WORK OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS FOR IRRIGATION. 



The Reclamation Act was passed with a view of reclaiming public 

 lands and incidentally some private lands. It is applicable in part only 

 to the situation where private lands predominate, and to be effective 

 in such cases must be supplemental by voluntary action on the part of 

 the present land owners and by agreements or decisions covering the points 

 above named. There is no intent or desire on the part of the Reclam- 

 ation Service to interfere with State or Court control of the waters and 

 even the appearance of doing so is to be avoided. The people of California 

 have in their own hands the initiative as regards any reclamation of private 

 lands. When they have taken this initiative the Reclamation Service will 

 be glad to assist, upon suitable authority given by the Secretary of the 

 Interior. 



To repeat the essentials of co-operation by the people of California; 

 they must, first, show their wish for Government construction; second, 

 their willingness to conform to the letter and spirit of the law regarding 

 subdivision of lands; and, third, settle under State laws all questions as to 

 the rights to the waters. 



The Work of the Office of Expe- 

 riment Stations for Irriga- 

 tion in Cal ifornia 



By Prof. SAMUEL FORTIER, Irrigation Eaginaer, In charga af Pacific District 



THERE are now 35,000 irrigated farms in California. Every day the 

 owners of these farms ply their calling they are confronted with 

 practical problems of irrigation practice, a better knowledge of which 

 would lessen their expenses and increase their profits. The Office 

 of Experiment Stations of the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, through its division of irrigation and drainage investigations, is 

 endeavoring to help the farmers of the State solve these problems rightly. 



When a farm is first being prepared for irrigation, its owner, if he be 

 wise, will desire to adopt that method of applying water which the experi- 

 ence of the most successful has already shown to be best suited to his condi- 

 tions. As a part of the work of the Office of Experiment Stations in Cali- 

 fornia, the experience of the best irrigators in preparing land and applying 

 water, not only in California but also in the other western States, has 

 been ascertained and presented in convenient form (Bulletin 145, Office of 

 Experiment Stations.) This bulletin, with its descriptions and illustra- 

 tions, furnishes a guide not only for the beginner, but also for the ex- 

 perienced irrigator who is willing to learn from the successes or failures 

 of others. 



As soon as a farmer opens his lateral headgate he is confronted 

 with the problem of the duty of water. He needs to know not only how 

 much water to apply to supply the needs of his crops, but also how much to 

 allow for the losses by percolation and evaporation. Through the use 

 of field plats and specially designed galvanized iron tanks, in both of which 

 crops are being grown and the amounts of water applied are being care- 

 fully measured, the Office of Experiment Stations is endeavoring to learn 

 the essential facts regarding this problem. 



Something over 200,000 acres is now irrigated in California by pump- 

 ing. The use of pumping plants involves not only a large outlay for pur- 

 chase and installation, but also a constant outlay for operation and main- 

 tenance. It also involves a knowledge of machinery not usually possessed 

 by farmers. For each class of work there is generally a particular type of 

 pumping plant that will give the best results, and proper economy requires 

 that that particular type and not some other should be used. For the 

 purpose of ascertaining from actual field conditions what plants are best 



