The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-09-18
THE PRESENT DROUTH
AND NEXT YEARS DROUTH

feet on the farmer was to cut shOrt
his water supply for irrigation, an6
the immediate effect on the stock
man was to cut short the feed on the
range, and on much of the range
makes it necessary for animals to
travel longer distances for water.
The more remote efrects for the
farmer will be a reduced production
on his land and shortage OF hay
For the stockman the range will give
out earlier than usual, hay will be
more scarce and the desert ranges
will afford little or no feed.
We are speaking broadly of con-
ditions in the intermountain states.
The crops of the upper Snake river
valley may be normal and probably
are, but the forage usually found on
the semi-arid lands not watered are
parched and of little or no value for
fall and winter grazing. This neces-
states feeding his own animals
earlier from the farm crops, as we'll
as feeding the range stock earlier
than usual. 1t means greater con-
sumption of the products of the
farm, and especially the forage
crops, and at time. when large
areas of meadows yielded only a
fraction of the normal crop. Farm
ers who habitually have good pas
ture in their fields for fall. will have
less than usual, and in cases where
they could not keep the meadows ir-
rigated in the latter part of sum-
mer or early fall there will be al
most nothing. All these things COM
bine to increase the consumption OF
hay at time when the current sup
condition are the irrigated regions
where water has been plentiful or
where they have used it with such
great care that production has kept
up to normal The upper Snake riv-
er valley is one of those areas that
has very little land that has not been
kept moist This applies only to a
narrow strip, the irrigated farms,
and the great areas of range and
dry farm and natural meadows that
usually produce enough for summer
and fall pasture, and all the great
areas of desert adjacent to the farms
that usually have abundant winter
large are now parched and have lit
tie feed.
One extreme is often followed by
another and il the coming winter
should be long and severe, requiring
more feed for stock, the man who
weighs all things carefully at this
time will have less regrets. /
Western ranges and farms have
been pretty well depleted of their
livestock in recent years SO there is
not great opportunity for thinning
out the herds and flocks by sales.
Many of them are like the Kentucky
colonel who was stuck in the mud
md had nothing to- unload. Those
hat have little or no stock and have
crops and pasture to sell, should
make good use of it and remember
he possibility of it being covered
With early snow or bleached with
aims.
There are other effects of the
Irouth that will not be felt until ]
text year and even later. Plant
rowth has suffered from the drouth. {
ome plants lie dormant through {
routh and revive and flourish when {
aims come. Other plants are stunt t
d or killed by the drouth and do t
OF revive. Seedlings of various '
orage plants have started up and I
led, and there is not only the loss t
f these plants for year or more,
ut there is the barrenness of the G
Ind that introduces other losses. c
are ground does not hold the snow 7
nd rain and store it or delay the h
ln-off after a storm. Where the i
round becomes bare, the rain and a
low water run off quickly and form r
GODS. The rush of water washes f
way some or all of the soil on f
hich the plants flourish, and it be- a
,mes more difficult for seedlings h
again get foothold, so that areas
ay remain barren by reason of the "
'outh of one season. When there a
sod or vegetation and the rain and G
.ow lodge in it, the processes of tt
OWLu anu ucCdy SO Ou, COuotduIlJ y
lproving conditions, but as soon as W
is denuded of vegetation, the re- p,
rse is true. The water runs off, b.
e ground is again dry soon after k
shower, the soil is washed away, m
e ground is exposed to wind and it
n and loses life. The very ele- W
snts that meant life and growth in
d wealth, warm wind, warm sun NJ
d snow and rain, now work de- al
'uction at the points where the ri
ants died of drouth, and the soil Id
d rocks swept away by the un- Id
tural rush of water damages 9TH al
lands below by being swept across ca
deposited upon them, witness the w
3tructive flood between Ogden and er
1t Lake in the summer of 1928. co
The after effects of the drouth fr
On the available waters for irriga- co
n for 1925 take this form: If er
re is just normal precipitation If
lin and snow during the coming au
tier. the water available for irri-