The Winslow mail., 1911-05-06
SAVING THE WATER
Office of Experiments Studying
to Improve Conditions.
Too Much Water Used In irrigation
and Agents Endeavoring to Bring
About More Economical Use
Dry Farm Methods Profitable.

In recent letter to Secretary
James Wilson of the department OF
agriculture, the secretary of the Dry
Farming congress outlined at length
the theory which Is now becoming ac-
cepted as fact, and which has sew
eral times been discussed among the
leaders in the dry farming movement,
that the reduction in the use of irri-
cation water to so or possibly 80 per
cent. of the amount now considered
necessary by the average irrigation
farmer would not only allow an in
crease in irrigated acreage, but would
increase the food quality without re-
ducing the quantity of the product OF
the irrigated farmer. Il y
The possibility of combining dry
farming and irrigation methods sue
formation was asked asEto the observa-
tions Of the Office of experiments in
reducing the amount Of irrigation
water served to the growing crop. In
reply to this communication Dr. A. C..
True, who has SO long and successful
ly served in the capacity of direct
or of experiments, and to whom much
of the progress in experimental work
is due, writes:
Il agree with you that too much wa
ter has been used in irrigation, and
for decade or more our agents have
been endeavoring to bring about a
more economical use. Their efforts in
this direction have been quite success
full, resulting in the use of much
smaller quantities than formerly. The
beneficial effects of comparatively
small amounts of water are shown in
the results obtained at some of our ex-
pertinent station farms located in the
semi-arid belt
II likewise agree with you in the
close relation which exists between
dry farming and irrigation. Many Of
the problems of the farmer who culti-
Yates land above the ditch are sim
liar to those of the irrigator below
the ditch. In our studies of irriga-
tion, and particularly the loss of wa
ter, we frequently reach the border
line between the two In 1904 an in
vestigation was begun to determine
the extent of evaporation losses in
irrigation, and the results obtained
moisture on the dry farm"
The results of the experiments un-
der the direction of Dr. True have
been compiled, and excerpts touching
directly upon the subject as it per-
tains to dry land farming will, from
time to time, be published in the Bull
letin.
At the fifth annual congress in
Spokane an address prepared by Di-
rector Newell of the reclamation serv-
ice was read, and later published in
the Bulletin. For a long time the
reclamation service, engaged as it
was in working out the further devel-
opment of the producing and distribu-
ton Of irrigation water failed to rec
ognize the fact that it was possible to
over-irrigate-this over-irrigation re-
sulting in two things: First, injury to
der irrigation projects.
The addres given by Director New
ell showed conclusively that the re-
clamation service had begun most
earnestly to consider not only meth
DDS of distribution, but Of saving irri-
cation water, as Well as the preven-
ton Of injury to soils.
Several months ago, in an address
given before a commercial body by
the secretary of It'd Dry Farming con-
gress, prophesy was made that within
ten years the value of so-called dry
farming methods as a necessary ad-
junct to the production of profitable
crops on irrigated land will have been
so thoroughly fixed in the mind of the
irrigator that the acreage of every ir-
rigation project in the world will be
doubled