Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-11-02
MANY CROP FAILURES
Faulty Leveling Causes More
Than Any Other One Thing.
Lands Are Expensive to IrrIgate and
the Plants Are SO Unequally
Watered That Unsatisfac-
tory Crops Result.

More crop failures on the irrigated
lands may be traced to faulty level
ing than to any other cause under the
control of the farmer. Poorly leveled
lands are expensive to irrigate, both
with regard to the amount of water
and the amount OF labor required; and
In sddition, the plants In the different
parts Of the field are so unequally wa
tered that unsatisfactory crops are
the result. The machinery necessary
for leyellng on the small farm is am
pie and inexpensive, and should be
kept. In order that all spare time OF
men and teams can be used to the
best advantage. On the small farm
all that is necessary is a small scraper,
a pillow and a plank drag.
In leveling, the first thing to do is
to decide just how the land can be put
into shape by moving the least amount
of dirt. A good way to begin Is to
set stakes to represent borders, and
see how they may be located in order
to obtain the best results 1t is not
necessary that an entire field should
be level, but only that the soil within
border be SO; and each border may
drop lower or rise higher than the ad-
joining. without any serious incon-
venience in either seeding or harvest
ing. Borders should not be spaced
too wide. Forty-five to sixty feet Will
be a good width If the field is at al
sloping: and 1t is not best to make
them more than 100 feet apart, ever
when the land is level. Locate each
border, definitely, and mark 1t by
throwing up a couple OF burrows. oil
In any other way that is convenient
Then beginning the high end OF the
field, work out the first border, taking
all excess dirt from the high places
and spreading 1t where needed in thu
low places In sandy soils the Dor
ders should not be more than 200 Il
300 feet in length, but on clay soil
no limit need be set for the length
For the location of the borders, es
pecially II they are long, 1t is almos
necessary that level be used. Thes
may be purchased for about SIS u
500 Permanent borders should b.
built at the time of leveling. Thes
should be just high enough to contro
the movement of water, and should b
wide enough to prevent any danger o
their being dragged down by machir
cry or washed down by the runnin
water. convenient and very salts
factory way to build such borders
TO drag up the dirt with a scraper an
deposit II along the lines Of the boi
der; where 1t should be smoothed l
the desired shape. II the borders ar
built with a broad base and slowl
sloping sides, crops can be grow
along the sides and top without an
difficulty. The base of such border
should not be less than eight to te
feet wide. After all borders and tn
checks or cross borders. are complies
It is best to go over each section {
the field and true up all slight II
: CAPABILITIES that may have been misse
, In the first leveling. Here again III
level is of great value, as 1t point
out these errors much more closel
, than the best trained eye. If there
! free and abundant supply of waite
and the field will not need It for SON
time. 1t is well to give 1t trial irr
] cation: making note of all the poin
that are either low or high, and co
recting these as soon as the soil
dry.