Show FOR LESS IRRIGATION Excessive Use of Water Causing Much Damage By Proper Cultivation of Soil Surface of Ground l Is Kept Loose So That Moisture Is Prevented From Evaporating The more I 1 go over the state thO the themore more I see the tho necessity of ot the people people peo peo- pie being awakened to tho the fact that they must do more cultivation and less irrigation There arc vast areas of land all over the state that are being beIng being be be- ing ruined by excessive irrigation It ItIs Itis itIs Is causing large areas to become watter watter watter wat wat- ter logged and swampy says a writer In the tho Desert Farmer It is causing large areas to change from fertile ferUle fields to alkali beds It Is causing vast areas to be become ome run over run with weeds By proper cultivation of ot the soil the surface of the tile gro ground nd Is kept loose so that the moisture which has soaked Into It from rains and melting snows Is prevented from rising to the e and thus Into the air We can cultivate with less leRs expense expense ex ex- pense than we can Irrigate and our soil Boil by so doing Is always kept In better condition for crop pr production Irrigation always h has s the tendency to produce e shail shallow rooted plants because the roots always develop where they can get the moisture The roots of such plants will b be able to get less food tood from the soil soll for tor the dev development develop lop lop- ment moat of ot the plant than will Ute tire roots I of plants which penetrate to greater depths Into the so soil f. f because they will wip L have haVo less area rea from which which to draw iv their food tood Plants require a n considerable amount of at moisture for their proper d development It has been estimated tHat under normal conditions It takes about tons of ot water to produce one ton of ot alfalfa hay and about 61 50 tons of ot water to mature one bushel of ot wheat An inch of rainfall on one acre weighs a little over tons so that where tho the annual rainfall is about I 12 inches 1356 tons of or water falls I upon every acre of ot g gound ground every year This would be enough to produce 1 if It were all conserved and could be used by th the plants tons tans of alfalfa or 27 bushels of wheat Tho The only way in which we can conserve this moisture moisture mois mois- ture In the soil soll so that the plants can use It when they need it is by thorough thorough thor thor- thorough ough cultivation The cultivation too must be done at the proper time which is as soon In the spring as the ground can be worked without danger danger danger dan dan- ger ger of Injuring the texture of the soil soll and after each heavy rain storm If It It Is left until some seine more convenient time much moisture is lost Last spring I Induced a farmer to plow two acres of ot land upon the same day during the last week In May Soil SoU samples were taken to the depth of or eight feet immediately after plowing and Rl the moisture determined The two acres es contained about 16 per percent cent of moisture or 2240 tons of water was held beld In the soil on each acre to the depth of ot eight feet One acre was harrowed Imme immediately after plowing and the other acre was left rough without being harrowed for tor one week After a week soil soft samples were were again taken talen to the depth of eight feet teet The acre that had been harrowed had lost last 70 tons of or water while the acre that had bad not been harrowed had hp-d lost tons of water or enough to produce one ton of alfalfa or bushels or of wheat Think for a moment if It youcan youcan you youcan can of the thousands ot of tons of water Water water wa Wa- ter that are being lost Jost each ach day each week and each year in our state Think of ot the vast amount of ot IrrigatIng Irrigating irrigating ing this would save and the great increase Increase Increase in In- crease in yield wl which this would bring to our state |