IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS. 37 



As has been the case for many years, many requests for information 

 along nutrition lines were received from Members of Congress, teach- 

 ers, institution managers, home makers, and others. 



The work connected Avith nutrition investigations, as heretofore, 

 has been in charge of Dr. C. F. Langworthy. 



IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS. 



For a number of 3^ears after this division of the office was estab- 

 lished the headquarters of the field force were for the most part at 

 two central stations. One of these was located at Cheyenne, Wyo., 

 and represented the Eocky Mountain States; the other was at Berke- 

 ley, Cal., and represented the Pacific Coast States. This arrange- 

 ment necessitated too much travel and was in other respects undesira- 

 ble. Accordingly, during the past three years a reorganization of the 

 field force has been undertaken by Dr. Fortier, the chief of this 

 division. This readjustment consisted in placing an agent in charge 

 of irrigation investigations in each State of the arid region. Already 

 10 State agencies have been established, and as soon as sufficient funds 

 can be secured agents will be appointed in the other Western States. 

 The wisdom of this plan has been fully shown by the results obtained 

 since the change was made. It has been found that the agent whose 

 duties are confined to a single State has a much better opportunity to 

 become familiar with local conditions as regards irrigation and its 

 allied subjects. This knowledge is necessary to one whose business 

 it is to advise and instruct farmers and the officers of irrigation enter- 

 prises of all kinds with a view to bringing about better methods. If 

 he is the right kind of man, the longer he represents a State the more 

 knowledge he will acquire regarding its conditions and possibilities, 

 and the more valuable will his services become. 



In the following paragraphs are given a brief description of the 

 work undertaken during the past year and of some of the more prom- 

 inent irrigation features in each of the fields of ojseration. 



CALIFORNIA. 



The work in this State is under the general supervision of Frank 

 Adams, with headquarters at Berkeley. He is assisted by V. M. 

 Cone, in charge of the San Joaquin Yalle}^, and by C. E. Tait, 

 in charge of southern California. The State cooperates with this 

 office in the work by contributing one-half of the funds necessary to 

 carry on the investigations. A tract consisting of about 15 acres on 

 the university farm at Davis has been set aside for experiments in 

 irrigation. This tract is subdivided in such a way as to illustrate the 

 various methods of applying water and in the channels which supply 

 water different devices for the measurement and division of water 



