El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-04
IRRIGATION EXPERT
AT CRUCES STATION
Director of Stations Says
Pamphlets Will Ne Is
sued For Farmers.

Las Cruces, n. NJ, Oct. A. c. True,
director of the United States experiment
stations, with headquarters in Wash
ington, d. c., has been in the city for
the past three days. leaving last night
for Tucson, Ariz. While here Mr.. True
visited the experiment station connect
ed with the New Mexico college of ag-
riculture and mechanic arts. He ex-
pressed nimself as well pleased with
the work which is being done under
the supervision of director Luther Fos-
ter, and he was very agreeably surpris-
ed with the orchard and the balance
of the horticu1tura5 department, which
is under the direction of professor Fa-
bian Garcia.
Mr. True states that his department,
while it has nothing to do with the
building of irrigation works, has been
making a study Of the irrigation Sys-
TENS in the arid regions of the United
States with q view to determining how
much water is wasted by bad manage
ment or through ignorance of water
values, and is making extensive expert
ments so as to be able to give advice
to the water user and show him how
best to use the water and how to get
the most good from the least amount.
Mr. True states that so far as the in
vestigations have gone, it has been
found that at least 40 to so per cent
of the water used for irrigation is
wasted, and that If the farmer knew
how to handle the water for the best
result, there would be enough water
carried by the streams of this country
and conserved by the various recIama-
tion projects to irrigate at least twice
the acreage of land.
Mr.. True's department is also srucr-
h III
small supplies of water, such as
springs, small creeks and shallow wells
can be prOfitably used, especially by
the dry farmer. By utilizing to the
most economical efficiency these small
supplies the farmer on the dry farming
land can always have a small orchard
and a garden plot around his house
which will help materially in carrying
him through a bad season The ques-
ticn of drainage is also one which is
being taken up on a large basis by the
This applies more spe-
officially to the humid regions, but the
is of the opinion, backed
up by experiments, that drainage in the
arid regions would be of the greatest !
advantage. It has been found that !
many pieces of land which have been |
ruined by alkali and by flooding can |
be esaily reclaimed and put back into |
good productive state by system OF |
underground drainage by means of tile. |
Because the Irrigated regions of the |
vest, southwest and northwest are re- !
,eiving daily a great influx of eastern |
farmers, or those from the humid re-
gion, it has been found that 80 per |
cent OF the failures with these new |
settlers is not attributable to the land, /
put come because this humid region !
armer does not know how to irrigate, /
when to irrigate, or how much water /
crop needs Neither does he under
tand how to prepare his fields and his |
Iitches and his borders. In order to /
IA such people the department will put 7
nut pamphlets and bulletins intended
o convey all the necessary information {
egarding the handling of irrigated |
ands and the water supply, and to dis
ribute these among the various farm
RS.