Show 4 i Scientific Drainage and Its Influence oi on 01 Waterlogged Land Purls Pacts soil oll conditions gild ami problems the o are arc coming coining to which h demands our attention and must be he t worked out The reclamation of ot seeped lends lands by a system of drainage is now attracting attracting attracting at at- much greater attention on the part of the government than reclamation re re- reclamation by irrigation Drainage re I projects usually being In a territory where formerly agriculture had been I well developed settlements established established established improvements made mad towns built buill 1 and roads with other transportation transportation trans trans- porta ion facilities provided In reclamation b by irrigation all allf Of tf f those features which may be bo round in well established communities communities ilie are absent in the initial stages of the undertaking and must be built It is therefore not strange that our government should encourage the reclamation of oC land lands once a source of wealth for Cor the owner the state late and the nation which may now be of small economic val value ue to the community or the nation For these reasons during the past ten years our national government has been conducting through field fieldwork fieldwork fieldwork work and scientific tests and observations observations by most capable engineers trained for this special work Tork an educational educational educational ed ed- all over the states of the irrigated West Vest where seepage ot of lands are liable to occur occur occur oc oc- oc- oc cur with such excellent results that today among those who have experienced experienced experienced ex ex- ex- ex or observed the beneficial results of scientific drainage of lands where irrigation has long been practiced practiced practiced there exists no fraction of a doubt but what drainage properly constructed will will drain and lands long unproductive communities ready ready ready rea rea- dy for abandonment and made to produce profitably form Corm thriving centers and owners find their land again valuable Profiting by the above tests and experiences experiences' not not not-a a state slate in the ir irrigated irrigated Ir- Ir west but what has restored thousands of acres of rich farm farmlands farmlands farmlands lands again to cultivation by prosperous prosperous prosperous pros pros- farmers who had been driven sri en n. n from the land by the Insidious of the lands comprising their homes Mineral salts as found in practically practically practically cally all the lands of the west are neither dangerous difficult of analysis anal anal- sis nor hard to understand but are generally of great benefit as plant producing qualities of the soil Where their harm has arisen and the resultant damage been accomplished accomplished pUshed has been in localities where the natural drainage of the soil has been insufficient and water from various sources has gradually arisen near the surface bringing with It the tho mineral qualities of the soil in such Huch that vegetable life Ufe was either dwarfed or destroyed destroyed depending depending depending de de- de- de pending on the amount of drainage yet effective In the soil You will here note that we have here stated that the the- and other mineral salts which all fertile ferUle soils must possess in order to produce produce produce pro pro- duce profitable crops were brought to the surface by the gradual rise of the water table or ground water sheet fed by the source of ot seepage This being an established fact it then only remains to lower this water water wat wat- er table to a point where the natural capillarity of the soil will select and take up Into the plant root toot such quantities of ot moisture as may be required required required re re- re- re for its growth and maturity the mineral salts being carried down downto to where they belong b by water vater again applied on the surface in irrigation such mineral salts being of ot much real value to the soil as a plant producer producer producer pro pro- ducer ducer but must in order to be useful be where they belong and not in excessive under grass roots or on the tho surface surface surface sur sur- face where they have been deposited by the ground water which has risen and which may In some instances have retreated again to a point sufficiently sufficiently suf suf- below the surface as to leave the surface white with alkali as such is usually called also dry and anel of appearance Water Vater having brot brat all this to the surface it remains remains' for water to again carry it downward This can canle be le read readily I accomplished by the combination combination combination com com- of two forces First lower the water table second cultivate and irrigate the surface Lowering the water table by establishing establishing establishing lishing a system of oC closed drains the same eventually opening into a a. large open outlet system Is what is known as drainage The cultivation and irrigation will willbe willbe be he a simple and profitable un undertaking ing when once the part which Is really out of oC sight has been cared for Another salient feature of this class of drainage the same standing out in well established form is Iff this Scarcely ever Is a Ii single individual individual individual dual able to develop and complete a plan of drainage ge which Is practicable practicable cable for lor him The rho movement must be cooperative tive The draining of or sWI swampy land landin in humid climates is a very simple matter in most moat cases only requiring a few fow open or closed ditches to effect ef effect effect ef- ef the desired end ond The drainage of lands once dry but now heavily seeped is IB a a. a subtle matter one re- re into a drainage district age causes as well as a definite understanding understanding un un- of the ground water movement Its Ita depth from the surface surface surface sur sur- I. I face amount of ot water to be cared I. I for with gradient and possible outlet to 10 be fully Cully determined ned Because of the nature of ot such seepage and the methods which must bo ho employed to rid the lands of this condition the problem of ot drainage of ot this character at t once becomes one