IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS. 41 



of our agent is therefore of an educational nature, to induce bet-ter 

 and more economical methods of growing irrigated crops. Consid- 

 erable areas in New Mexico are irrigated with pumped w^ater, and 

 data have been obtained regarding pumping plants which will be of 

 value to those who contemplate installing new plants. Measurements 

 have also been made on a number of canals to determine roughly the 

 amount of water being applied by present wasteful methods and data 

 have been collected showing the yields which have been obtained 

 under such conditions. Experiments with evaporation tanks to de- 

 termine losses of moisture from irrigated soil have been carried on at 

 the New Mexico station for the past three years. 



COLORADO. 



The work in this State of late years has been largely experimental. 

 A demonstration farm 40 acres in size is maintained at Eads under 

 the direct charge of W. H. Lauck. The work consists in part of 

 a comparison between dry farming and irrigation, the use of small 

 supplies of pumped water as a supplement to dry farming, and the 

 proper handling of the soil to prevent the damaging effects of high 

 wnnds. 



Experimental tracts are also maintained at Rocky ford and Canon 

 City, of which R. G. Hemphill is in charge. At Rockyford com- 

 parisons have been made with different methods of irrigating sugar 

 beets, such as the every and alternate row irrigation, rapid and slow 

 irrigation, and different number of irrigations. At Canon City the 

 Avork has consisted of comparisons in a 4-acre apple orchard of clean 

 cultivation and light irrigations versus intercropping and heavy irri- 

 gations. The results here seem to favor clean cultivation in bearing 

 orchards. 



WYOMING. 



In this State the work has been confined to tw^o experimental 

 farms, one located at Cheyenne, under the direction of John H. Gor- 

 don, and the other at Newcastle, under the direction of R. E. Mahoney. 

 The Che3'enne farm consists of TO acres and was the first of its kind 

 established by the office. The chief lines of work have been to demon- 

 strate the advantage of having a small supplemental water supply as 

 a supplement to dry farming and of utilizing the flow of streams dur- 

 ing the winter months by irrigation in connection with thorough cul- 

 tivation. Comparisons have been made of different types of wind- 

 mills, and experiments wath various materials suitable for lining 

 small reservoirs have been made. The work at Newcastle is along 

 practically the same lines as that at Cheyenne. Two circulars ^ have 

 been published giving the results obtained at these two stations. 



lU. S. Dept. Agi-., Office Expt. Stas. Circs. 92, 95. 



