THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



301 



THE TWIN FALLS EXPERIMENTAL FARM. 



BY A. M PHERSON, SUPERINTENDENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The Twin Falls Experimental Farm was established 

 the tenth day of May, 1905. The primary object of 

 establishing the farm was for the purpose of demon- 

 strating the proper methods of irrigating on the Twin 

 Falls tract. 



Later, the idea was somewhat enlarged by adding 

 to it the feature of an experimental farm in the true 

 sense of the word. Although the season was pretty well 

 advanced, thirty-nine different crops were planted, and 

 the results were far beyond the expectations of the com- 

 pany or its employes. 



When the work was begun on the farm we dug 

 deeply into the ground in order to determine the amount 

 of moisture in the soil. The first eighteen inches con- 

 tained some moisture, but after going down three feet 

 it (the ground) became almost entirely dry, and by 

 digging ten feet the ground became perfectly dry. 

 This demonstrated the fact that there was not sufficient 

 moisture in the ground to properly germinate the seed 

 or to furnish sufficient moisture at a proper depth, es- 

 pecially for the deep-rooted crops later in the season. 

 Consequently, all the ground was thoroughly irrigated 

 before being planted, and was saturated to a depth vary- 

 ing from six to ten feet. After the crops were planted 

 very little irrigation, comparatively speaking, was neces- 

 sary. For instance, potatoes were only irrigated twice 

 during a period of twelve hours each time, and pro- 

 duced 330 bushels per acre. Corn received the same 

 amount, and produced forty and a half bushels to the 

 acre. This on entirely new ground, which was in sage 

 brush at the date of beginning. 



After the first saturation no effort was made to 

 keep track of the water used. We simply used the 

 amount thought necessary for crop production. 



The contract for the Twin Falls Land and Water 

 Company with the settlers on the Twin Falls tract calls 

 for one-eightieth of a cubic foot per second per acre con- 

 tinuous flow during the irrigating season. Therefore 



the farm in order to measure the waste water from the 

 farm. 



Mr. Elias Nelson, representing the Bureau of Irri- 

 gation and Drainage Investigation, added an evaporating 

 tank. Measurements are being conducted under Mr. 

 Nelson's supervision, the foreman on the farm keeping 

 track of all measurements for him. The idea is to meas- 

 ure the water coming on, checking the different devices, 

 measuring water going off as drainage; also from the 

 tank, the evaporation, the difference being the amount 

 of water approximately used by the different crops on 

 the farm. 



Before irrigation was begun some preliminary tests 

 were made by Mr. Nelson, with the following results: 



ALFALFA PLAT. 



Percentage 

 of Water. 



7.61 

 15.14 

 17.82 

 19.67 

 20.95 

 20.11 

 11.69 

 17.42 

 18.78 



It should be borne in mind, however, that last fall, 

 before the winter set in, the ground was given a thor- 

 ough soaking. The fisrt table shows before irrigation, 

 the second one day after, and the third one week after. 

 It will be noted, by looking at these tables that in 

 the third foot there was comparatively little variation 

 in the amount of water contained in the soil, either be- 

 fore or after irrigation. No doubt the water had per- 

 colated more deeply into the soil. This shows how re- 

 tentive of moisture soils in the Twin Falls tract are. 

 These tests will be made all during the season, both 

 before and after each irrigation. 



In comparing these tests with the results as shown 

 by the experiment station in Utah it will be seen that 

 the soils on the Twin Falls tract are extremely reten- 



Harvesting Alfalfa in Colorado Denver & Rio Grande Railway. 



it was thought advisable to measure the water being 

 used on the farm, as well as the amount of waste water. 

 In order to test the different systems of measurements, 

 water is being run through boxes having the different 

 measuring devices namely, the miner's inch, the weir 

 measurement, and the United States government regis- 



tive of moisture. In the minds of some who are not 

 familiar with conditions here, this would seem to indi- 

 cate that the soil might become water logged, but such 

 can not be the case on account of the natural drainage 

 on the tract, as probably every half mile or less there 

 are deep coulees or canyons, varying from three feet to 



ter. Another register is installed at the lower end of one hundred feet in depth to bed rock. 



