Arizona republican., 1920-03-28
PAGE TWO

o D. Bureau of Soils Mir srranorn
 ih charge of complete soil survey
 VI ehe valley which gives the location
 CT the different types of soil. Mr. , S,i ianorn reports that no trace of black
 athail mas been found. The soil map Mnicn he IS preparing shows ordinary aIhll content to be low About 20
 per cent of the valley contains from i"o-tenths to three tenths of one per
 cent alkali and this amount, provid-
 .ns drainage conditions are favorable
 ls considered negligible so far as crop
 production is concerned. More than
 "aif or the valley shows no alkali al
 aH. The type of the vegetation is an
 index to the soil Practically the en-
 ure area is covered with arrow weed,
 mesquite. willow and some scattering
 cottonwoods. The arrow weed often
 atlains height of 20 feet.
 Crop Yields Have Been Large
 About 2o00 acres will be planted to
 cotton this year and the acreage will
 increase as fast as the land now leased
 DO settlers can be cleared. The Salt
 riFer Cotton company had the largest acreage Of cotton last year. rne cot
 ton grown by them is the Pima strain
 of the Arizona Egyptian long staple cotton. A long staple gin is operated
 oyzthis company which also has a large coqon farm near Sacaton Arizona
 Inelr cotton has been of the highest
 quality and the yield satisfactory.
 other lessees who are preparing to plant out large cotton acreages are A. sM- Douglas of Blythe. Fuller Bros. anf Russell of Los Angeles, Mosely Brps, k. E. Golding, R. l. Winn, R.
 Wfggins, C. s. Slocum. w. A. Jennings anp others A larger acreage will also beltilied by the Indian farmers
 4lthough cotton will be the leading crop. alfalfa and alfalfa seed growing have been demonstrated as successful. Summer crops of grain -sorghums such as milo maize produce we'll, and winter crops of barley are very profitable. At tne date of my visit on Marsh 12 photographs were taken of barley shoulder high and starting to head out
 0ther crops which adapted to the section are head lettuce, onions, cahtaloupes. spinach, asparagus, green peas, watermelons, sweet potatoes, pea nuts, Indian corn. as we'll as all kinds of svinter vegetables. On the mesa cit rus fruits such as oranges, lemons and grape fruit can be grown as well as dates, olives, pears, peaches, apricots, | plurns and other fruits. All year truck growing is possible due to the very mild winters
 Project to Cover Entire Valley
 The 56th congress appropriated funds | for survey of the larger reclamation project designed to cover the entire | valley.
 On June 12. 1919, C. A. Engle, the In dian Service engineer of the project | at Parker, submitted through Super | vIIng Engineer H. V. ClottS of Los | Angeles, detailed report of the pro- posed project including an estimate on | the diversion weir, canals, settling | basins, levees and drainage system. The report has been transmitted and | published in the hearings of the Com mittee on Indian Affairs of the last session of congress and can be secured bys addressing this committee. Addi- tiohal engineering data is just now be- ing completed by corps of engineers walking under c. A. Engle at Parker.
 The new project involves the cone strhction of diversion dam of the floa ting weir type in the Colorado river l 1zs miles above Parker. The diversion
 The new project involves the con- struction to the Laguna dam above Yuma. The Parker dam is planned at "a point in the river requiring a i length of 1900 feet whereas the Laguna ( dam is 4S00 feet in length. The Colo lI rado river at Parker has maximum l diseharge of 150,0O0 cubic feet per sec ond. A minimum discharge has been ] recorded as low as 1900 cubic rect per { second though the discharge seldom t falls below 2400 second feet During t theh irrigation season the river flow is greatly in excess of the requirements ( of other lands further down the river C on both the Arizona and California r sides so that there is little likelihood s that the project will encroach upon the Y water supply of projects already de- veIoped lower down.
 The diversion weir is designed to raise the water surface of the Colorado river IA feet above it's present minimum low water level Tn type the weir will resemble weirs first put into success ful operation in India and sometimes called Indian weirs- They are con structed of great masses of concrete and rock resting upon the sand The treat weight of the structure holds the { mpervious weir in place in the stream t hopgh it does not rest upon bedrock Tho great weight by pressure down ! ward reduces the velocity of water V which passes beneath to a point below I vhich might wash soil particles with it. f The distance from the upper edge of t he up sstream apron to the lower point h ,f the down stream apron is to be 1SS V eetswith further protecting rock-talus a m The downside apron of 114 feet s thickness. t Tie canal headworks are to be de- D igned to handle the great amounts of n fit tarried in the Colorado river. For d his@ purpose a bypass, settling basin E lnd5 cluice way is provided which c Iusnes the coarser soil particles and c nuch of the finer silt back into the h lvar allowing the clearer water to n