OCR Text |
Show The Need for Late Fall and Early Spring- Irrigations Cache Valley received le precipitation pre-cipitation during the perioj Com October 1, 1923 to September 30. 1924 than during any similar period on record, and the records at Logan extend over a period of some 2S y-r-. '"or.iinc to Prof?-or Clyde of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. The normal precipitation at Logan for the period of re-orlj is 16.46 inches. The seasonal pi-cipltation pi-cipltation for the period from October Octo-ber 1, 1923 to September 30, 1 f, 2 1 was 9.S6 inches or 60 per cr-nt of normal. This marked shortage in precipitation rs common thruout the Etate only to different decrees. The results of this beio'.v norma! precipitation were two fold. The lack of precipitation during April. May and June left the soil deficient In moisture. O"op, were starter! with difficulty an 1 in some cuo. only after the land had hern rr gated. The deficiency in precipitation precipita-tion cirried on tlirouehout the summer sum-mer and the crops were maintainor! only by irrigation. At the end of the irrigation snton the t-oil moisture mois-ture which had been supplied by irrigation ir-rigation had become dc-pli'-(-d to sur-h 8n extent that In certain areas It has been necessary to Irriraff the sneari beets to facilitate their harvesting ; The second result of the below normal nor-mal precipitation has ben the marked mark-ed decrease In the annual stream flow. V.'ith the exception of th- Sfoawberry Ro-'.'-rvoir nearly every 'esrvolr In the state Is dry. Thla Is an unusual condition. In general the soils thruout tl:; state ore very deficient in Minis' up; (r.ntf-Tit at the present tltii". The rani:'"f are dy. Many ar'-aa on the L'"-in drainage are rnvr.yr., v.- i t ' lar;'e cracks, mriny of which are ' Ineheq wide, ,-md 2 to feet rb-ep. If It siio:!l 1 happen that the ground freeze, up for the winter after a few li'rht n'or-rn the winter precipitation precipita-tion will have little effect, in supplying supply-ing mol 'tiire tr, the soil. Thi". vo'ild me-an that next Kprirn- it v.-onli l,e ahfviut'ly neces-ary to irri;;ati' he-fore he-fore planting or to Irri 'a'r- crops up. It WOllld be 11 1 1 1 ( h heller to I'pplv the water now and fiil the soil with rimlifiire rather than ra.n.Me on the w ' h'r. It hai la - a ri ron- flu'ively ihat wlie-e land v.ni Irrigate,! Ir-rigate,! ale In the fall ami planter trp ,r-ets I h f 1 1 ! I o v.- i n l', aprlllg, ill M p ' t r? Of the rlef'cie'11 p I a c ' , i ' i , , ;, ',,,' Han i vi oh' .1 i tie '. At III" prc icnt fee m't'-h 'i',r Is roln;: by the furrr-.s to wast" which rmill he vry j.roflt.-itrly utilize,! In fall Irrigation. The snow cover on the I.riL-,,i. drnn 'ago during the winter of :2';-2 was about 'JO percent of normal ''iitlJJ duo to tho abnormal Hpi in;; anil ca.ly J summer prrn-ipit at ion and the op'"11 n Icond.lion of the srill whim tin; snow ' fell the BtPMin flow w.n decrease.1 in br.twer.n aD and fin j. r r r-n t of norma. flow. Know- surveys carried on ': the l.oan ari'a fr;und lli.it ti nr face, .sr.il uiirb-r tin' snow rnver y. i ; J iot frozen and that nieliin: I. ml, place from the bottom of the v blanket. Should thai cmidilh.n - rur ur,nn this year with the r(-tr jioll In its exceptionally dry :! a J very grr'at portion of whatewr snrrw m comes w-ill nev r p -oii the 'tsr"im Such (i condition v.-oubl i l"-v v.atr-r suj;dy whir h. r ritip!.' I I. ..;.!'. w ltli a deficient iii i j i : 1 1 ; r . tii,. In I he h'II to bft-lti with. v. -I'll I w mi' ' KerloiiH haril'iliii on Ih" i i 1 1 -: 1 1 1 . , r farmer. - I'reparn for a rlty laa-nn. If li r-rinies yroi are eotr.idei a h'y ah, "I n ' your nri-hlair. If 't rlnr.-i not , ' al li'.'rit liiiinre your it'"i: of - elf , rtlt moisture Kilpply to ;:lail irowi'i IlTl-.'llle now. 111! a fall. If voil can pi! O Fihly y;et the V.ate;-. If tint, thi ll I" prepnred to iilllhai ll.e hi'1 nt.riir; tJ runoff In only Hprlnt; lr rl ,;at Ions. |