Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-02-02

ter of the soil in duty of water in
vestigations An account was given
of the measurement of water on 5
fields out of a total of III
Mr.. Bark is in charge of irriga-
ton Investigations of the United
States department of agriculture in
Idaho. Among the many lines of work
undertaken during the season of 1910
duty of water was the principal one.
"Duty of Water" Defined.
The term duty of water" is used
to denote the work that irrigation
water may be made to do. When APP
piled to an irrigation system as
whole it is expressed in terms of one
second foot for a certain acreage or
certain fraction of a second foot
for one acre. For instance, on the
Twin Falls tract the duty of water is
one cubic foot per second continu-
Gus flow for each so acres or five
eighths of one miners inch per acre.
The amount of water required var
les with different soils and different
crops and Mr.. Bark's Investigations
were designed to give definite in
formation on these points The
term duty of water as used with ref
erence to soils and crops is usually
expressed in terms of inches in depth
or feet in depth of water applied,
such depth being the total depth ov-
er the land of all eht water applied
during the season supposing that It
all stood on the ground at one time.
The duty of water for whaet on a
certain kind of soil would be stated
as being ID feet, IS feet or Is feet
as the case may be.
Data on duty of water measure
ments has been very meagre, espe-
cially in Idaho. We have but little
definite information in regard 10
the amount of water that different
farmers use. Not one farmer in a
hundred has any definite idea how
much water he applies. There is ev-
en- less information relative to the
amount of water that will give the
best results for different crops and
on different soils Our knowledge
along these lines has been largely
empirical. 1t will thus be seen that
the testimony of witnesses in law
suits and the adjudication of water
rights are as a rule unreliable and
indefinite because of the lack of
measurements and definite knowledge
concerning water requirements OF
crops. Also in connection with the
determination of the proper duty
of water for new Carey act projects
and United States Reclamation pro-
jects there have been but little data
at hand to guide the state land board
and the irrigation companies in their
decisions. 1t is contemplated that
these Investigations will furnish Data
relative to the proper amount of W.
tel to use under certain soil condi-
tions, so that it will be possible tc
advise farmers to use less or use
more water according as the results
of the experiments will indicate
Realizing the great need of definite
information in regard to the wa-eI
requirements of crops under di1er-
ent soil conditions. Mr. Bark un7cr.
took measurements on quite an eN.
tensive scale in southern Idaho
There has been considerable work
done in certain states along the lin'
of water measurements, but though
the different crops have been con.
sidered, the soil has not as a general
thing. On that account the data OBJ
tanned have not been of as much
value as they might otherwise have
been. In the Investigations in ldah1
the past season particular attention
has been given to the character OF
the soil. In each instance it has beer
examined to a depth of four feet
and the moisture content in sprins
determined as well as at other times
during the season. This new feature
has made the investigations of great
value and nowhere in the world, u
our knowledge, has an equally thor
ough and practical line of duty oil
water Investigations been undertake
en- and carried to successful issue
The work was made possible by tbs
cooperation Of the state experiment