The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1912-03-22
ECONOMICAL DISTRIBUTION
Of IRRIGATION WATER
by L. N. wlNsoR, Utah Agricultural
College.

stratiun Train Lecture.
According to many historians irri
cation Ia one Of the Oldest applied
arts; one writer even claims that 1t
Ia made a distinctive feature OF the
middle status Of barbarism. Ancient |
Epypt became the granary Of the
world AZ result " natural irrigation |
through the overlooking Of the Nile: |
through irrigation Chaldca. Assyria, |
and liabylonia. located as they were
IN a practically rainlcss country along
the valley OF the Tigris and Euph
rates, rose to cnyiablc prominence aud
dominion The Chinese the Romans
aud the MoOrf. all made use OF irriga
ton.
In this country We find evidence OF
It as practicod by the ancient inhab
itants Of this continent and later in
the gardens of the old mission fathers
Of southern California Numerous
other examples 10 prove the import
ancc of irrigation as factor in ma.
BODYBUILDING might be cited; but to
the Anglo Saxon race the art had lts
birth hut little more than half a cen.
Jury ago This seems doubly strange
when we look into history aud find
/ that NJ this time over 1873. 100000 acres
of land had been reclaimed by lrrlga.
| ton In different parts OF the world
| Perhaps this can be explained ON the
theory that the Gcrmanic peoples
have always written history much
faster than they have read H..
However this may be. the FIRST Mt.
tempt by the Anglo-SaNons TO ~.
claim the arid wastes Of land was
made In the summer OF iSi7. In the
Salt Lake valley by q little band OF
Mormon pioneers To them we owe
tho birth OF the modern art OF lrriga.
ton, and the working out Of the co
operative system M We have II In
practice today
The irrigation contaglon soon
spread and became not only the gov
crning factor In the establishing OF
Mormon towns. but In the colonizlnf
Of the entire arid west
Irrigation as an art falls into TIVE
divisions:
LIST Irrigation az n primary art, an,
2nd. Irrigation M secondary art
By the FIRST We mean the using %
! irrigation TO take the place OF cultlya
ton. fertilization. and 80 on; and b!
the second we mean the using OF II
|, rigation water merely TO supplement
the natural precipitation. The latte
!. IN the correct use OF irrigation. n
= farmer uses dry farm methods uion
. with his practice OF irrigation he cal
A not go far wrong
a one OF the grave mistakes made B
a our early irrigators was the indl
n eliminate use OF water, with the r
" suit that thousands OF acroa OF one
10 productive land have been rondorC
n into yeritable swamps. and aka
A beds. The lamontable feature OF N
!, question IN the fact that with OI
!, sixty odd years Of experience some
our farmers are still following thei
erroneous methods. and are ruinin
- not only their own farms but those
u their unfortunate nelghbors, by e
liberal and careless application
- water This In especially true In son
]
'e or less heavy application IL needS
4. for the first few years. The troub
3. IN that they do not set the brake
N until u In too late, Once new va
a has been molstenod below the rnni
"A Of the plant roots II needs a great de
:. less water than II required 10 beg
.n with. the actual amount for the m
!, turing OF any certain crop will yai
" only with the seasons. cultivation, ur
u 30 on being the same. This being u
" case IL In possible to make an eco
d omlcal distribution Of the water
% ones disposal and use II In "A WI
~ which will not be detrimental 10 II
u. soil and In way 10 result In n
q. greatest returns to those concorno
N This question IN one Of prime impol
OF nnce TO the farmers In this arid reggie
I'd aud too much streAs cannot be Ia
to upon II.
N. Situated M we are In n Hectl,
~ where the rain and snowfall In We
=, low, we are dependent almost abs
lutely upon irrigation water TO
=, crease our agricultural possibilltl'
w The farming lands are almost unlll
W tied within the borders OF our stat,
but there IN decided limit Ia q
water supply. The question then.
not how much land have we? b
". how much water have We at our d
posal?
he The State Of Utah represents
area of over $4,000 square miles.
ny which only loo square miles are G
tivatcd and less than 1000 squn
W. miles or slightly under 1876 per &c
Of the total are actually irrignt'
Idaho In In similar condition
= What we need then most OF all Ia
distribution Of the water In such
way that the greatest possible
I'D turns can be obtained The probe
mi In not difficult OF solution II we OF
m. apply ourselves "a study OF con
"a lions ms we find them and 10 the
nd formation available. In the She
w time al my disposal ! hope 10 op