584 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.36 



" The development proposed in the Owyhee Project is the irrigation of about 

 18,100 acres of land lying partly on both sides of Owyhee River in the vicinity 

 of Mitchell Butte, and in addition the inclusion within the project of about 

 4,900 acres now served from the Ontario-Nyssa Canal (Shoestring Ditch), which 

 derives its supply for irrigation use by pumping from Snake River. ... A 

 soil and agricultural survey of the area included within the project . . . shows 

 that this area is capable of a fairly intensive cultivation and is as promising 

 as any arid soil in the State which is susceptible of reclamation by irriga- 

 tion. . . . The duty of water adopted for the lands of this project is 2.6 ft. 

 in depth during the irrigating season for the lands under the main gravity 

 canal on the north side of the river and on the lands served from the Ontario- 

 Nyssa Canal. The corresponding duty for all the other lands of the project 

 is 2.1 ft. in depth. Distribution losses are estimated at 20 per cent of the 

 water delivered to the heads of laterals. Canal seepage losses from the heads 

 of laterals to the diversion are estimated at 1 ft. in depth per day over the 

 wetted canal area for unlined canal sections, and similarly 1 in. in depth for 

 lined sections. . . . The cost of the Owyhee Project is estimated at approxi- 

 mately $1,446,000; including capitalization for operation, maintenance, and 

 renewal of pumping plants, and for maintenance of siphons." 



Flood relief for the Scioto Valley [Ohio], 1916, J. W. Alvord and C. B. 

 BUBDICK (Columbus, Ohio: State, 1916, pp. lXIl]+279, pis. 36, figs. 32).— This 

 report includes the recommendations of the chief engineers for the adoption 

 of the official plan of two detaining basins, " one each on the Scioto above 

 Dublin and the Olentangy above Delaware and channel improvements for the 

 200,000 second-foot project, costing all told the sum of $10,125,000." 



Preliminary report on Kearney Vineyard experimental drain, W. W. Weir 

 {California Sta. Bui. 273 (1916), pp. 103-123, figs. Ji).— This report, prepared 

 in cooperation with the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering of the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, deals with the drainage of an unproductive 

 quarter section of alkali land, which was originally a vineyard. 



The soil consists of sandy loam and fine sandy loam, and the alkali content 

 varied in the surface foot from less than 0.2 per cent over most of the tract to 

 3 per cent over small areas. The principal salts wei'e sodium chlorid and sodium 

 carbonate, with the former predominating. " Observations taken during 1912 

 and the early part of 1913 showed that at no time during the year was the 

 water table more than 7.5 ft. below the surface, and during June it stood within 

 2 ft. of the surface. During the entire growing season the water was less than 

 6 ft. from the surface and for four and one-half months was less than 4 ft. below 

 the surface." 



The drainage system installed consists of 21,842 ft. of drain, varying in size 

 from 6 to 12 in. tile. The main drain has a fall of 1 in 1,000 and an average 

 depth of about 7 ft. " The lateral system, consisting of eight parallel laterals 

 on the east and nine on the west side of the main, is composed of 6-in. tile at an 

 average depth of 5.75 ft. The laterals are 315 ft. apart." The total cost of the 

 drain was $59.59 per acre. 



" From measurements taken of the pump discharge it is evident that drainage 

 systems under similar conditions should be designed to remove at least 1 cu. ft. 

 per second for each 100 acres, especially where the drained tract is entirely 

 surrounded by undrained land. Indications are that the lateral drains might 

 have been placed 400 ft. apart. It would have been better had the lateral tile 

 lines been placed 6.5 or 7 ft. deep instead of 5.75 ft. The hardpan, which was 

 known to exist, has not proved to be a material hindrance to the movement or' 

 water. 



