RFA'inW OF IRRIGATION INVHSTIGATIOXS FOR 1903. 



By Elwooi) Meai), Chief of Trrigation Investigations. 



The t'ollowiiig is a resume of the iiivestioations in irrio-ation and 

 drainage carried on by this Office during tiie past season in both the 

 arid and huniiil portions of the United States and a two-months"' stud}^ 

 of irrigation in northern Italy made by the writer. A comi)k'te report 

 of the work in some of the States can not l)e given at this writinjr, 

 because the computations and tabuhitions nece.ssar}' thereto have not 

 been completed. The special studies in irrigation carried on in the 

 diilV>rent States will be described separatel}". 



CALIFORNIA. 



S. FoKTiKK, Director ^Montana Kxiu'rimciit Statimi, in charge. 



In 1S>U3 the legislature of California appropriated ^1(),00() to aid this 

 Office in its investigations in California during the fiscal vears 11)04 and 

 1905. The agreement for this cooperation provides that each pai'ty 

 shall contribute ecjually to the expenses, and that the work in 190-4 

 shall include studies of the duty of water in irrigation and the factors 

 which influence it; studies of the methods of irrigation employed in 

 California, with a view to securing the adoption of better methods 

 than those now in conunon use; studies of loss of water from canals 

 and flumes through seepage and evaporation and the ])est means of 

 alleviating the injuries caused, either bj^ improving the construction 

 of canals or removing surplus water by drainage; studies of the 

 methods and cost of pumping water. 



The climate of California i)ermits of tlie production of special ci-ops, 

 such as citi'us fruits, grapes, and sugar beets, which have a high 

 acreage viilue, and which have raised the prices of land and water in 

 California above those of an}^ other State. This intensive agriculture, 

 however, occupies but a small part of the irrigated district. Over 

 4,000,000 acres of fertile lands are now seeded to wheat and barley, 

 and about 2,000,000 acres in adjacent fields are unproductive sununer 

 fallow. The average annual leturn from this vast acreage of unirri- 

 gated land, including the urea sununer fallowed, is probablv not over 

 ^T an acre. 



In some of the districts where citrus fruits are grown the high price 

 of land and water has extended the an^i irrigated until the adoption of 

 the most skillful and economical methods is neces.sary in order to 



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