Show NEED FOR LATE FALL AND EARLY SPRING irrigations cache valley received less lass precipitation during the period 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 28 years according to professor clyde of the utah agricultural Agri Exper experiment imant station the normal precipitation at logan tor for the period of records Is 1646 inches the seasonal preci tor for the period october 1 1923 to september 30 1324 1904 was akas inches or 60 per cent gi 0 normal or this marked shortage in precipitation is common throughout the tha state dorily to different degrees the results of this below normal precipitation were two told fold the lack ot of precipitation during april alay and june left the soil deficient in moisture crops were started with difficulty and in some cases only after the carld had been irrigated the deficiency in precipitation carried on throughout the summer and the crops were maintained orly by irrigation at the end of the irrigation season the soil mois moisture Enre which had been supplied by irrigation had become depleted to such an extent that in certain areas it has been necessary to irrigate the tha sugar beets to facilitate their harvesting the second result of the below normal precipitation has been the marked decrease in the annual stream f flow I 1 ow with the exception of the strawberry reservoir nearly every reservoir in the state is dry this is an unusual condition in general the soils boils throughout tate state are very deficient it ini mol moisture sture content at the present time the ranges are dry many areas on the logan drainage are covered with large cracks many of which are 2 inches wide ard and 2 or 3 feet deep it if it should happen that the ground freezes up tor for the winter after a few light storms the winter precipitation pi tation will have little in supplying moisture to the soil this would mean that next nest spring it would be absolutely necessary cece u ec seary essary to irrigate before planting or t to 0 irrigate crops up it would be much better to apply the water now and fill the soil with moisture rather than gamble on the weather it has been shown conclusively clu that where land was irrigated late irl IE the tall fall and planted to be beets 6 t a the following spring in spite ot of the deficient precipitation a good stand was obtained at the present time much water is going by the farms to waste which could be very profitably utilized in tall fall irrigation the snow cover on the logan drainage during the winter ot of 1923 and 1924 was about 90 per cent ot of normal but due to the abnormal spring and early summer precipitation and the open condition of 0 the soil when the snow allow tell fell the stream flow was decreased to between 50 and 60 per cent of normal flow snow surveys carried on over the logan area lourid that the surface soil under the snow cover was not frozen and that melting took place from the bottom ot of the snow blanket should that condition occur agaid this year with the surface soil in its exceptionally dry state a very great portion ot of whatever snow comes will never reach the streams such a condition would cause a low water supply which coupled together with a deficient moisture supply in the soil to begin with would work a serious hardship on the farmer prepare for a dry season it if it comes you are considerably ahead of your neighbor it if it does not you at least ansue your crops of sufficient moisture supply to start growth irrigate now this tall fall it you can possibly got get the water it not then be prepared to utilize the first spring runoff in early spring irrigations i J i |