118 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



should be a part of every irrigation system in this dis- 

 trict. Some farms will naturally drain, others can 

 easily be made to do so; one that can not be drained 

 should never be selected for irrigation. Yet, apparent 

 as the necessity is, this idea of drainage is the least 

 considered of any part of the subject. 



Again, bulletins issued in the arid regions will 

 state the supply of water needed during the growing 

 season for a particular crop or that a certain amount 

 of water is needed for a given number of acres. An 

 irrigator will read these statemests and reason that the 

 same amount is needed here. He forgets that a large 

 amount of his supply will be furnished by the rainfall 

 and that all he needs is enough to supplement any 

 deficiency in this natural supply, thus making the duty 

 of his irrigation reserve much higher than in the re- 

 gion for which the bulletins were compiled. He should 

 have a rain gauge on his farm, and if he is where he 

 can get the benefit of the Signal Service reports so 

 much the better. "Seek to supplement nature, not to 

 outdo her. Observe and experiment for your own lo- 

 cality and follow what is thus shown to be the best 

 policy," should be the motto of every irrigator. 



The water from these wells is quite warm, rang- 

 ing from about 60 to 90 degrees, a temperature 

 very favorable for plant growth. On the other hand, 

 however, it lacks organic matter which aids materially 

 in plant nutrition. This can be partially supplied, 

 though, by storing in reservoirs for awhile before hun- 

 ning it to the fields. 



The question often arises, "How much land can 

 be irrigated with, say, a two-inch well with an ordinary 

 flow for such size wells?" Those who have had the 

 most experience say that with proper storage facilities 

 and judicious rotation a quarter-section or even more 

 can be easily handled. 



It might be well now to consider some of the 

 methods which experience has proved to be particularly 

 applicable to this artesian basin. The following meth- 

 ods were given to the writer by those who had expe- 

 rience with them and gave them as their conclusions : 



For small grain, plow in the fall, then irrigate by 

 flooding thoroughly, but not enough to leave water 

 standing upon the surface, and shut off the water be- 

 fore the ground freezes up for the winter. This puts 

 the ground in good condition for the seed in the spring 

 and usually no more moisture is required. If the year 

 is extra dry, a medium wetting just before the grain 

 begins to head is beneficial. For corn, usually no irri- 

 gation is required till after it is "laid by," then a fur- 

 row is directed down every row or every other, depend- 

 ing upon the topography of the surface. The ground 

 is so well shaded by the foliage that it does not bake 

 or pack. 



For gardens have the soil properly moist in the 

 spring to insure quick germination of the seed, then 

 water when it appears to need it, "but remember that 

 cultivation is a necessary adjunct. 



For small fruits a good wetting just about the 

 time the fruit begins to set is all that is necessary. 



The results of the efforts of those who have sys- 

 tematically conducted their work is very flattering. 

 After a well is once dug (and they are a paying propo- 

 sition though used merely for stock and domestic pur- 

 poses), the expense of ditching and applying the water 

 is merely nominal, being practically but the labor in- 

 volved. The results are: 



About double the ordinary yield of small grain 

 and a three or fourfold increase in garden crops and 

 fruits. 



A practical surety of a full crop every year. 



A great improvement in the quality of the grain. 

 Several men report that they have never raised any- 

 thing but No. 1 grain since they began to irrigate. 



Market gardeners report a yield of from $100 to 

 $150 per acre from their produce. 



It would seem that with all these advantages and 

 opportunities before them more men would engage in 

 irrigation, yet the number is comparatively small. As 

 stated at the beginning, this is a country of magnificent 

 prospects. These men are the pioneers who blaze the 

 way and show what can be done. Others will soon learn 

 from them and follow their example. There is no 

 reason why the James Eiver Valley should not develop 

 into one of the richest agricultural regions in the 



SCENE IN THE BEAUTIFUL PAYETTK VALLEY, IDAHO. 



HYDRO-ECONOMIC STUDIES. 



A forthcoming report of the United States Geo- 

 logical Survey will contain valuable data concerning 

 the use of water in the manufacture of paper. It will 

 also contain the results of an inquiry into the manu- 

 facture of soap. Especial attention is now directed to 

 procuring similar data concerning the manufacture of 

 woolen and cotton textiles. An inquiry is being prose- 

 cuted to determine the damage done to water supply in- 

 terests by stream pollution, and a compilation of anti- 

 pollution laws is in progress. Arrangements are being 

 made for chemical surveys of the waters in Florida, 

 parts of Georgia and Alabama, West Virginia, southern 

 Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas 

 and the irrigation waters of the reclamation States. 



CALIFORNIA. 



A California venture provides for what is termed 

 the most extensive irrigation canal project in the state 

 of California, contracts having been let for the comple- 

 tion of a canal which will extend from the northern 

 boundary of Glenn county to the southern border of 

 Colusa, watering one of the richest sections of the 

 state, through a distance of eighty-five miles. 



The Butte County Canal Company, in the same 

 state, will divert the waters of the Feather river to cover 

 180,000 acres in Butte county in the neighborhood of 

 Orovillc. Biggs, Gridley and Liveoak. Articles of in- 

 corporation for the company have been filed and plans 

 look toward a fifteen-mile main canal, with 6-foot bottom 

 and a combined length of nearly 200 miles in main and 

 lateral ditches. It is promised that the rate per acre for 

 water will be the lowest in the .--tato. 



