Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1912-03-21
ECONOMICAL DISTRIBUTION
OF IRRIGATION WATER
BY l. M. WiNsoR, Utah Agriculture
College.


According to many historians. irri
CATION is one of the Oldest applied
arts; one writer even claims that it
is made a distinctive feature OF the
middle status of barbarism. Ancient
Egypt became the granary of the
through the overlooking of the Nile;
through irrigation Chaldea, Assyria,
and Babylonia, located as they were
In a practically rainless country along
the valley OF the Tigris and Euph-
rates, rose to enviable prominence and
dominion. The Chinese, the Romans
and the Moors, all made use OF irriga-
ton.
In this country we find evidence OF
it as practiced by the ancient inhab-
itants of this continent and later in
the gardens of the old mission fathers
of southern California Numerous
other examples TO prove the import
ance OF irrigation as factor in ma
BODYBUILDING might be cited; but TO
the Anglo Saxon race the art had its
birth but little more than half cen
-ury ago This seems doubly strange
when we look into history and find
that at this time over l3S,0O0000 acres
OF land had been reclaimed by irriga
ton in different parts of the world
Perhaps this can be explained on the
theory that the Germanic peoples
have always written history much
faster than they have read it.
However this may be- the first at
tempt by the Anglo-Saxons to re
claim the arid wastes of land wal
made in the summer of lS47. in thu
Salt Lake valley by a little band o
Mormon pioneers. To them We ow'
the birth OF the modern art of irriga
ton. and the working out of the &C
operative system as we have it il
: practice today.
The irrigation contaglon 500
spread and became not only the go'
erning factor in the establishing {
Mormon towns. but in the colonizin
of the entire arid west.
Irrigation as an art falls into tw
divisions:
LIST Irrigation as a primary art, an
End Irrigation as a secondary ar
BY the first we mean the using {
irrigation TO take the place OF cultiv
ton. fertilization, and so on; and
the second We mean the using OF
rigation water merely to supplemei
the natural precipitation. The latt'
is the correct use of irrigation. II
. farmer uses dry farm methods alor
with his practice OF irrigation he ca
, not 20 far wrong
One of the grave mistakes made
q our early irrigators was the indi
, criminate use of water. with the I
suit that thousands OF acres OF on,
o productive land have been renders
into veritable swamps. and alki
beds The lamentable feature OF tn
question is the fact that with o.
sixty odd years of experience some
our farmers are still following the
o erroneous methods. and are ruinil
L not only their own farms but those
@ their unfortunate neighbors. by 4
G liberal and careless application
IS water This is especially true in sor
of the newer sections where n mo
y. or less heavy application is need
= for the first few years. The trouh
~, is that they do not set the brake
- until II is too late. Once new 81
has been moistened below the ran
u OF the plant roots II needs great de
is less water than ii required 10 beg
with. the actual amount for the n
II turing of any certain crop will va
Il only with the seasons. cultivation. a
SO on being the same. This being I
case il is possible to make an eco
omical distribution of the water
ones disposal and use 1t in a W
which will not be detrimental to
soil and i'm way to result in {
Ut greatest returns to those concern'
This question is one Of prime impo
nd ance to the farmers in this arid regi
ny and too much stress cannot be |;
as upon IL.
at Situated as we are In sect
where the rain and snowfall is We
NO low, we are dependent almost alb
N. lutely upon irrigation water to
-. crease our agricultural posslbiliti
w The farming lands are almost uni
"e tied within the borders of our stat
but there Is decided limit to
to water supply. The question then.
er not how much land have we?
I'D how much water have We at our
ed posal?
We The State of Utah represents
off area of over $4,000 square miles.
.iu which only LOO square miles are {
M tivated and less than 1000 SOU
no miles or slightly under 1.25 per C
y, OF the total are actually irrigat
IN Idaho is in similar conditio
What we need then most of all II
ed distribution of the water In such
we way that the greatest POSSIBLE
no turns can be obtained. The prob
ms is not difficult of solution If we o
ult apply ourselves to a study of col
nd lions as we find them and to the
,ed formation available. In the sh
arc time at my disposal ! hope to OF
20 m a line OF thought which will
on -