Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-07-11
.lRA|NAGE FOR
IRRIGATED LANDS
oI,estlon of Vital Importance to
Farmers is That OF Too
Much Water.
SURPLUS MOISTURE HARMFUL
rrr.rin,ents Conducted I'm Different
Portions Of state Prove Highly
Sucecssfui--The Remedy.

rrs,naEe for the removal from agri-
,r,r,tral land of the surplus water In
.Ao soil resulting from extensive tr-
r,sation is an important matter IN
many portions Of the irrigated west.
Retore cultivation was begun probably
n - locality In the arid region could
- haen said 10 be in need OF arti-
aSia1 drainage. But the application OF
y ,Nn,s Quantities of irrigation water
4 va extensive areas for many sue
& cessive wears tends gradually to com
n nletely fill the underground layers
with water. Where the suosoii - uesp
and norous, the slope considerable,
Il nd the natural outlets sufficient, any
snrnlus water gradually works its
,gay into the lower natural stream
beds and no injury Is done TO the over
fivIng soil. IN other places where the
soil is less pervious 10 water, or
where lower impervious layers come
close to the surface, ~ where the
alone of the country is very slight. it
after happens that the underground
movement of the water is so ilnpeded
that the soil gradually becomes COM
pietely saturated with the water
TOO MUCH WATER HARMFUL.
This usually happens in the lower
places contiguous TO the irrigated
enrees. Too much water In the soil is
just as harmful from an agricultural
suoint OF view as too little. In the
sfirst place the ordinary cultural OPP
eratious cannot be carried on when
1.-THE soil is too wet. In the second
'place many crops do not thrive when
1.-THE soil is too wet, and as the sub
.soil becomes saturated only shallow
'rooted crops can be raised But the
llnost serious injury resulting from a
saturated condition of the soil is its
,effect upon the alkali in the soil.
FORMS ALKALI CRUST.
Probably all virgin soils of this state
,contain u small quantity of alkali uni
'fornly disseminated, q quantity too
small as originally distributed 10 be
harmful in the slightest degree. This
ialkaIi is slowly dissolved bv water in
1.-THE soil II the soil becomes saturated
.so that its surface is constantly moist.
There takes place in our dry at
|nosphere a CONTIGUOUS heavy eVapora-
|tion from the ground surface. OF
'course when water eyaporates any
dissolved salts remain behind in the
,solid state. Hence any alkali In the
|ground water remains on the surface
|of the soil when the water is con-
|stantly renewed from below there is
Ia continuous addition to the alkali de-
post leading to the formation of an
defensive alkali crust.
QUESTION A SERIOUS ONE.
This is the history of many fertile
lands throughout the western part of
ihis country. Probably there is no val
ley in Utah in which irrigation Is ex-
tenSively practised but what has ex-
perienced these injuries In some degree.
Usually the lands which were the first
10 be irrigated and often those lands
which were once considered the most
are the ones which have suf-
fered. In some localities considerable
areas have been abandoned for Guilt
fation because they have become unable
10 produce any valuable crop. In 9TH
fr places only comparatively valueless
crops OF but small yields can be pro-
duced. Slowly bur steadily the injured
areas are increasing in size which
makes the question a pressing one for
The farmer of this state
DRAINAGE THE REMEDY.
The whole remedy for these troubles
Is drainage, Where the injury is still
slight, it is comparatively easy 10 re-
store the land to Its original condition.
Even II the land has been entirely
ruined II can generally he probably re-
claimed, but the operation is more diff
cult and may require considerable time.
The matter OF determining the best
nl5n by which to secure drainage ade-
iuste 10 reclaim land injured by seep-
Ase water, is a difficult technical ques-