The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1912-05-31
FOR LESS IRRIGATION
Excessive Use of Water Causing
Much Damage.
BY Proper Cultivation of Soil, Surface
Of Ground Is Kept Loose So That
Moisture 10 Prevented
From Evaporatine.

The more go over the state. the
more | see the necessity OF the peo-
pie being awakened to the fact that
they must do more cultivation and
less irrigation. There are vast areas
OF land all over the state that are be-
Ing ruined by excessive irrigation. 1t
is causing large areas to become wat
ter logged and swampy. says a writer
In the Desert Farmer 1t is causing
large areas to change from fertile
fields to alkali beds. 1t is causing
vast areas to become over-ruh with
weeds
By proper cultivation of the soil,
the surface OF the ground is kept
loose so that the moisture whIch has
soaked into II from rains and melting
SHOWS is prevented from rising to the
surface and thus evaporating into the
air. We can cultivate with less ex-
pense than we can irrigate and our
soil by so doing is always kept in
better condition for crop production.
Irrigation always has the tendency to
produce shallow rooted plants because
the roots always develop where they
such plants will be able to get less
food from the soil for the develop
inent of the plant than will the roots
OF plants which penetrate to greater
depths into the soil because they will
have less area from which to draw
their food
Plants require considerable
amount of moisture for their proper
development. 1t has been estimated
that under normal conditions it takes
about $50 tons of water TO produce
one ton of alfalfa hay and about So
| tons of water to mature one bushel
| OF wheat An inch OF rainfall on one
acre weighs a little over ll3 tons. so
! that where the annual rainfall is about
y inches, 1856 tons OF water falls
upon every acre OF g ound every year
I This would be enough to produce. II it
were all conserved and could be used
| by the plants. l.SS tons of alfalfa or
- bushels of wheat. The only way
in which We can conserve this mois-
ture in the soil. so that the plants can
use il when they need it, is by thor
ough cultivation. The cultivation, too.
must be done at the proper time.
which is as soon in the spring as the
| ground can be worked without dan
ger OF injuring the texture OF the soil.
and after each heavy rain storm. II
| Ii is left until some more convenient
time much moisture is lost. Last
| spring | induced a farmer to pillow
two acres of land upon the same day
during the last week in May. Soil
samples We're taken to the depth OF
eight feet Immediately after blowing
and the moisture determined. The
two acres contained about 10 per cent.
of moisture or 2,240 tons of water was
held in the soil on each acre TO the
depth of eight feet One acre was
| narrowed Immediately after blowing
| and the other acre was left rough
without being narrowed for one week.
| After a week, soil samples were again
taken to the depth of eight feet The
acre that had been narrowed had lost
had not been narrowed had lost no
tons of water, or enough to produce
| one ton of alfalfa, or 1874 bushels OF
l wheat. Think for a moment, II you
| can. of the thousands of tons of wa
| ter that are being lost each day, each
week and each year in our state.
| Think OF the vast amount of irrigat-
/ ing this would save. and the great in
| crease in yield which this would
| bring to our state.