TABLE 1* 



ANNUAL PRECIPITATION . 



AT SELECTED WEATHER STATIONS ±/ 

 ALONG THE WEST SIDE 



Location 1S-5V l-9oO I'^Sl 1^62 1563 196!* 1965 I966 1^67 1968 l'^(^ 



Tracy Carbona 7.71 7-30 IM 8. 51 5AT 7.97 10. 18 6.39 10.79 1'*.31 10.22 



Westley 9.78 8.12 7.92 10.87 12.57 8.81 10.68 6.70 10.28 9.55 13.31 



Newman 11.13 B.81 8.78 10.39 1'*.95 9.39 11.51* 7.75 H.W* 8. 80 16.77 



(Justine 11.23 10.52 NB NH 15.38 o.OO 12. U3 7.22 11. 91 9. 60 17.22 



Los Banos 6.56 8.16 7.12 9.31^ 10.93 9.l6 10. 65 6.87 9.21 7.1*5 lU.42 



Dos PaLos 5.1*8 7.93 6.58 8.13 10.27 6.95 8.97 1*.70 7.6o 9.26 11. 9I* 



Mendota Dam 5.28 7.13 7-25 7.U8 3.70 6.17 7.29 5.1*1 9. 06 7.80 11.72 



Corcoran 3.19 6.7!* '*.66 5.89 8. 92 5. 51 6.30 5.23 6.96 6.11 12.66 



1/ U. S. Weather Bureau, Department of Water Resources, end cooperative stations. 

 NF = No record. 



little commercial fertilizer but are heavily irrigated. 

 Highly diversified areas receive varying applications of 

 irrigation water but are apt to have a regular fertilization 

 program . 



Agricultural trends may change fertilization and irrigation 

 programs, which may in turn affect the quantity ax\6 quality 

 of tile drainage. 



Crops 



Historically, farming practices on the west side have 

 followed those in the rest of the San Joaquin Valley, 

 evolving slowly in three distinct but overlapping stages. 

 These stages Include a period of cattle and sheep raising, a 

 period of grain farming, and the present period of diversi- 

 fied agriculture dependent upon irrigation. Dry farming, 

 once popular for growing wheat, began to decline in favor of 

 irrigated grain and alfalfa sometime after 19OO when irriga- 

 tion districts began to form. Also about this time reclama- 

 tion districts in the Tulare lakebed were organized to 

 protect grain farmers from flooding waters of the Kings and 

 Tule Rivers . 



28 



