The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-04

lne winter.
cultivation The wet area was gradual
ly extending toward higher ground and
parts Of fields occuppyiug higher ground
were found in a similar condition.
A plan was made for draining field
of thirty acres by the use of q tile
drain placed four to five feet deep,
nearly parallel to the upper edge of the
wet portion of the field to intercept the
water seepipg down through the soil as
q result of irrigation on the higher
lands above. The office of experiment
stations furnished the tile at the Hyde
Park railroad station and the owners
of the land did all the work connected
with putting in the drains, giving the
Office the right TO use the field for
drainage experiments. The soil is
black loan, underlaid with yellow clay,
both being of an open nature and per
mitting the passage of the water quite
freely The fields are thoroughly
drained by the work done. Fifty bush
els of wheat and 100 bushels of oats
per acre have been grown upon such
portions as were plowed, and eighteen
1906 upon aJl the land planted 10 this
crop, which was about twenty-five acres
a further effect of the drains is the
improvement of the wet land adjoining
the drained fields on The lower side
The work is being extended by farmers,
who wish to restore their wet meadows
to wheat, beet. and alfalfa fields. In
such cases. drains were laid out for The
farmers by the department engineer,
but no further assistance was rendered
in that locality.
Emery County,
The settlements at Huntington,
-
clude lands in all stages Of ruin from
the desolate bogs, whose miry depths
are concealed by snow white alkali
during the dry season of the year.
Fully 30 per cent of the land formerly
under irrigation and cultivation is now
practically valueless. The Creary farm
was selected for experimental drain
age. Lumber box underdrains were
used. The work was arduous and dis
couraging because Of the extreme wet
ness OF the soil and its consequent un-
stable condition, but the land was dried
sufficiently so that it could be plowed
bv October, 1906 The soil 10 this To-
cality is one of the most difficult in
the State TO drain, and hence the best
methods to be used in such soil may
still be regarded as in a somewhat eX-
perimcptal condition,
Washington County,
This most southern county Of the
State has experienced the need of
drainage and an experiment was in
stalled near st. George. IT was soon
seen that the soil of the old lake bed
which ii was desired TO drain was
most difficult 20 drain effectively by
reason Of its exceeding fneness and
condition when saturated Ex.
perimental work will be continued dur
ing the current year, The gardens of
the town are being successfully drained
and it is confd IDENTITY expected complete
success will finally attend the field ex-
perimentaI work.
Box Elder County.
Between Garland aud Riverside d
large area has been drained upon
plans furnished by Mr.. Brown. Much |
sufficient time has elapsed to deter
mine the full benefits which will ac-
crue from the underdrainagc.
Weber County.
Near Roy an orchard is being
drained as demonstration of tbe ad-
and benefits of drainage in |
that region. Though the drains were
only completed late last winter most
gratifying effects are already observed.
Sewer County.
Near Richfeld all extensive system
of tile underdrainagc is being installed.
AS in other cases the land owners per-
form the work in accordance with sur
veys, plans and directions furnished by
the engineer, which the appropriations
made by the State and federal govern
ments make il possible TO retain.
This kind of assistance will be avail
able to land owners during the coming
year, Not a small part of the value
of work will be the experience gained
in dealing with the soils in different To-
calities, the results of which will be
published in bulletin form by the State
Agricultural college in compliance with
the act of the Legislature appropriatiug
funds for the work, and by the Office
of Experiment Stations of the United
States Department Of Agriculture,
rOh ofac l,l~ H.