which a single individual cannot handle for Cor two reasons First the expense would be too great gleat without c cooperative assistance and method ot of payment second a single Jual could hardly devise a system of af drainage where the ground water movement comes gradually in the form of a drift wherein such drift of water would not fill fm his open or closed ditches to a point where the Initial purposes thereof would fail to effect the desired end for be it remembered that drainage of seeped lands can only be effected el by lowerIng lowerIng lowering lower- lower Ing this water table below the danger danger danger dan dan- ger point and drains of Insufficient capacity or open ditches filled filed to the top do not accomplish this end in any event Because drainage of irrigated lands Is a a. cooperative movement states tates of the West Vest where irrigation irrigations is s practiced have by legislative enactments provided a way and means through drainage laws whereby whole communities may legally unite using their cooperative effort and establishing a a. drainage system for such community By Dy such united effort problems of financing the undertaking where time long loans and low tow rates of Interest interest interest in In- terest may be secured with initial overhead expenses divided and s sufficient sufficient dent carrying capacity of closed drains and ditches provided to care properly for all units of the system may all be secured where Individual effort would be sure of failure for forthe forto the to above stated reasons In order to study and determine the surface sub-surface conditions which cause the surface to be so highly mineralized and of ot such small agricultural agricultural agricultural agri agri- cultural value engineers trained Inthis in inthis inthis this class of work must be employed o 0 first determine the gradient of the theland theland land to be drained where the 11 tl drainage for each unit of the district district district dis dis- is and by a system of ot shallow movement and amount of ground vater from a given area drea This careful careful care care- ful CuI work requires some time and the proper deductions determine determine determine deter deter- mine the depth of the drains to be established the distance apart and I their carrying capacity required That our fertile valley l I which lies Immediately tributary to I 1 Oasis and Deseret has just been established es- es into a drainage oC of the the valley and naturally the richest in soil and water right It is to th the credit of those farseeing farseeing see far ing land owners and residents of ot the district as created with the County Commissioners of our county that this Mils undertaking has been accomplished accomplished for tor It shows that both petitioners pe- pe and county count Commissioners have seen large possibilities for the future of this valley A generously signed petition was presented our County Board Doard and no Protestants in evidence This fact Clone ilone shows how fully alive the resIdents residents residents res res- of ot the district with the County Coun Coun- ty Board are to the possibilities of ot the future development of this part of our vally where with a small cost per acre spread over a long period of years vears this rich alfalfa and sugar beet area will be bo producing heavily and nd providing its owners and resi- resi lents with the profits and pleasures which come como to prosperous ties One Ono other matter which is worthy of oC attention here is this Seepage of our lands has not overtaken overtaken overtaken over over- taken us rapidly enough in some cases ases for us to always know why we were losing out In farming Another fact is that some of our valley has has has' never been farmed and andras andias has ras always appeared bad to us because because because be be- cause it has never been used profit profit- ably In this connection therefore let letis letis is 18 remember first that such portions por por- of our land as was earliest cultivated in this valley where irritated irrl- irrl irrigated gated did lid yield abundantly and well ouch portion today yet et drained naturally naturally naturally na na- na- na along the bank of the river riv er r or an arroyo Is valuable and producing producing producing pro pro- heavily second that owing to the abundance of land as compared ed to settlers much of the land was left teft undeveloped until such time as might later demand in the meantime however seepage having begun to overcome the dev developed loped lands the undeveloped lands also seeping it might almost appear to a present day observer that the land which never has been cleared or cultivated was always bad and unfit for tor crop production simply because It never had been utilized for such purpose during the time when natural drainage drainage drain drain- age ge was still afforded What we must appreciate Is that the same forces which have overcome overcome over over- come our developed productive land have at the same time had a like effect effect effect ef ef- on that formerly fit for crop production production production pro pro- and the same methods of reclamation reclamation reclamation re re- re- re b by drainage employed will render it fit and valuable as that formerly under cultivation The drainage of this area has aa long tong been discussed It now appears appears ap ap- ap and pears as a definite undertaking by continued united effort may soon be happily accomplished The Chronicle Is interested inthis In Inthis Inthis this undertaking realizing full frill well what it means to this side of ot the valley valloy There Thero are numerous features to this development and during the i I I succeeding issues for Cor some weeks week's we will give our readers the benefits of what has been developed along alongI I this line where drainage of seeped J lands has been profitably proven We Ve have stated in a former issue of or the Chronicle that the people of the and and North Tract districts districts districts dis dis- dis- dis should begin to stud study drainage and this week we have had our at attention attention attention at- at called to the matter by One ona of the North Tract settlers who has us to assist in a publicity campaign to that end |