American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-05-13
SAVING THE WATER
Office of Experiments Studyinu
to Improve Conditions.
Too Much Water Used In Irrigation
and Agents Endeavoring to Bring
About More Economical Use
Dry Farm Methods Profitable.

In a 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 o becoming &C.
copied as a fact. and which has sew
eral times been discussed among the
leaders In the dry farming movement,
that the reduction in the use of irrf-
cation water to 60 or possibly so 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.
The possibility of combining dry
farming and irrigation methods sue
cessfully was touched upon, and IN
formation was asked as to the observa-
reducing the amount Of irrigation
water served TO the growing crop. In
reply to this communication DR.. A. C..
True, who has go 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:
i agree with you that too much wa
ter has been used in irrigation, and
Tor a 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
the results obtained at some of our ex-
pertinent station farms located in the
semi-arid 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
liar to those of the irrigator below
the ditch. In our studies of irriga-
ton, 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
a bearing on the conservation of
OF 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-
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-
Newell of the reclamation serv-
Ice was read, and later published in
he Bulletin. For a long time the
reclamation service, engaged as 1t
vas in working out the further deyel-
of the producing and distribu-
ion of irrigation water, failed to rec
the fact that it was possible to
'ver-irrigate-this over-irrigation re-
in two things: First, injury to
second, reduction of acreage un-
Ter irrigation projects.
The address given by Director New
I'll showed conclusively hat the re-
'lamation service had begun most
earnestly to consider not only meth
IDS of distribution, but of saving irri-
cation water, as well as the proven
ion OF injury to soils.
Several MOI tbs ago, in an address
'iyen before a commercial body by
he secretary of the Dry Farming con-
%propheSy vas made that within
en- years the value of so-called dry
arming methods as a necessary ad
TO the production of profitable
rops on irrigated land will have been
o thoroughly fixed in the mind of the
rrigator that the acreage of every ir-
project in the world will be
.oubled