Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1914-06-27

ter restricted as much as possible
with the result that the canal ulti
mately because OF the greatest valu,
to- the country.
The present practice Of the Englisl
government In laying out irrigation
systems is to plan the drain as a pal
of the system and to obtain the righr
OF way for drains along with the RICH
OF way for the canal. Gloss Watcl
W kept on the ground water, ant
as soon as 1t appears within eight fee
OF the surface rigorous system oil
rotation is put into effect, and the
drain trenches are constructed. III
| applying such measures In this coun
try Sir William thought that the en-,
| glneers in charge would be voted out
Of office before they could carry out
their policy, but under the autocratic
sosernment OF India and Egypt they
We're able to do what they knew to
be for the ultimate good of the peo-
pie, who cursed them at first and
blessed them afterwards.
When asked the proper duty of
water, Sir William said that in Egypt
where there % practically no rainfall
and an extremely hot climate, the
universal practice was to give the
canals at the head capacity of one
.econd foot to 100 acres for maxi
mum use at time of flood the win
ter duty three times as much, OF
one second foot to 300 acres. He
was pronounced in his opinion thai
Which was sufficient for the hot ant
ralnless climate of Egypt should be
ample for our cooler and wetter eli
mate.
He stated that the English gov
3rnment had carried on extensive ex
)eriments On larger scale to find
the best duty of water. These exper-
ments were conducted on tracts
thousands of acres and on all kinds a
crops. From these experiments and
from the practice on large systems
he considered the duty of one sec
ond foot per 100 acres at the head
of the canal as all that the land could
use without INJURY. This would sup
ply all the water the soil could eyap-
crate. Any amount in excess to this
mad either to pass by percolation in
o the subsoil, where it accumulates
as ground water, and unless artificial
ly removed would result in the ulti-
mate ruin of the land.
Sir William compared the practice
in the Boise valley with that in the
vicinity of Los Angeles, where the
finest orchards in the world were
using one fourth the amount of wa.
ter now being used in the Boise val.
ley, the duty of water at Los Angeles
being one second foot to 200 acres.
This he considered the result of care
Jul use on thoroughly prepared soil.
supplemented by extensive fertiliza |
ton. They use all the stable man.
ire and other fertilizer obtainable |
from the cities and import blood and
bones from the packing houses of
Omaha and Chicago. They pay SIS
per acre, yearly for their water. S75
or fertilizer, and they receive as
much as $500 per acre for their
crop.
Too much stress he said could not
% laid on the necessity of fertiliza-
ion. The water is practically devoid
VI heterogeneous matter and many soils
lave little If any of this necessity of
liant growth. Trying to force crops
rom such soil by the use of water
a futile process resulting in the
'ventual ruin of the land or the con.
of expensive drainage
works.
When Sir Williams attention was
allied to the practice in the Snake
liver district, where canals serving
arge tracts of land are diverting the
'ater at the rate of one second foot
D every so acres and even more
l some cases, he was emphatic I'm .
is opinion that this was an extreme
excessive use of water which
'oald result in ultimate damage to
he land and expensive drainage ;
lorks for its reclamation. /
The warning given by Sir William |
Wilcox should carry great weight, s
he is an entirely disinterested OBJ
erver of the greatest possible exper- S
'nce and is probably the greatest
wing authority ON the subject. /
lis advice as to the more restricted |
Sc of the water and careful prep q
ration and fertilization of the soil, .
ill, if observed, have none but ben
ftcial effects. 1t will give a greater a
mount Of irrigable land, greater pro- v
uctlvity and increased land values. r
he neglect of his advice will re- b
riot the irrigable land i'm the Boise