The Lamar register., 1910-12-28
CROPS FOR IRRIGATION
Seldom Possible to Predict Which
Will Be Most Profitable.
Too Few Irrigated Regions Where Use
Of Crop rotation is Made to Keep
Up Fertility of soil-orsanie
Matter Needed.

In the development of a new agri-
cultural region 1t is seldom possible
to predict what crops will prove the
most profitable. In almost any region
the farmer is forced to choose from a
large number of possible crops the
ones best suited to his needs and mar
kets. In any new region there Is a
tendency to specialize on one or at
most a very few crops, and In the ir-
rigated regions. particularly. this ten
dency toward q single crop Is very pro
nounced The use Of crop rotations
and the intelligent diversification Of
crops on the farm ar. never conspic-
uous features of newly opened agri-
cultural region. Grain and alfalfa are
the pioneer irrigated crops. and these
are usually followed by attempt to
grow vegetables or orchard fruits ex-
tensively. Sometimes. indeed, new
land is put into vegetables. orchard
fruits or sugar beets in an attempt to
grow vegetables or orchards. There
are altogether too few irrigated re-
gions in this country at the present
time where any attempt is made to-
ward the use OF crop rotations with a
view to keeping up the productive ca
pacity of the soil. There appears to
be a widespread impression that the
fertility of irrigated lands is mex.
haustible: that land may be used for
a single crop or for series OF In
terrified crops for an indefinite pc
Rod. The experience of generations
of farmers in humid regions is disre-
garded. New land is often planted to
orchard fruits, to be coptin1ousiy In
terrified frori the frst and with the
expectation Of continuing this clean
culture and fruit production linden,
nitely. In fact, whole regions are
sometimes opened to colonists. with
the expectation that each farm will
Immediately become and will remain
exclusively devoted TO some type OF
orchard fruits. with its consequent
clean cultivation and without any
means OF maintaining the absolutely
essential supply Of organic matter.
One of the most serious problems
on American irrigated lands is that OF
organic-m supply. As long as
tleft ldnuS Ttuldlu ltihtNNhy shteP
and the farm units are not too small,
a rotation OF crops. including alfalfa.
can be used. But alfalfa Is far from
being an ideal rotation crop for many
regions, and the temptation IL strong.
once a good stand is secured. to let
! 1t remain as a permanent crop outside
the rotation. For orchards and vine
Yards we lack suitable assortment
of annual leguminous crops to use
for green manure. These problems
of crop rotation and OF the supply OF
organic matter are usually problems
Of the older irrigated regions. though
b in some instances the desert lands
are naturally SO poorly supplied with
organic matter that this question
quickly becomes acute.
In some Of the older and more high
/ ly developed irrigated fruit regions
farmers are now confronted with this
problem Of plant nutrition. This 10
particularly true In those sections
where a scanty water supply requires
continuous clean tillage for moisture
conservation purposes. This clean
tillaxe has not only prevented the ad'
dition Of any new supply Of organic
matter, but has made conditions In
the highest degree favorable for the
complete dIsintegration and CONVEX
sion Of the supply originally contained
/ in the soil. The Importance OF or
ganic matter can scarcely be over
/ Estimated. Its depletion must be
avoided II crop production IL to be
maintained. 1t therefore becomes q
problem Of the first Importance to &c
plan the crop rotation on the farm
and to so arrange the orchard plant
ings as to provide for the use at fire,
quent intervals Of such crops as VIII
| increase the supply Of organic matter
/ In the soil.