Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-10-17
VAST AREA OF MARSH
LANDS TO Be DRAINED
Thousands of Acres in Central Part of
State Could Be Made Productive
of Forage Crops.

| Vi TOEdkc NAVPS.
| prepared by Oregon Agricultural College)
| A half million acres of rich meadow
lands and idle tule marsh lands lying
in central Oregon can be brought into
vastly greater productiveness by con-
troll of the water and seeding to more
valuable forage crops. The present
practice of excessive flooding and in
adequate drainage browns out the
most valuable native grasses. The big
control systems now under construc-
ton in the Bitten, Klamath Falls
and other reclaimable districts were
explained to the American Peat So
ciety at it's annual meeting at Min
neapolis September 1925 by w. L.
Powers, chief of soils.
The lands are found mostly in huge
basins of the lake districts of south
central Oregon, the depressions having
been formed by faulting or by dam
ming of the natural channels by lava
flows. They have an elevation of near
1000 feet, with short growing seasons.
They are watered largely from melting
SHOWS in the mountains, the annual
rainfall being about IL inches per an
mum. There is a flood season and a
low water season, which makes arti-
fetal control of water essential to
most profitable production.
Wild flooding has been practiced,
under which only wild native grasses
or useless marsh plants can be pro-
duced in quantity. The improvements
call for storage of irrigation water for
distribution in less quantities and
throughout longer intervals, the con-
struction of levees for holding back
flood waters and the opening of drain
age outlets. This will allow for sub
stitution of clovers and domestic
grasses with higher yields of more
nutritious feeds.
Peat and silt loans are the chief
soil types of the void meadow coun-
try 1t is of medium depth and under
laid by a chalky material which is
resting on medium sandy loan.
Areas of deep peat occur in the lower
parts of the marshes near the open
water. Surrounding these areas at
higher attitudes are thin belts of peaty
loan, the whole frequently being sur
rounded by clay or mud flats inter-
spersed with peaty loan.
Typical dark silt loan of the mea-
dow lands is the most desirable soil
of the regions and constitutes the val
ley floors of eastern Oregon and much
OF the inter-mountain districts to the
east 1t grows fairly good quality of
wild hay and can be made to produce
good crops of domestic forage.
Fine sandy loan frequently sur
rounds the silt loan. It is alkali in
character and grows salt grasses and
grease woods, when not OVERLOADED
Much of this can be reclaimed by eff
fective drainage.
Sage brush land fringes the sandy
loan areas. Where the growth of
sage brush is heavy the soil is usually
well adapted to irrigation, which can
be made with flood waters held from
the marsh lands.
Drainage usually precedes irrigation
on these lands. A canal 60 feet wide
and % miles long has been construct
ed through Bitten valley. A canal of
like dimensions has also been run
through the Chewaukan marsh. In the
klamath lake districts the first step
in reclamation has been erection of
levees to hold back the lake water
Channels have also been dug to con-
duct the incoming waters direct to
the lake.
Flood waters were pumped out of
the protected basins in the Klamath
districts early in the spring, and ir-
rlsation water pumped on later in the
year. With this artificial control of
moisture large amounts of alkali were
| removed.
After the water has been removed
the tule areas are burnt off before the
peat has become dry enough to burn.
This affords some plant food and also
reduces the sourness and rawness of
the land. The land is then plowed at
medium depth, a wide pillow drawn by
caterpillar proving valuable.
Oats or oats and field peas are
grown as the first crop to tame the
soils before being seeded to meadow
plants. A permanent meadow mix
ture recommended for the reclaimed
lands is alsike and timothy. This crop
yields about three tons of hay per
acre and provides additional late pas
ture