El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-21
MAKES REPORT ON
PLAINS. COUNTRY
FARM LANDS
Government Expert Says
Soil Is Rich and mex
pensive Irrigation
Possible.

Plainview. Texas. April Pop E
Fuller. an irrigation expert who was
sent to Plainview by the government
TO investigate and report on the water
supply and irrigation possibilities OF
this section. has finished his report.
The report covers every feature of the
case. but following are the principal
features of it.
Dealing with the topography and
soils, the report says: THE country
surrounding Plafnview and tributary
thereto. includes 400, 600 acres Of rich
ailuvial soils. 1t is generally level
The soil is OF a rich. dark sandy loan.
the depth OF the alluvial soil varying
from 10 to so feat, beneath which, in
places IS frequently found a lime and
gypsum impregnated soil Apparently
all mineral constituents necessary to
produce agricultural and horticultural
crops are present in the soil. though it
Is probably lacking in hurnus and nj
trogen, both Of which can be supplied
by proper crop rotation An
Investigation of the soil in this part
Of the Panhandle might be of value,
not only here but to a large part of
the Panhandle, Of which the Plainview
country IS representative. Therefore
II it is possible for the bureau OF soils
70 conduct a soil survey, over possibly
Zoe square miles. 1t might be desirable
to do So
Following this the report deals at
considerable length with the geological
formation of the plains country. which
leads up to the underground water
supply, the conclusion being that
great quantity is stored II the ground
by percolation and seepage from rain
fall while a still greater supply comes
.
This part Of the report concludes as
follows:
ut is estimated that about four
inches of the precipitation over the
great plains passes downward as per-
colating water, into the underhow. but
I am Of the opinion that excepting in
districts where sand dunes occur this
amount Of water is rather too large
However. lake depressions occur in
vast numbers over the entire great
plains country. and no doubt the
amount of water that is contributed
to the underground source is far great
er than viii be recovered by pumping
for years to come.
The water bearing strata of the
Plainview country, as shown by the
drilling Of wells. is Identical with that
Of the Portales valley, both in char |
acter ard extent, and while there is
a possibility that the BrazOs river at /
one time had its source north OF l
Roosevelt county, and may contribute /
TO the underground water resources of
the Portales valley. the extent Of I
cstchment of the sand dunes is ample
there, as at Plainview, to supply the
need Of the irrigation for the greater
part OF the irrigable land in both T
places.
Dealing with the cost of irrigation
the report says:
s.The rainfall at Plainview for the
past ten years has averaged 24A inch
es. the greater part of which occurs
during the summer months or during
the growing season. It
seems TO be the consensus Of opinion
at Plainview that if one acre foot
could be supplied during the fall. win
ter and spring it would be ample It
would seem that such would be true,
though during the growing season.
when the natural precipitation is bel
low the average il will be necessary
TO supply possibly three irrigations.
and with plant of two cubic feet
capacity per second, such needs could
be easily supplied, as with such a
plant three acre feet Cor a depth of
three feet on each acre. could be sup
piled in close to Isl days of "a hours
1uired the term C. operation would be
decreased"
The estimate AZ to the initial cost
Of plant sufficient for 328 aacres is
placed by the report at about. $4,000,
the cost for a smaller plant being con-
less.
With reference 20 the cost of irrf-
CATION the report says:
With fuel at cents per gallon (this Z
estimate being based upon an engine
using so gravity or partially refined
crude OLD the cost of pumping one
acre foot of water against a S. foot
-otal head would be 90 cents for fuel.
The depreciation and labor items would
depend largely upon the operator, but
possibly so cents per acre more would
'over those items, so that S140 per
icre foot, or per acre per year. If but
ne foot be supplied, would be the to-
al cost Of irrigating the land"
In the matter of recomme nding that
he government establish demonstra-
ior and experiment farm here, Mr.
fuller suggests: Il believe a better
Ian would be for each irrigation
armer to properly equip his plant and
hen the community of farmers secure
he aid Of the irrigation investigation
apartment of agriculture in sending
nd expert irrigation farmer to Plain
lew to instruct the farmers in the
pplication Of water to land. In this
vay each farm would become an ex-
eriment station where success would
e assured"
In conclusion the report sums up the
tuation in a general way as follows:
The soil is excellent, climatic con-
itions ideal. markets good and an
mple supply Of water for irrigatine
Of acres Of land. 1 have