The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1909-05-06

in the employ of the Idaho Irriga-
ton company, lectured at Gooding
Monday night and at Richfield Tues
day afternoon. Mr.. Mcpherson did
not give a set espech on the subject
portance propounded by farmers
who are trying to farm this year for
their first time by means of Irriga-
ton.
These talks are given at the ex-
pense of the Idaho Irrigation COM
pany. The company REALIZES that its
success depends upon the success of
the settlers and it is sparing no eX-
pense to bring them in touch with
everything in its power to add to
their success. These lectures by Mr..
Mcpherson are by man skilled
in the practice of irrigation and are
the most reliable information OBJ
tainable along these lines.
The first question that was asked
was: How shall we know when to
irrigate?" In answer would say that
it would be impossible to lay down
rule a sto date, time or season, first
because people plant their crops at
different times and seasons, second
the land varies in composition, text
ure, etc; third-each crop requires
different amounts of moisture. Ev-
cry tiller of the soil should famil-
iarize himself first of all with the
particular soil in question and the
crops to be grown. In order for the
farmer to form basis for his judg-
ment. the texture of the soil must be
taken into consideration. The word
irrigation is often misleading,
which to the initiated simply means
applying water to the land but to the
scientific and practical husbandmen
it means supplying water at the
right time and in the right manner
which we term in this case "mo1s-
ture," so let us bear in mind that
it is moisture that we want in the
soil. BY the word moisture l mean
that amount of water which enclrcles
or clings to every atom of soil and
not the water that drains away or
runs off as waste. The ability of the
soil to hold moisture for the needs
gregations, which is capable OF hold
ing as a rule a sheet of water equal
to about 10 inches in depth in the
first three feet of soil and if it were
not for the rapid evaporation this
would be sufficient to produce crop
of grain without the artificial ap-
plication of water. I speak OF these
things so that every irrigator may
have the foundation laid for the in
telligent application of water, for II
he does not know these things he
may seek to initiate some man and
copy after methods or practices FOL
lowed in other countries and fail.
Plant Language.
In order to fully answer the ques
ton so that it may be ineligible to
you | will speak to you now in par
ticular of irrigation in connection
with grains, grasses and potatoes. In
this country if wheat and oats are
seeded early there Will be sufficient
moisture to bring the plants above
the ground and many times to carry
them on to about the time when they
are heading out. In such cases one
8 ssarv at the time when the 81 On
of the plant is directly in proper
tion to the size of the soil particles
to a very large degree. In other
words, within reasonable limits the |
finer the soil the more moisture II
will hold and the coarser the less 1t
will hold. Hence the texture OF the
soil or the size of its soil particle is
a controlling factor in plant produc-
ton. l am now speaking OF the SOIL
as we find it on the sage brush
plains of the great Wood River Val
ley. 1t would require an equivalent
of about 20 inches of water, or
foot inches in depth per acre TO
Nroduce the average crop in TINS sec
ton. Now then if the rainfall or
precipitation will supply during the
winter and early spring months say
10 inches of water to the plant, which
the capillary force would hold there
for the future use of the plant, less
irrigation would be required than IL
there had been less moisture sup
ylied by natural means. So we see
how simple it is to have such SOIL
as this on the Big Wood River Sc
essary and at the tine when the grain
is maturing, but when spring plow-
ing is resorted to, (when we do not
have spring rains sufficient to re-