Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-03-03
The Duty Of Water.
Continued From Page ID

functions and never ceases to gather,
hold and convey until 1t reaches the
river, the lake or the sea.
Let us follow some Of these waters
40 they are diverted TO farm for
irrigation upon an acre of alfalfa
upon which four ICONS OF cured hay
are to be grown. The thrifty farmer
has built up his soil in the five prin-
ciple plant foods-Humus, Nitrogen,
Phosphoric Acid, Potash and Lime In
a well balanced plant ration. He has
also provided his acre with water
right at duty OF 100 acres to the
second foot flow or AZ acres inches
per season or 200 tons OF water per
acre. AS soon as the water LIS APP
piled to the land, the real duty OF
water in agriculture begins. 1t dis
solves the plant foods; 1T supplies
the moisture necessary to the fullest
development of the soil organisms or
bacteria; 1t assists the bacteria in
the modification of these plant foods;
and, after all the Ingredients are re-
duced TO the finest state called
nitrates, (which Ia the only condition
suitable for plant use }, the water
holds it in solution and travels
Throughout the soil area and feeds
all plants with this nectar of Life
Right here another function In the
duty of water begins in making ito
journey to the atmosphere. 1t starts
at the terminals of each and every
branch of the elaborate root systems |
OF all the plants and begins the dis |
tribution of all the various substances
that make up the structure OF the
plant and permits itself, entirely
freed of its precious load of plant
food, to pass into the air In the enor-
nous quantity of 400 pounds to each
one pound of dried grain or cured hay
and straw. In this manner 1000
tons of 16 acre inches of water have
done their duty and have performed
every function that nature has re-
quired of them to the utmost economy.
But what of all the rest of the water
we brought to this acre; we started
with 1900 tons of AZ acre inches per
acre, it all fulfilled its office while in
the soil and become laden with nj
trates; the crops were able to give
transportation to the air of the 100
tons Of water only There are yet
1900 tons In this acre that must be
disposed of or 1T Wtll fill the soil so
full of water that no plants can grow.
1t tries to get away by passing down
through the sub-soil to some spring
or stream. II that 10 not sufficient
outlet the farmer spends his money
and. time in building waste ditch to
carry it away; always, of course, car
rying in solution its valuable load of
carefully prepared plant foods, and If
this does not suffice, the land is per-
forated with tile drains to offer still
further means of escape.
Some IS experiments and labora-
tory analyses have convinced the
writer that the waters passing from
farm lands robs them of valuable
plant foods. Eighteen experiments
have shown that water from the tile
drains carries, in many cases, az
much as 80 pounds of Humus, 2 2-10
pounds of Nitrogen, pounds of Phos
phoric Acid and 20 pounds of Potash
per acre inch of water discharged.
When we consider the values repre-
sented here we can see that no farm
can afford to lose any of these vital
elements.
Careful measurements and analyses
upon the writer's own tile drained
farm in Box Elder County, Utah,
shows that during two years some 10
acre inches of waste water passed
out of this soil or about acre inche
per year, and conveyed in the dis
charged waters during these two
years 300 pounds of Humus 20
pounds of Nitrogen, 40 pounds of
Phosphoric Acid and 1870 pounds of
Potash from each acre OF ground.
When We realize that all our arid
lands are in their natural state de-
fcient in Humus and Nitrogen, and
that We are blowing under alfalfa
and applying barn yard manures to
build up these very dement's and that
a 70 bushel oat crop takes from the
soil 81 pounds of Nitrogen, any school
boy can tell me that / cannot afford
tbs leak in my business.
believe it is safe to assume that
there are $4,000 acre feet Of water
that pass over or through the lands
under the Bear River Canal System