Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1911-01-06
CONSERVE OUR WATER
Several Conditions Which Affect
This Question.
Heavy Soil May Mature With Single
Irrigation, While That of Gravel
Iy Nature May Require
Many Acre Feet.

(By r. L. PARsHALL, Colorado Agricul-
tural College.)
We are hearing much of late years
about the duty OF water in irriga-
ton, and In the future we will have
the problem squarely before US, how
to increase the duty of water, or in
other words, how are we going to
conserve our moisture? There are
several conditions which affect this
question, but we will touch upon one
only at this time; namely, the charac-
ter of the soil and subsoil.
The character of the soil rs prob
ably the greatest factor to consider,
as the texture of the soil as regards
its porosity has more to do with
the water used than any other one
thing. Before this problem of duty
OF water can be definitely settled as
regards any community. soil sur
vey should be made and actual con-
ditions observed. We are beginning
to observe that 1t is possible to have
adjoining fields raising the same
kinds of crops, apparently under the
same conditions, which have differ
ent factor for the duty Of water. This
lions of one are different from those
of the other. You would not be justi-
fed in saying that the duty of wa
ter for your farm Is the same for
all fields. A heavy soil may mature
a crop with single irrigation OF a
five-acre-inches, while gravelly
soil may require as many acre-feet.
In the first case the water will not
soak so deep in the ground as to go
beyond the zone of the roots, and the
only loss will be that due to evapora-
ton, while in the second case the soil
particles being so large, the water |
readily goes below the feeding depth |
of the plants and is lost SO far as the
growth of the crop is concerned.
AS our arid west is rapidly becom-
ing great agricultural country, the
amount of water available being prac-
tically constant, II behooves us to
seek means to secure water for large
irrigation systems. This can be &C
In large measure by the
study of the duty of water, or con-
servation of moisture. In the case
cited above, the two soils, one heavy
and the other light, We would be
wasteful of water to attempt to trri-
gate both fields by the same method.
Flooding may answer for the first
case, but 1t Is an extravagant process
for the latter. In some soils at least /
two-thirds of the water applied would
not be used by the growing plants.
Again we find the evaporation in
the coarse soil to be great, and the
soil would soon lose its water con-
tent. Ordinarily, the best way to
handle a soil of this nature is to d.
tide the field into short runs, say 500
feet, with frequent cross bitches, using
a large head and irrigate more often.
The duty of water is also affected
by the depth of the soil. A shallow
soil will absorb a small amount OF
water and will retain 1t but a short
time. and hence necessitates the use
Of larger heads and more frequent fr-
We shall be nearer the solution OF
the problem of the duty of water
when each farmer knows the char
acter of his soil and the proper meth
ID of irrigation. This will make more
water avilable for the lands now In
want, and ultimately aid in materially
the prosperity OF the COM