Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-09
EXPERT WRITES ON VALUE
OF UNIVERSITY FARM
IRRIGATION is TOPIC OF SAMUEL
FoRTlER
Man Prominent in Work Of Depart
ment of Agriculture Contributes to
Discussion at Farmers Insti-
tute at Davis

| BERKELEY, Nov. 8-One of the most
notable addresses at the State Farmers
Institute at Davis was written by Samuel
Fortier, choef Of irrigation Investigations
| of the United States department of agri-
culture upon What the University Farm
Can Can Do for Irrigation" In the
absence of Mr.. Fortier the address was
read by j. E. Roadhouse of the univef~
sity, who said in part:
| What can such farm do for 1rriga-
zion? If properly equipped and managed
| 1t will have high educational
to illustrate irrigation practice and
particular tracts are now being set
apart for the purpose of demonstrating
standard methods of preparing land and
applying water. In addition to the graded
fields water channels, measuring devices
and irrigation structures of the farm, the
plan contemplates the erection In the near
future of a commodious rural engineer
ing building. Here will be installed the
best appliances for the measurement ana
division of irrigation water known to 1rrl-
CATION engineers throughout the world;
the installation and operation OF pump
ing plant and the storage of water IN an
elevated tank will give students an oppor-
tunity to learn how to operate and repair
gasoline engines, while the stored water
in an elevated tank will afford an ex-
celIent opportunity to study and observe
the action of water under pressure as 1t
ma sses through orifices and closed chan
nels.
Drafting Rooms
''This rural engineering building Is to
contain carpentry and blacksmith shops'
as we'll as drafting rooms for the designs
and drawings of ordinary farm structures,
such as fence gates, bridges headgates'
sheds, barns and dwellings.
another division of the rural engineer
ing building is to be devoted to farm i'm
Elements and farm machinery of the most
approved types. Students will be taught
how to erect handle, repair and care for
such machinery They will also be re-
ouired to study the good and bad features
of each and to determine their relative
efficiency.
"Still another division of the engineering
building is to be devoted to road building
the making and laying of cement and
concrete structures and the application of
crude oils to road and irrigation canal
surfaces.
This brief outline conveys some idea
of the scope and rural engineering and
equipment necessary to give farmers
boys a practical knowledge of the subject
The name rural rather than irrigation
resason that the former is broad enough
to include all kinds of agricultural ea-
gineering and farm surveying.
To Teach Surveying
'If boy can be taught how to use sur"
veying instruments how to locate and
build farm bitches and prepare land for
irrigation, how to measure and divide
water how to run a gasoline engine, now
tn build good roads, how to operate and
care for farm machinery and now to de-
sign and erect ordinary structures, ne
has acquired much of the experience ana
skill necessary for the twentieth century
California farmer.
SIN concluding this brief outline permit
me to state that the leading institutions
of California have been slow to recignize
the Importance of irrigation. During the
mast quarter of a century the California
experiment station has issued 100 bulletins
on agricultural topics but with the excep-
ton of analyzing soils and waters only
three treat of irrigation, and one OF these
gives the results of experiments obtained
in co-operation with the United States de-
partment of agriculture. This is true
index of how the subject has been re-
garded by the agricultural leaders OF the
state. 1t is likewise an index of the
percentage Of the available funds which
have been devoted to irrigation.
ITO President Wheeler is due the credit
of introducing a change of policy Six
years ago he established an irrigation de-
partment in connection with the univer-
city This department during the past four
wears has increased from an attendance
of forty-nine students to 202 students. AS
has been stated no other branch Of the
university has increased iii numbers with
anything like the same rapidity. This
gratifying result has clearly demonstrated
the demand for such training and the
wisdom shown by the president in shap-
ing the policy of the university to meet
present requirements. For nearly five
years the writer has devoted part OF
his spare time to this department free OF
charge. 1t formed no part of his regular
duties in carrying on cooperative investi-
cations between the state and the federal
government, but he felt that no work
which he could do would prove of greater
benefit to the state"
Approves Farm
| At the conclusion of the institute the
committee appointed to investigate the
condition of the farm reported its de-
cision as follows;
1--WE the undersigned committee ap-
pointed at the State Farmers Institute
| to report on the following: % on the
| eligibility of the location of the farm; ~
! On the suitability of the soil; (0 The pos
sibilities> of the school We do report
after viewing the entire farm that we do
most emphatically approve of the location
II is easily reached from every direction
and very centrally located-indeed, we
consider 1t Ideally located
49, We find the soil rich black loan
to a depth of from seventeen to twenty
three feet suitable to demonstrate all