Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1912-05-02
MISUNDERSTANDING q Al Re-
REPORTS ITS FINDINGS on
4RIQl1 4 REGIONS 9 )
Lands in Central Part of State of Wash
ington Were Thoroughly Testod--It
Was Found Necessary to Cultivate as
Soon After Irrigation as Possible
Loss Between Two Periods Per Cent.
Samuel Forticr, chief Of irrigation IN
vest gations, department. az agriculture,
n ~ ~ IL r-a,a :. :,

'yestigations, departments Of, agriculture,
has issued a report which embodies the
results of experiments carried on from
1905 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. a..s
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 a 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 Wenatche0 district. The
first trial was made June 3, 1908.
sb 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 O.S6 inch of water, which is but
14.3 per cent of. the total amount APP
piled, and GO per cent of this was lost
in the first three days. The average loss
from an open unmulehed soil surface
for a period Of three weeks was 27.4
pounds, which is equivalent to IT'S in
ches of water The average loss dnr-
ling the'tfirst three days after irriga-
ton amounted to o.61 inches.'- e lf1 Z
The, equipment. used at Wenatchee
was, the following season, transferred
to- 'suhnyside, the soil used in this, sec
ond test being typical Of the Yakima
valley. The tanks We're filled May II
,aanTdS siT7 i irrigation, given the fol,
fpEisg eaI:$AFslysss of sH rAiles
takch attRe tfme IF filing gave Ian
average of 6 per cent of free moisture
and a pefisd7ef ssveR hofrs was noted
and the time &hsns tie water had finally
disappeared from the surface of the
soil. This s$shaEts period 1shows the ca
pacity of the soil for absorbing mois.
ture. =
afE, epliy4tea Soil Ibis Les&tF
NS&Af al Y a. &c.
three days were higher from the cult
waited tt an FISH nth the TgeEultiyated tanks
due to the tffeJR ihbiA soil being ex-
posed in cultivation. After this first
t ta: IN Istias f ,sS A' r& tstss
total loss for 20 days from the cultivat-
ed tanks wasFl:47fihches, or 24.5 per
cent of the six-inch irrigation. The loss.
in the period between irrigation and
cplti5yation wasiIRrobahlY approximate-
ly'1o pounds, 81 slightly Tess Than per
cent of the total loss.
Although LIVE exftefimentahowed that
the average evaporation from the cult
waited surfaces was a little less than 60
per cent dc fiat frohf fHe .lincultivated
surfaces, the main feature brought out
was the necessity of cultivation as
,fq q after frfgptioE ass possible.
~ thEA4 LIZ