428 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



September 



_, , , Irrigation in Oklahoma 



Oklahoma , '., , f ,, 



Conditions under the terms of the 



Reclamation Act has 



been delayed because all of the ex- 

 aminations and surveys that have been 

 made have failed so far to develop a 

 practical project from an economic 

 stand point. The engineers in the field 

 have been seriously hampered by the 

 rainy weather and flooded streams. 



As a preliminary and essential ele- 

 ment of the investigation, it was de- 

 cided to erect a pumping plant to uti- 

 lize the river water and determine by 

 actual experiment whether it was too 

 saline for use on most crops. The 

 machinery was accordingly ordered 

 and has finally been installed after 

 many vexatious delays due to floods 

 and boggy roads. The pump is now 

 set, the canals from it are constructed, 

 and the plant is in good working 

 order. 



This is an exceptionally wet year. If 

 next vear is ordinarily dry it will be 



possible to show what can be done 

 with irrigation, but with the perversity 

 of inanimate things the natural forces 

 all seem to combine against giving the 

 pumping plant a satisfactory trial. 

 There is no doubt that years of 

 drought will come when irrigation will 

 be badly needed, but at present the 

 farmers are growing crops by de- 

 pendence upon natural rainfall. 



The engineers are continuing their 

 investigations and will soon be able to 

 make a full report upon the Red River 

 project. They will also make invest- 

 gations as to the quantity and quality 

 of underground waters with reference 

 to their use for irrigation. If these 

 investigations prove satisfactory as 

 to the water supply, another pumping 

 plant will probably be installed for 

 experiment with ground waters. The 

 surveys and investigations in Okla- 

 homa will not cease until a practicable 

 project is found or it is demonstrated 

 that the proper conditions do not exist 

 for economical irrigation. 



The Month in Government Forest Work 



Testing During the past few 



Vehicle months the Forest Ser- 



Woods -ii j 



vice has been conducting 



a series of tests on vehicle woods. 

 These tests were made on three manu- 

 factured parts ; buggy spokes, wagon 

 poles, and axles. The material was 

 furnished by wagon companies and 

 wheel manufacturers, and the tests 

 conducted at the timber testing sta- 

 tion of the Forest Service at Purdue 

 University, Lafayette. Ind. One se- 

 ries of these tests has been completed 



but all of the data is not yet ready for 

 publication. 



The material tested was of the 

 grades in common use. Buggy spokes 

 were of the grades A, B, C, D, E, and 

 culls, for the sarven wheel. In this 

 selection, the primary object was to de- 

 termine whether the grading system 

 was compatible with the strength and 

 toughness of the spokes, and' also to 

 ascertain the relative strength and 

 toughness of white and red hickory 

 spokes. Five hundred spokes consti- 



