42 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



MONTANA. 



Experiments to determine the losses of water from soil by evapora- 

 tion have been carried on for the past three years in cooperation with 

 the State experiment station at Bozeman. L. F. Geiseker has charge 

 of this work. 



NORTH DAKOTA, 



Experiments similar to those described for Montana have been 

 conducted in cooperation with the State experiment station at Willis- 

 ton, with E. G. Schollander in charge. 



KANSAS. 



The greater part of the irrigated land of Kansas is in the extreme 

 western portion of the State in the Arkansas Valley. J. W. Long- 

 streth is our agent in this territory, with headquarters at Lakin. He 

 has investigated the present irrigation practice in the Arkansas Val- 

 ley and in other sections of the State where irrigation is practiced 

 and has made a special study of pumping plants, since fully one-half 

 the irrigation is done with pumped water. Experiments have been 

 conducted to determine the proper method of applying pumped 

 water to sandy soils in order to secure a uniform distribution and 

 prevent excessive losses by deep percolation. Small applications 

 applied at frequent intervals seem to be the best method under such 

 conditions. 



Some good results have been secured by winter irrigation with 

 ditch water and it is believed that, owing to the large flow in the 

 Arkansas River during the winter months, considerable areas can 

 be irrigated profitably in this way. 



TEXAS. 



W. L. Rockwell is in charge of the work in this State, with head- 

 quarters at San Antonio. Rapid development is being made in 

 irrigation and consequently large areas are being put under cultiva- 

 tion by farmers unfamiliar with irrigation practice. Our agent has 

 therefore devoted the greater part of his time to visiting the sec- 

 tions where irrigation is practiced and giving advice to new settlers. 

 In some of the older irrigated sections very crude and wasteful 

 methods are employed and he is endeavoring to bring about a reform 

 in these methods which will result in extending the irrigated area 

 and increasing the crop returns. There are a large number of pump- 

 ing plants in the State, and these are also being studied. 



