Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-12-21
IRRIGATION
EXPERIMENTS At
MEs|LLA PARK
Interesting Investigation oil
Soils Being Made For Practi-
cal Benefit Of Irrigating Far
merS of the Territory

The subject of irrigation. and
proper. scientific irrigation was never
more alive in New Mexico than it Is
TODAY and the following bulletin from
B. p. Fleming. of the agricultural eS-
pertinent station at Mesilla Park is of
interest:
As the years and seasons pass il
becomes increasingly evident that ir-
r~lgation practice, like other features
of agricultural work, is taking on
more and more of the characteristic,
of an art based on an exact science.
Irrigation farmers everywhere are ar
irving at the conclusion, or are being
forced by circumstances to accept thu
idea that reasonable economy and
considerable care in the distribution
and use of water is not only sound
business common sense, but from the
agricultural standpoint is the practice
least likely to injure the soil and most
likely to secure a profitable crop. II
Is but rarely nowadays that we find
men applying five and six-acre feet or
water to their crops yearly in order
TO produce only an average yield, and
the farmer now who boasts of doins
his irrigation on horseback is gener-
ally regarded as a probably early
cause for foreclosure proceedings on
the part of his mortgage. This
change of practice is undoubtedly due
very largely to the increasing scarcity
and value of water resulting from a
large increase in the number of ir-
figators and to a wide extension of
the irrigated area. 1t is also TO a not
inconsiderable extent, due to the in
crease ON the part of the farmer of
correct or more profitable irrigation
practice. Much, however, remains TO
be learned, even by the best Informed.
When a man inStafls a pumping plant
for instance, whether it be a wind
mill or a steam or gasoline engine
plant, he Is very DESTROYS of knowing
how much land he should attempt 20
iTrigate. In other words. he asks,
FLOW frequently shall l irrigate my
crop and with how much water to
make the biggest and best use of my
pumping plant. but the same time feei
assured that the crop will not suffer
from too sparing a use of water"
In their trips throughout the agri-
cultural sections of h territory, the
Farmers institute workers of the sta
ton are very often confronted by this
question, But it Is one of which they
are at present but little prepared TO
give a definite or satisfactory answer.
The Importance of the problem sug-
gested by such a question cannot be
Over-estimated when 1t Is considered
that there Is a vast amount of excel
lent Ian in both the Rio Grande and
Pecos valleys which lies above tho
present irrigation systems, but which
II should be possible to irrigate from
underground water sources II the sup-
ply available could be made to cover
an area sufficient to Justify, from a
business standpoint the more or less
expensive means necessary to secure
the water. For many years the New
Mexico experiment station has been
carrying on Investigations, having as
their end the determination Of the
most favorable amount of water to
apply under the climatic and soil con-
ditions prevailing in the Rio Grande
valley particularly upon the adobe
soils adjacent to the river. Much has
been learned concerning the behavior
} of crops and the amount of water re
duiTed under such conditions and II IL
now proposed to extend the work so
as to make 1t applicable to soils other
thar those heretofore used.
with his end in view Investigations
have been started upon those mesa
soils lying above the present irriga-
ton systems, because of their location
probably will not be covered by the
proposed extension of these systems
Such soils are betteg adapted for ir-
~rigation and for the growing OF varl-
Gus special crops han those lying
along the river bottom. 1t Is proposed
to attack the question, known gener-
ally as THE Duty Of Water, from
the soil and soil moisture standpoint
carrying along with the comparison
of Yields under various irrigation
schemes, a parallel study of the dis
tribution and movement Of soil mois-
fure 10 determine how effective Is the
particular method of irrigation used
Such an investigation will yield results
less dependent upon the local con-
ditions thar work of "A similar nature
A-..at....I.u a.wwgV -. .. NIhtrh Tim I
criticism a be justly applied, that
the results are only applicable To the
certain special climatic and soil o
ditions existant in the locality. ~ -
hoped therefore, that the work o
proposed will yield Information WhlcI,
can be applied to a variety of soil ana
climatic conditions so that the WORK
will be of value not only to the RIO
Grande valley but to other sections OF
the territory.
In order to irrigate the mesa lane
upon which the experiments are To bc
carried out an expensive pumping
plant Is being constructed. This con
sists OF an open concrete lined pit ~
feet deep in the bottom Of which
driven wells are sunk to a further
depth Of 80 feet into water bearing
q~uicksand. a 2-step centrifugal pump
n the high efficiency type VIII be
placed at the bottom OF the pit and
VIII be uilNen tnEoukn Ntltitai Nlt"i'
ing by a steam engine at the surface
The water Is conducted To the tract 80
be irrigated by piping and Is there dis
tributed by a system Of fluming %
sewer tile patterned after the systems
used by individuals very lafgti.
throughout the Riverside district ol
California. Everything H. being iald
out with a view Of making results.
when secured. absolutely reliable. 50
that an possible doubts as 90 the ac-
coracy Of the mechanical side Of the
work viii be- eliminated. Experiment
al irrigation work viii be CONF
menced at the beginning Of the neNl
Irrigation season and meanNhHe sou
and soil moisture Investigations upon
the tract are being carried fsrward s."
that when the water T. actually aP
piled some knowledge vii he a or
the character and condition ~ lhe
water. The whole investigation forms