The Ordway new era., 1911-05-05
SAVING The WATER
Office Of Experiments Studying
to Improve Conditions.
Too Much Water Used In irrioae!o"
and Agents Endsavorlns to Bring
About More Economical Oss-
Dry Farm Methods Profitable.

In recent letter to Secretary
James Wilson Of the department OF
agriculture. the secretary Of the DFy
Turning congress outlined at length
the theory which 10 now becoming ec'
ceptsd ~ . fact, and which has sev'
sral times been discussed among the
leaders In the dry farming movement.
that the reduction In the use of irrs-
cation water to 60 or possibly 20 Per
cent. OF the amount now considered
necessary BY the average irrigation
farmer would not only allow IN IN
crease in irrigated acreage. but would
increase the food quality without ~
ducinS the quantity Of ths product OF
the irrigated farmer.
The possibility Of combining DRY
farming and irrigation methods suo-
csssfully was touched upon, and IN
formation was asked - 70 the ohsssva'
tions Of the once Of experiments In
reducing the amount Of irrigation
water served to the growing crop. In
reply TO this communication Dr. A. @.
True. who has % long and suoosssful'
" served in the capacity Of direct
OF Of experiments. and to whom much
Of the progress In experimental work
10 due, writes:
Il agree with you that too much va.
ter has been used in irrigation. and
for . decade or more our agents have
been endsavoring to bring about .
more economical uss. 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-artd belt.
Il likewise agree with you in the
close relation which exists between
dry farming and irrigation. Many Of
the problems OF the farmer who cult.
Yates land above the ditch are sim
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
have bearing on the conservation Of
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 1t 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 rs 1t
was in working out the further devel-
opment Of the producing and distribu-
ton Of irrigation water. failed to rec
ognize the fact that 1t was possible to
over-irrigate-this over-irrigation re-
sulting in two things: First. injury to
soils: second. reduction Of acreage un.
der irrigation projects.
The addres given by Dirsctor 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 we'll as the preven.
ton Of injury to soils.
Several months ago, In an address
given before a commercial body by
the secretary Of the Dry Farming con
gross. 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
80 thoroughly fixed in the mind of the
irrigator that the acreage Of every ir-
rigation project in the world will be
doubled.
Fattenina Poultry,