Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-11-01
Scientific Studies
In irrigation
Bulletin No. 50 Of New Mexico
Experiment Station Dealing
With Problems Of Practical
Interest


ton problems its chief line Of work;
and among other problems. Is study
Ing the most economical amount OF
water necessary for the production of
crops.
There are three directions In which
even an approximation to the least
amount Of water necessary for pro-
ducing a full crop would prove very
valuable.
The first Is in pumping. Here,
each inch OF water added above what
Ii absolutely necessary, increases ma
terially the cost Of producing the
crop. Whether the crop Is produced
at a profit or a loss may depend on
the use OF a few inches OF water more
than Is absolutely necessary.
The second Is In estimating the size
OF a storage reservoir for the irriga-
tion OF a given area; or the area
which a be irrigated from a reser-
volr OF given size. In either cas
each acre-foot OF water can only irri-
gate a certain area Of land; and II a
third more water than necessary Ia
used then the area which can be irri-
gated from the reservoir will be de-
creased one third.
The third Is In enabling us to econ
omlze In the use Of the water of our
present canal systems. There Ia
scarcely an irrigation system In New
Mexico, or anywhere else, where
there Is not more land that can be
easily reached. than there Is water
for, under the present methods Of IT.
rlgation. II the amount of water
used could be materially decreased
without decreasing the crop yield. It
would then be possible to increase
the acreage under cultivation In that
locality.
In many places, In other states. the
people have found that they can do
with very much less water than they
formerly thought was possible; and
such a thing may some day happen in
New Mexico.
Not only would a more economical
use OF water permit the enlargement
Of the cultivated area, but It would
save the man who has located on
low land from being damaged by the
seepage from the excess OF water
used By his neighbors above. Much
OF the alkali In the irrigated districts
IL due to the waste Of water. either
from over irrigation or from leaky
bitches.
Tho experiment station Is expert
menting on wheat and alfalfa. This
year, one Of the principal objects In
the wheat experiments was to find
out whether different amounts of
water applied after the wheat began
TO head had any marked effect on the
yield, and IL so, which amount was
most economical.
One set OF six plats was irrigated
once a week after heading. received
30 acre-inches Of water per acre in.
seven irrigations. and gave an aver.
& yield Of is bushel per acre; an.
other was irrigated once In two
weeks after heading. received 20 acre.
inches per acre In five %irrigations.
and yielded 1866 bushels per acre. a
third was irrigated once In three
weeks after heading. received 25
acre-inches per acre In four irriga-
lions, and yielded 1871 bushels per
acre: and a fourth set consisting of
two piata received is acfe-inches Per
acre In three irrigatlons, and yielded
JOG bushels per acre. All OF the
plats received an irrigation at sowing.
another In April and the third the
middle Of May when the wheat be.
gan TO head.
From these results we would infer
thai Is acre.lnches was no enough;
and as the 10 aere-inches over Is.
only gave 3 bushels OF wheat more,
II would seem that 25 a~creinches
was the most economical mounr
used.
II Is only by repeating sueh exper.
iments year after year that we viii
finally learn just what amount to
use.
After heading. the set OF plats In.
rigated once a week received usually
4 acre-inches Of water each week
but they gradually lost in the mois
ture content Of the first six feet Of
soil until the wheat was cut.
Practically none Of the Sc acre
inches applied penetrated below the
fifth foot.
The detailed results OF these exper
inenis viii soon be Published IA a
statiAl bulletin.
The results Of the experiments with