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Show WATCH CN IRRIGATED LANDS i Few Observation Wells Will Give Do. sired Information About Ground Water on Farm. Many irrigated tracts have so good natural drainage that with even wasteful waste-ful irrigation the ground water will never rise sufficiently near the surface sur-face to cause water-iogging or by evap. orating from the soil cause alkali. On still other tracts prudent irrigation may be practiced indefinitely, while on others no amount of care in use 0. water will prevent, the reservoir of the soil from filling and the ground water from rising dangerously near the surface on at least the lower level-. Unfortunately, there is a large percentage of the latter classes of lands. A high state of productivity very frequently just procedes swamping. During these markedly productive seasons sea-sons the irrigator Is elated over the results from what he calls natural subirrigation and little dreams that in a year or two his farm will be a --It grass pasture, an alkali bog or a tule swamp. Surface slopes only in a very general way indicate the slopes of the 6ub-surfaee layers, which, after all, determine the movements move-ments of the ground water and provide pro-vide or cut off natural under drainage. Not infrequently an alkali bog will develop de-velop on a considerable slope apparently appar-ently without cause until an investigation investi-gation of the subsoil is made. This spring is none too soon to begin be-gin observing the behavior of the ground water on your farm. If it is not rising you will be pleased to know It, and if it is rising you should know it and how fast. A few observation wells will give you the desired information in-formation and will announce the need of supplementing the natural drainage with artificial drainage before it is too late or very expensive. The drainage to check a rising ground water level Is simple and inexpensive compared to that required to reclaim the same land after swamping or appearance of alkali. The above wells not only give the forewarning of danger, but show the rate of rise of ground water and give valuable information needed in planning the drainage system. Begin Be-gin now to observe the ground vater on your farm. |