Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-07
ARID FARMING,

Utah embraces an area OF $3.50
square miles OF which there are 93S
square miles under irrigation. II is prob
able that with the extension Of the
canals the storage Of water In res
eryolrs and the more economical use
Of water that this area can be doubled,
perhaps trebled. Even with the most
optimistic views regarding the increased
area which can be brought under irrl-
CATION there viii still be sixty 10
seventy thousand square miles, OF
which probably one half Is mountain
land. which can be used wisely for
grazing. There remains, then, over ~
million acres Of desert land soils
which ire among the most fertile in tho
world and 1t Is these desert lands
which constitute the great undevelop-
cd resource Of this state. There are a
number Of people IN this state who
believe that these deserts can be
brought into successful cultlyatlon,-
can be made to produce profitable
crops. The method by which this Is
done IL not a mystery but simply the
application OF simple scientific truths
TO cultivation OF soil, the selection OF
seed and method of planting,
II has been demonstrated by a
number Of different investigators that
TO produce one pound Of dry plant SUBJ
stance without irrigation requires
about $50 pounds OF water and that TO
produce one bushel OF wheat, approXi-
mately fifty tons OF water are required
II ten bushels Of wheat are grown per
acre, according TO these estimates, ilve
hundred tons OF water will be required
II is very difficult to realize that ten
bushels Of wheat require In It's produc-
ton, n million pounds OF water yet
scientists assure us that this Is really
the case. II Is a mystery no longer
however, when we make some calculn-
tons and discover that our annual pre-
clpltatlon Of ten inches means 1861 tons
or over two and a half million pounds
Of water or more than two and halt
times as much as Is necessary for ten
bushels Of wheat, II all OF this water
could be retained In the soil, we would
have enough to produce 81 bushels OF
wheat every year. OF course much
water is lost by evaporation when
crops are not growing, but where the
field is allowed 10 lie fallow for ono
season, and proper methods are adopt
ed for the conservation Of the moisture
IL Is reasonable to suppose that AT
east one-half OF the precipitation can
be retained for the use Of the crop.
THE RAINFALL OF UTAH,
The rainfall OF Utah averages
about 10 inches. II varies from
to 20 inches, but most Of the
20 million acres OF desert land preyi-
ously referred to receives an annual
precipitation OF at least IL inches, Have
you ever thought Of what II would
mean TO Utah, II the young men, native
sons Of Utah, who have reclaimed the
deserts OF Idaho, Wyoming and Canada,
had put the same energy and EFFORT into
retaining the deserts OF our own statei
20 million acres, each one producing 20
bushels of wheat every year Is a pos
slblnty dependent only upon the faith
and enterprise OF the young men Of
Utah.
lnese are not the vaporings Of "
dreamer. but actual conditions and the
fact that large crops can be pro-
duced has been amply demonstrated
during the past year. There is no rea,
son Why there should not be 10000
more farms, 10000 more prosperous
farmers on lands which are now waste
deserts.