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Show -ttfCMi E WE WATER Of Present Scant Supply Largs I Amount Is Wasted. People Wholly Inexperienced In Proper Prop-er Methods Misuse Artificial Article Ar-ticle With Characteristic American Extravagance. Water has been carried to vast areas of hitherto unproductive desert lands by the expenditure of many millions mil-lions of dollcrs by the I'nlted States government and many millions of dollars dol-lars more are already planned to be spent In claiming for the husbandman husband-man empires of land now shunned by man. says Orchard and Farm. With all this work completed and planned the field of endeavor In winning from the desert has only been fairly entered en-tered upon. F.very step forward la to be applauded, ap-plauded, and while only the "high places" have been embraced In the work of the past and that now planned, bona fide conservation will excel much more than Is contemplated. The unfortunate fact regarding Irrigated Ir-rigated lands, wherever they are, Is that people wholly Inexperienced In proper methods, misuse the artificial water supply with characteristic American Amer-ican extravagancy and prodigality, considering only the present, heedless of the future. Of the present scant supply a large percentage is absolutely wasted. Insofar Inso-far as benefitting cultivated acreage 1b concerned, because of the unscientific unscien-tific distribution and lack of engineering engineer-ing direction In the preparation of Deld laterals. Evaporation and seepage, overflow and leakage claim more than the cultivated culti-vated land receives. Over-Irrigated lands soon become of as little value as those having no Irrigation supply. The very selection of crops soon show complete Ignorance of the value of Irrigation. Irrigation Is expensive at the best, and the Idea that water artificially supplied to the land Is a mere substitute sub-stitute for the rains that fell regularly, regular-ly, or frequently "In good old days," often referred to by "old timers," Is a fallacy It were well to be rid of at once and all time. To plant crops that will yield but 1 $10, (15 or $20 an acre on Irrigated 1 land Is a loss of time and energy. Ten I acres well and understanding Irrl- ' gated and cultivated, should produoe ' more than 40 or even 80 are made to 1 at this time, and excess of water will 1 hot accomplish the purpose of the grower. t ' Many thousands of .acres of the finest fin-est vineyards In Csll'irnla have been 1 badly damagtXrTjy-yesslve appfc- ' tion of water and must be again i "re- D rlalmed" by drainage. The same. Is ' true of a large section In the salt Lake valley and In the valley below cl Fort Collins, Col. At llarstow, Tex., It has been found necessary to dig iru- j mense drainage canals to carry off the ' xcess water with which he soil Das been saturated, and the anomaly ano-maly Is preaented of Irrigation and 11 Irainage ditches paralleling each oth- sr. the latter to counteract the unwise ' ind extravagant uae of the former. And this, In the face of a cruel short- ' age of water, thousands of acres are not tilled for want f any supply whatever. R It might be well for each Irrigation lection to have a board of practical Ir- ft rigstlonlsta who, with engineering dl- d rectlon should educate all users of Ir- rlgatlon waters In the prudent and ju- f dlclous distribution. ( The greatest advantage In Irrigation la the having of. water "on tap" to use when needed and held In reserve when not needed. In a country where It rains but seldom sel-dom and never In violent storms, fi weather forecasts may be Ignored, but In a land where cloudbursts and semi- p deluges are among the probabilities, a "double dose" should be guarded r sgaiust with every possible precaution. Having secured a water supply treat n It as If It wss worth money do not g throw It away. I-earn how much Is required re-quired to mature each crop planted and use no more. Including the natural j, precipitation. Do uot drown your lands Just because you are entitled to (( take the water. If you do not need a t( windbreak, plant fruit trees along your ditches Instead of shade trees. The Mormons do this with good results. 1 Do not flood your orchards, fruit c trees do not need as much as alfalfa, and moisture encourages the presence n of Insect pests. " Find what your land Is best adapted for and speclslixe those crops. Do not try to force nature against her will " you'll lose money trying. |