Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1911-12-01
WHAT OUR RIVERS CARRY.
Enormous Loads of Sediments and
Dissolved Chemicals

Colorado River discharges during
an average year into the Gulf of Cal
ifornia $4,000 900 tons OF mud and
silt as Suspended matter. In addition
to this the dissolved substances in
the water include 4,55o,ooo tons OF
sodium chloride, or common salt; g.
100000 tons of Glauber's salts; 4,ooo,-
900 tons of lime; 100000 tons OF
gypsum: and 100000 tons of EPSON
salts In spite of all this dissolved
material the Colorado at its mouth is
not considered to be stream of I'M
usually high naturalization for that
is that the river also carries so enor-
nous an amount of water that the
dissolved salts constitute a compare
lively small proportion of the total
disc large. Other streams i'll the
country contain dissolved salts in
Greater concentration-for example,
the Elm Fork of Red River. in Okla
homa. discharges nearly 100000 tons
of common salt annually. Although
this amount is not so great rs that
discharged by the Colorado it is
much greater in proportion to the size
of the area drained. The discharge
OF salt from the Colorado is equal to
20 tons annually to each square mile
drained by the river. but the salt in
Elm Fork of Red River is equal to
1850 tons per square mile of area
drained. The same river discharges
annually $4,000 tons of magnesium
chloride, 10000 tons of EPSON salts,
100000 tons of gypsum, and $4,000
tons of lime. These quantities. too.
are considerably greater than those
carried in the Colorado in proportion
to the size of the drainage area.
Belle Fourche River. at Belle
Fourche, s. OAK, discharges IoI 900
tons of gypsum, 10000 tons of Glau
ber's salts. and 100000 tons of EPSON
salts. The mud and silt carried in
suspension by this river amount to
100000 tons. Milk River at Havre,
Mont. discharges annually 4I,ooo
tons of soda; Payettc River. in Idaho,
discharges 10000 tons: Salt River at
Roosevelt, Ariz.. discharges 2SS.ooo
tons of salt and 10000 tons of Ep-
som salts; and the Rio Grande dis
charges 245,ooo tons of lime and $685.
900 tons of Glauber's salts.
The foregoing are few of the fig
ures of incidental interest presented
by Water-Supply Paper 27t of the
United States Geological Survey, en-
titled Some stream waters of the
western United States" The work re-
ported by this volume is, however, OF
higher practical importance than the
above statement would indicate. 1t is
the result of all investigation of the
quality of western stream waters
made for the purpose of determining
their availability for use for irrigation
and other purposes. For a water
supply system the quality of the wat
er available determines its usefulness
quite as much as the quantity. Some
waters contain ingredients that make
it impossible to use them for irriga-
ton unless certain precautions are ia
ken i'll applying them to the land and
in draining them off. Certain ingred-
tents in water make it unavailable or
destructive if used in boilers and the
quality OF water used in manufac-
turing plant may very largely deter
mine the quality of the product of
manufacture. The report just pub
lished therefore can not fail to be of
material value to the manufacturing
and agricultural interests of the
West; and the proper consideration
OF the information that it contains
will prevent many costly mistakes in
connection with the industrial devel-
opmcnt of that part OF the country.
A copy of this report may be OBJ
tanned free on application to the Di-
rector of the United States Geologi-
cal Survey. Washington, d. c.
Chairman Mcdonald returned from
an extended trip in Ohio on Satur-
day. He found on his desk letters
from the state and national secretar-
les OF the Progressive Republican or
CARNATIONS asking that he call pri-
maries to determine the presidential
candidacy in Colorado. Chairman
Mcdonald will reply to both letters,
stating that this question will I'M
doubtcdly come up before the state
central committee when it convenes
next year to select date and place
for the holding OF the state convcn-
ton to elect delegates to the national
convention. He stated that the state
central committee would pass upon
the matter at that time. The question
that arises is, how can party primar-
les be held which would be consider
ed binding?
The Progressive Republicans have
called state wide conference to be
held in Denver January fifteenth. at
which time declaration of principles
will be issued and a state wide move
ment organized to control the party.
Because of the general over appro-
priations and the pronounced extrav-
aoance of the present administration
four of the experimental departments
of the State Agricultural College must
close. These departments are: Po-
tato Investigations, in charge of Prof
c. L. Fitch; the poultry department
in charge of w. L. Vaplon; the ex-
detrimental station extension work. in
charge OF Prof. c. H. Human; and
the drv farming experiment station
at Cheyenne Wells. in charge of w.
A Adams.
These departments are almost es-
sential to the conduction of the col
lege. The money for them was APP
sanarata fr4,,, -