Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-12-24
IRRIGATION article
VALUED Information ON The
IRRIGATION WORK THAT
is Being Done.
Department of Agriculture Accom-
plished Important Work in Recent
Praise for Creditable Work-Scien-
tifc Research Proves Great Boon.

The United States department of
agriculture has during the last ten
years been doing very important work
through its irrigation investigations,
and the following extract from the last
annual report of the secretary, James
Wilson, should be of interest in show-
ing the relation between the depart
ment and irrigation development:
During the past year the Office of
experiment stations, while maintaining
most of the old lines 'of work in its
irrigation investigations, has endeav-
ored to modify its plans so as to meet
the demands for information on the new
issues which are constantly arising.
This is particularly true as regards
the assistance which has been given to
the new settlers. The task of convert
ing desert land into productive fields
is not easy under the most favorable
conditions, but when the one who at
tempts it knows little or nothing about
irrigated farming, the difficulties are
greatly increased. Those in charge of
irrigation investigations in the west
have, therefore, devoted a considerable
portion of their time to advising the
newcomers as to the methods best
adapted to their individual needs. This
personal advice, supplemented by prac-
teal bulletins, has done must to pre-
vent mistakes and to safeguard the set
tier from either partial or total failure.
East Interested.
So widespread an interest has of
late been created in the east regarding
irrigation in the west that the depart
ment has been flooded with requests
for information as to the conditions and
possibilities of different districts. The
series of bulletins on irrigation pre-
pared by this department in co-opera-
ton with western state engineers and
others, has done much to furnish the
information desired. Of this series,
ten bulletins have already been pub
lished, and four more are being pre-
pared. When complete, the irrigation
conditions as regards the climate, soil,
water supply, extent of land, crops, ETC.,
of each state and territory in the west
will be accurately described.
Great Waste of Water.
In former days water for irrigation
purposes was both plentiful and cheap,
and in attempting to use it much was
wasted. In many parts of the west
the old wasteful methods still prevail,
although the value of water has in
creased many fold. The results of seep-
age measurements of irrigation chan
nels obtained by the department,
coupled with the high price of water
rights and the rise in value of agri-
cultural products, have induced many
companies to line their main canals.
As a result, many channels which for
merly lost from 20 to 80 per cent of
their total flow are now practically
watertight. In many cases such i'm
provements would not have been made
| if the attention of the managers had
not been called by our engineers to the
large losses sustained and the best
means of preventing. this waste. In
cases farmers used large amounts of
water without realizing how excessive
was the use until measurements were
taken. When the irrigators of the San
Joaquin valley in California first began
to apply. water on what had been dry
farmed grain fields, they frequently
used over nine feet. Now about one
third of this amount is found to be
ample. The water users of Greeley and
neighboring districts in Colorado used
to think their crops would burn up un.
less they had miners inch of water
to the acre. Now they are raising crops
on the same ground that are worth
about four times as much with one
fourth the water formerly used. They
are learning that cultivation takes the
place of irrigation to a great extent.
Demonstration Farms.
The demonstration farms established
in former years have been maintained
These have been of great value during
the past year in showing, among othel
things, the benefits to be derived from
the use of scanty water supplies OF
small fields in connection with dry farm
ing. At the Cheyenne farm during the
past season, "a bushels of oats were
raised per acre with the application o.
only eight inches of irrigation water
while the crop grown without irriga
ton was practically failure. Alfalf;
yielded 4,so5 pounds of hay per acr'
with the application of 1873 inches
while the unirrigated field yielded onl,
$50 pounds. Beardless barley, with thu
application of 81 inches Of water
yielded 81 bushels per acre; that un
Irrigated and raised on summer-fallowet
ground yielded only 215 bushels. A
Gooding, Idaho, s.s tons of red Glove
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