[Cir. 129— C] 



THE WORK OF THE UMATH.LA EXPERIMENT FARM IN U)12.^ 



By R. W. Allen, Collaborator, Office of Western Irrigation Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The average annual rainfall on the Umatilla Project is only about 9 

 inches. The altituilo averages 470 feet, and the growing season is 

 relatively long. Much of the soil on the jiroject is sandy and prac- 

 cally all of it is deficient in vegetable matter, so that it is easily moved 

 by wmd, and its water-holding capacity is not high. The size of the 

 farm unit is limited to 40 acres. In 1912 the average irrigable area 

 of the 295 farm units on the project was about 30 acres, and an 

 average of only 16 acres per farm unit was actually irrigated. 



Fig. 1.— View showing the buildings on the Umatilla Experiment Farm. 



On account of the small size of these farms it is necessary that 

 systems of intensive agriculture be established. The low altitude 

 and long growling season are well suited to the production of certain 

 truck crops and fruits and to dauy farming. One of the first require- 

 ments m successfully establishing crop production on the project is to 

 supply the soil wdth organic matter, so as to reduce the damage by 

 soil blowing and. to increase the water-holdmg capacity. It is neces- 



1 Issued June 7, 1913. 



The Umatilla Experiment Farm is located on the Umatilla Reclamation Project, about 2 miles north 

 of Hermiston, Oreg. The farm contains 40 acres of land withdrawn from entry in 1908 by the Department 

 of the Interior for use as an experiment farm. It is maintained by the Oregon Agricultural Experiment 

 Station and is operated in cooperation wilh the Rureau of riant Industry, United States Department of 

 Agriculture, under a cooperative agreement. Operations were begun in 1909. The buildings (see fig. 1) 

 used were constructed by the United States Reclamation Service and by the Oregon Agricultiual Experi- 

 ment Station. The expenses of the farm are shared equally by the Oregon station and the OtTice of 

 Western Irrigation Agriculture. The investigational work is inidcr the immediate supervision of a farm 

 superintendent , who is also a collaborator of the Bureau of Plant Industry. 



[Cir. 129] 21 



