SUGGESTIONS TO SETTLERS IN COLUMBIA RIVER VALLEY. 11 



becomes greater, a stricter adlierence to the terms of the contract 

 will doubtless be found necessary. This, in turn, will necessitate a 

 more economical use of water and some modifications in the present 

 methods of its distribution. 



The contracts of most companies call for a continuous delivery- of 

 the water. \Miere small holdings are the rule, this makes it difficult 

 to use either labor or water economically. The supply for a 10-acre 

 tract is ordinarily one-sLxteenth of a cubic foot per second. This is a 

 very small stream and is sufficient for only a very few furrows. To 

 irri'^ate a 10-acre tract with a constant stream of this size would 

 require altogether too much time on the part of the irrigator. In- 

 stead of delivering a continuous stream to each tract of land, arrange- 

 ments should be made for several farmers to receive their water in 

 rotation. Should four farmers make such an arrangement, each 

 would receive his full amount of water and be able to irrigate his land 

 in one-fourth of the time required with a continuous stream. This 

 would give a much more economical and efficient application of the 



CLEARING AND SEEDING NEW LAND. 



In various localities of the Columbia River Valley considerable 

 damage has been done by attempting to clear and seed sandy land 

 during the windy season. When the surface soil is stirred by grub- 

 bing the sagebrush, plowing, and leveling, the soil drifts and blows 

 very easily. The drifting sand may cut off all vegetation such as rye, 

 wheat, clover, and alfalfa. A sand blow caused in this way is an 

 injury not only to the owTier of the land but also to his neighbor on 

 whose farm the sand drifts. (See fig. 1.) A still further iniuiy is 

 caused by the filling of the irrigation ditches. When this occurs the 

 water must be turned off until the ditches can be cleared. Thus the 

 whole community may suffer by the mistake of a single person. The 

 new settler will do well, therefore, to exercise a great deal of judgment 

 in clearing his laml and bringing it into cultivation. 



Where there is danger of the soil blowing, the safest time to seed 

 new land is during late summer or early autumn. The sagebrush 

 may be removed at any time during the year provided the surface soil 

 is not stirred. Durmg June, July, and August the land may be 

 graded and the flumes and ditches prepared for irrigating. 



Durinc' the warmest weather of summer the surface soil dries out 

 very quickly and becomes very hot. Seeding might be ilone at any 

 time after the windy season is over were it not that the young plants 

 often wither antl dry up as they grow up through tliis hot surface layer 

 of soil. For this reason it is safest to delay the seeding until the 

 warmest weather is over and the surface soil has cooled a little. 



When the hottest weather is over, usually by the last of August, the 

 land to be sown is thoroughly irrigated, after which any releveling 



[Clr. fiO] 



