with national irrigation
Practical illustrations of what irrigation
will do for western land were set before the
delegates. Government experts in forestry
and irrigation read papers, and Secretary
Wilson gave comprehensive outline or
what the Department of Agriculture had
done and was doing In the cause. His re-
marks were as follows:
Secretary Wilson's Speech.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson took as
his subject Irrigation Investigations Made
by the United States Department OF Agri-
CULTURE" He said in part:
The outstanding of our waters that go
to 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
fuences combined would have failed to Sc
cure the legislation. 1t was wise move
ment 1t will result in making homes for
millions more people 1t VIII make mar
kets for manufactures and business for
commerce. 1t will help to balance on the
growth Of our cities. 1t will result in
producing the hundred million dollars worth
of sugar we now buy abroad. 1t Will 90
all this and much more, and still leave
large areas that cannot be irrigated.
THE principal object of this congress
In the past has been the securing OF gov
eminent aid in the building 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 optlmlstc
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 reclaimed In such situa-
ton there are two things which may be
done to increase the area which can be
reclaimed: One is to increase the water
supply; the other is to make a better use
of what we have. The work of the Agri-
cultural Department authorized by Con-
gress 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. to-
gether with a general statement of what
we are doing to realize from them.
System Of Work.
up to the present time large part of
the field work of the department has been
measuring the quantities of water used in
irrigation. Measurements have been made
at the heads of canals, at the heads of
laterals. and al the margins of fields The
great differences between the quantities d.
verified by some canals and the quantities
delivered to farmers by them led to a Sc
ries of measurements to find out where the
water taken from the streams but not O.
livered to farmers went. Such measure
ments made up to and including the sea-
son of 1901, show that canals on an aver
age lose g. 10 per cent of the water enter
ing them In each mile of their length, some
small canals losing IN a single mile as high
as GA per cent of the water diverted by
them. The general average of the volume
lost by canals in their entire length Is
usually given one-third of the volume
diverted although our measurements would
Indicate that it is even greater. The saw
ing of these losses from canals means an
increase OF at least third in the area
which 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 meas
urements locate these sections. 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 measurements show an
other fact: The percentage OF losses rom
small canals is much greater than that
from large canals. Averages OF our meas
urements show that:
Canals carrying 100 cubic feet per sec
ond or more lose 90 per cent per mile.
10 10.
feet per second lose 267 per cent per mile.
Canals carrying from % to 80 cubic feet
per second lose 5.22 per cent per mile
Canals carrying less than % cubic feet
per second lose 7.4s per cent per mile.
These figures show that the percentage
of loss from small canals Is more than
seven times that from large canals Great
saving can. therefore. be made by running
water in large canals rather than In
larger number of small ones.
Various experiments have been made in
lining bitches to prevent loss, and the de-
partment IL collecting all available Informal
ton on this subject. The problem is not to
find a means of conveying water without
loss but to find a cheap means of doing
this Where the corps raised VIII JUSTIFY
the expense the loss can be stopped. but
the expense is too heavy for ordinary crops.
or al least has been considered so. AS the
demand for water becomes greater larger
expense will be justified. But what is need
ed is a cheap but effective means of stop
ping the losses from canals We are work.
ing this problem. Its solution means,
as has been shown. an addition Of at least
one-third to the area which can be re-
claimed.
Farmers Are Extravagant
1.-The estimate that farmers using
twice as much water as is necessary Is
based on the measurements previously re-
ferred to, which show that some farmers
use from five to ten times as much as
others. But are not stopping with this
study of what is being done. We are carry
ing on experiments to get at the actual
necessities of different crops under different
conditions. To establish the minimum
quantities which must be supplied to
plants we are making determinations of the
quantities of water actually used in the
processes of growth. To these quantities
must be added enough to supply the losses
which are unavoidable under field condi-
tons. These losses will vary with different
soils and with different methods OF cultiva-
ton. but 1t is believed that an approximate
duty can be scientifically determined in this
way. We are attacking the same problem
from the other direction. Fields similar In
other respects are being served with differ
ent quantities of water to determine what
quantities give the best results. This work
has not gone far enough to justify conclu-
sionS. but there Is every reason to believe