Show EARLY WATER NEEDED FOR irrigation winter precipitation not always enough to start crops in the spring says irrigation expert farmers of the state are being urged by L al winsor irrigation engineer with the united states department 0 of agriculture and utah agricultural college extension division to examine the soil of their farms arms with a view of determining to what e extent they need to use early water in preparing their land tor for crop production this season recent examinations made by mr winsor indicated that the moisture supply in some soils or several different counties is insufficient to produce the best results unless it is supplemented by early irrigation A farm that contains the proper amount of moisture at the beginning of the season he be says will stand t two wo chances of one of producing a maximum crop when compared with the same farm under an inadequate supply our tests and observations have proved time and again that an increase of from 20 to per cent in yield may be obtained by the simple process of applying sufficient water over the irrigation surface to connect with the permanent moisture deep down in the soil and thus eliminate the dry subsoil which may often be found on a well drained farm at this time of year personally even it I 1 had only a limited supply of stored water I 1 would rather tap the reservoir in ia february or march and soak up a dry subsoil than to hold this stored water until later in june or july before drawing it out tor for the reason that a small application in early spring will go much farther than it will in summer in tact fact a limited supply of water applied to land which needs it early in the season will produce fully twice as much crop as the same a mount of water held over the startling discovery made in the recent study is the tact fact that without exception the farmers in the different sections believed that the winter precipitation had been sufficient to soak their lands all the way down they were invariably surprised to find that the winters rain and snow had soaked down six to nine inches in most cases on land which was dry at the close of last season where the soils were kept mols moist L last season they are moist now and in many cases will not need w water ater for some months in other cases however it would be better to apply a very light irrigation even where no dry subsoil is encountered but where it will stand a light soaking before saturation it is important to know that sur f face conditions dt at this time ot of year are not dependable indicators of what may be found deeper down it if the soil was dry at the close of last sea son I 1 am almost sure that the water user can encounter a dry subsoil now within a few inches on the vast majority ot of utah farms arms it if ho he does I 1 am also sate safe in recommending an early irrigation followed by a very moderate use of 0 water during the balance ot of the season |