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Show I Use of Water is Subject I Of Work by Dr. Widtsoe H Anrlcultural Expert Completes Treat- M lie On Proper Irrigation H Methods B "The Production ' Dry Matter H With Different Qunntltlcs of Water" B Is the subject of a treatlso by Dr. J. 1 A. Widtsoe, president of the Utah H Agricultural Cotlcgo, who haB been B working in co-opcratlon with the ov- H ))crlmcnt stations with the United States department of agriculture. M Tbo treatise, tho result of several years of persistent study, Is valuablo H to tho farmer In that it lays partlc- 8 nlar stress on tho crop yield of acre- fl ago where a limited supply of wa'er M Is procurable as ngalnst tho yield of H ono aero upon which that water sup- H ply Is concentrated. Tho dry matter fl producing power of thirty ncrc-lnclies H of water, for instanco is thus shown H in tables comparing tho yield of ono B acre whero the water Is conccntrnt- H cd and four acres whero the water Is H distributed: H One Four H Crop Acre Acres H Wheat 0,951 22.1S0 H Corn 15,294 43,028 H Alfalfa 8,133 32,072 H Sugar DcctB 10,271 ?.,2X H 1'otatocs 3.CG0 10,320 M Where Water Counts M "In irrigated sections in which land H is relatively abundant and water re- H ' lativcly limited," says the treatise, H "tho acre yield, whllo of great I.ti- H portnnce, cannot bo considered aluue. H Under humid conditions a farm is H measured by tho number of nr-ies It H embraces. Under Irrigated conditions H tho valuo of a farm depends on I he H acres of land and tho acrc-fcct or vu H tcr tho water usually costing more M than tho land. Under the latter con- M dltions therefore, tho highest yield M per unit of water must be considered M ns well as the yield per aero of land. B "With wheat 700 pounds of dry H matter were produced when 30 aero H Inches of water woro applied to one H ' ' ' acre, but when tho same quantity of H . water was applied to four acres more H than 22,000 pounds of dry matter, M were obtained or moro than thrco B times as much for the same amount HBj HBl "Considering tho community as a HBJ whole and especially tho development of a great populous country In the HBJ arid west, the aero yield falls Into HBJ inslgnlflcanco In comparison with the H aero Inch yield. As we grow In popu- H latlon we shall bo less anxious about H tho actual aero yield obtained from H any ono crop than about tho produc- H tlon of foodstuffs for tho maintenance H of a happy people. This Is the wo'k M at irrigation." H Field of Experiments M The Held work of tho Agricultural H College on which this data was has- M , ed was dono on tho Greenville and H Krnnkhnuser farms, north of the col-M col-M ,; lego campus at Logan. Doth farms H j ' were equipped with a system of weirs H ( and flumes, sor that accurately mens- H ured water could be obtained 'r,-e H water came from tho Logan river. H llcsldes tho grains and cereals onions HKS nnd carrots, corn and other crops H were planted for the gaining of oth- H cr data. Tho work began In 1002 nnd H the Information Is thc result of 12 H years experimentation. In tho years M between 1903 and 1911 Inclusive, C55 H separate trials and tests wcro made. H Sugar beets were given tho most ex- M haustlvo tryouts with 1E2, wheat got M 142 trials and potatoes 121 and corn M Si , in these trials dry farming also B entered Into the calculations. Prof. M Wldtsoo says of this: H. "Tho natural precipitation, or tho water stored in tho soil at seed time, B and that which falls during tho grow-H grow-H ing season has n definite producing B power, Independent of tho Urination B water. With proper planting and caro Bi nearly all crops of tho arid region H will yield somo harvest without addl- H1 tlonal Irrigation water Tho true pur- poso of irrigation is to supplement thc natural precipitation and thus procuro larger crops. Irrigation Is not a primary art; It should alwaya bo practiced with referenco to tho natural precipitation." In cxporlmentB with different crops it was found that thoy averaged without with-out irrigation about 75 per cent of what would havo been grown with Ir rlgatlon to aid. Tho percentages aro wheat 8C.8; oats, 80.2; corn, 80.1; alfalfa, 72.0; potatoes, C7.0. Spoclal attention Is called to tho fact that tho experiments although carefully mado wcro dono on ono farm and In ono locality, and that the crops might vary with different localities. local-ities. It 1b proven, however, that generally gen-erally speaking tho ratloa would remain re-main much tho same. Tho unproductive unproduc-tive land would bo a little more unproductive un-productive If no irrigation is used, the productive land would bo oven moro productlvo If Irrigated to reinforce rein-force tho waters lying In the soil. |
