Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1906-08-09
REPORT ON OREGON.
Irrigation Expert lnvestigates
Practices In Oregon.

1HHlg0IOn Export lnVest18OSe
Practices In Oregon.
Washington, Aug. S. Oregon fa
mevs. who resort to irrigation. will
deeply interested in 30-page circul'
just issued by the Department of Ayr
culture. entitled Investigations OF l
rigation Practice in Oregon" The booi
lot is written by A. P. Stover, irriga
ton engineer. who epent last season !
Oregon, making Study of irrigation 4
it is prscticed. 80 as to fnd out th
errors that h.ve been msde and gxthe
data which would be helpful in instruct
ing the ifrieators how to avoid the NIT
takes of the past. The report 10 nc
az comprehensive % might DO dc
sired, but contains great many val
liable suggestions and is worth tho pei
usal Of every farmer who 10 obliged t.
sstificia lly water bis lsnds.
Mr.. Slower made . study of the pre-
cipitation In various parts Of the state
and to limited extent gathered data OF
the discharge OF the principal stresml
that can be utilized for irrigation. HI
states. In opening bis report, that the
greater part of the arabic land Of Oregon
lies 10 the arid section and can be
brought under intensive cultivation only
by irrigation. He found that tho low
water flow Of most OF the streams Of
Eastern Oregon has already been ap-
propristed for private irrigation, but ~
vet practically no steps have been taken
to conserve the winter floods.
He fiuds thst little Of tho water now
being diverted 10 ussd economically, 90
that there is . large supply for future
development. Mr. Slower 10 not con-
nected with the Governemnt Recla-
nation Service. and his studies have no
reference to Government projects. In
deed. while he made Investigations in
the very country where the Government
is about to build the Umatilla project.
he makes no mention of that work.
though he comments on private irriRa-
ton that is to be brought under the
Government system.
Because Of it's comparatively low ele,
vation and consequeos mild climAtS.
Mr.. stoyer says that Northeastern Ore
gon has advantages over the southeast.
Tho investigation made last Summer
were confined to tho Umatilia country,
Crook County and the klamath region.
F. l.. Kent Of the Oregon Experiment
Station beiog in charge of ths latter
work, and E. Nelson In Crook County.
Mr.. Slower himself went to the Una.
tilla Valley.
Mr.. Slower embodies in his report
suggestions about removing
sage brush from the virgin land, and
evelinR the land preparatory to con-
'tructing the bitches. He explains the
different methods Of applying water to
he lands, viz. by flooding, by small
urrows and by system Of checks, the
particular uslues of the respective
being fully set forth.
The practice Of Winter irrigation,
low practiced along the Umatills River.
9 described. and the value OF this prac-
ice is indicated. II is shown that these
J matilda lands. under the Maxwell
loodw ater canals yield a net profit Of
"a an acre, when planted in alfalfa. 1t
GEMS that the Umatills Valley. how
ver, is exceptionally we'll adapted for
his sort of irrigation. because OF the
Unusual formation of tho soil and the
Underlying bedrock. Few localities will
'e found where winter irrigation will be
g successful. On Butter Creek. where
Winter irrigation has reached the high
st stage of perfection fruits are success
nlly grown by combining the principles
Winter irrigation and dry farming.
Several pages are devoted to a detail
escription of irrigation canals along
he Deschutes River, which have been
, operation for the past few years. and
lso of the Maxwell and Irrigon canals
, the Umatills country. For some
eason there is nothing in the report
caring directly on private irrigation in
ne Klamath country. The report,
owever, contains something Of interest
o all irrigators. and will he furnished
y the department. upon application.