Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-09-13

likely to be irrigated from streams,
reservoirs and wells will not ex-
coed, we believe, 6,000,0 900 acres.
On account of the limitations of the
water supply, the short period of
vegetable growth, and the long
distances between many of the ir-
rigated tracts and the nearest riv-
ers, only a small part of the arabic
land Of Montana can ever be irri-
gated. This estimate of total of
5000, 900 acres is based on an ave-
rage duty of water of two acre-feet
per annum. The average use of
water in that state is now over
four acre-feet, and if no improve
ments il the use of water are
brought about the limit will be
reached when 5000, 900 acres are
irrigated. This shows what the
ultimate difference in one of the
western states will be between a
low and high duty. 1t is the diff
ference between 3, 900, 600 irrigated
acres and 5000, 900 acres. 1t is
the difference between a total
yearly revene from irrigated agri-
culture of S45, 900, 900 and 500, =
O0O,0
Finally, the excessive use of
water on irrigated lands water-logs
the soil in low lying places, brings
up alkali and creates disease. Near
ly every irrigated district in the
west has its abandoned farms,
which have been rendered nom
productive by an excessive use Of
water. Alfalfa fields which were
at one time worth 500 per acre,
vineyards which sold readily for
$3.50 per acre, and groves that gave
large dividends on a valuation of
$1,000 per acre, may now be pur-
chased for from $40 to $50 per
acre. The accumulation of seep-
age waters caused by over-irriga-
ton and leaky bitches, with all the
accompanying evils, has already
damaged about 10 per cent of the
irrigated lands of the west.
BY beginning with the losses
which take place on the irrigated
field and tracing other losses back
through a network of bitches and
canals to the source of supply,
hope to convince you that for every
four gallons taken from the stream
little more than one gallon sub
serves useful purpose in nourish-
ing crops.
You will admit, l believe, that
water is more skillfully applied
and more economically used in
southern California than in any
other portion of the west, and per-
haps of the world The office of
experiment stations at Washing
ton is now printing some results
of experiments in evaporation
losses conducted last year in the
vicinity of Riverside, California.
We selected for our investigation
the lands under the Gage canal,
which irrigated last year $500 acres
of'orange and lemon orchards, and
we chose for our experiments
some of the most skillfully irrigat-
ed tracts in that large area.
| may say in passing, that the
average duty of water on the or
chards under the Gage canal for
the past seven years has been rs
inches and the irrigation water
combined with the rainfall has
averaged 33B inches. This means
that these orange and lemon trees
have been kept growing continu,
ously the year round on an amount
of water less than the rainfall Of
Iowa.
Regarding the evaporation loss
es, it was shown that heavily ir-
rigated orchard soil lost by evap'
Grafton at the rate of over foul
inches per week, that a soil tina
was fairly moist on the surface anc
in good condition for crop growth
lost about one inch per week, while
a dry soil lost only one-fourth o
an inch per week.
The great waste of water caused
by uneven and rough surfaces anC
careless application are too common
to call for any extended remarks
Then, too, some irrigators are s,
! generous that they have always
water to spare. They give the
county roads a good soaking every
time they irrigate the bordering
fields. One can't find fault witt
the irrigator for working only II
hours day, but, unfortunately
while he is sleeping or resting, tn
water is usually running to waste
Lack of constant attention may