Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1912-05-09
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
REPORTS ITS Findings ON
ARID regions.
Lands in Central Part of State of Wash
ington Were Thoroughly Tested-It
Was Found Necessary to Cultivate as
Soon After Irrigation as Possible
Loss Between Two Periods Per Cent.

Samuel Fortier, chief of irrigation in
vestigations, department of agriculture,
has issued a report which embodies the
results of experiments carried on from
1908 to 1910, inclusive, at seven places
in the arid region, to determine the
amount of water lost by evaporation
from irrigated soils treated in different
ways Inland Empire farmers will be
interested in the results of the expert
ments conducted at Wenatchee and
Sunnyside, Wash.
The Wenatchee experiment was con-
Quoted in an orchard about one and a
half miles west of the town of Wenat-
chez. The spot chosen for the expert
ment is typical of large area as to
climatic and soil conditions, since the
bars and benches farther up the Co.
lumbia river and thousands Of acres
along the tributary streams, even as far
north as British Columbia, are similar
to those of the Wenatchee district. The
first trial was made June 3, 1908.
Small Losses Shown.
Soil samples were taken as the tanks
were being filed, and moisture deter
limitations made later. The most no
ticeable feature of the results of this
experiment was the small losses shown
throughout. The losses after the first
three days were practically negligible
The unmulched surface lost an equiva
lent of 0.S6 inch of water, which is but
14.3 per cent of the total amount APP
piled, and &C per cent of this was lost
in the first three days. The average los:
from an open unmulched soil surface
for a period of three weeks was 81
pounds, which is equivalent to IT'S in
ches of water The average loss dur
ing the first three days after irriga
ton amounted to 0.61 inches.
The equipment used at Wenatche
was, the following season, transferred
to Sunnyside, the soil used in this sec
ond test being typical of the Yakim
valley. The tanks were filled May 1
and a six-inch irrigation given the fol
lowing day. Analysis of soil sample
taken at the time of filing gave a
| average of 6 per cent of free moistur
, and a period of seven hours was note
between the beginning of the irrigatio
and the time when the water had fnall
disappeared from the surface of tn
| soil. This short period shows the ca
/ pacity of the soil for absorbing moi!
ture.
9 Cultivated Soil Loss Less.
The losses shown during the frs
three days were higher from the cult
' waited than from the uncultivated tank
due to the fresh, moist soil being e,
: posed in cultivation. After this frs
L loss the losses from the cultivate
: tanks diminished rapidly. The averag
:, total loss for % days from the cultiva
ed tanks was LAT inches, or 24.5 p,
J cent of the six-inch irrigation. The lo
. in the period between irrigation an
)" cultivation was probably approximat
! ly 10 pounds, or slightly less than p,
cent of the total loss.
Although this experiment showed tn;
the average evaporation from the cult
"a waited surfaces was little less than
per cent of that from the uncultivat'
surfaces, the main feature brought o.
= was the necessity of cultivation
=. soon after irrigation as possible.