THE IREIGATION AGE. 



701 



We call forty pounds a bushel, though no standard has 

 been fixed. 



The cracked emmer makes one of the most delicious 

 breakfast foods for the table. Those who have tried it 

 think it much finer than cracked wheat. It is splendid for 

 poultry or swine and with the hull on it is a most excel- 

 lent feed for cattle, sheep or horses. The hulls seem to 

 be a great advantage to the grain for feeding. They in- 

 sure thorough chewing and complete digestion, widen the 

 ration so it is more nearly balanced when feeding with 

 alfalfa and prevent any trouble from overfeeding as occurs 

 with corn or wheat. It should not be necessary to grind 

 emmer for horses or for sheep feeding. 



SALT RIVER VALLEY REPORT. 



An interesting report of the operations of the Recla- 

 mation Service in Salt River Valley for the crop year of 

 1910 has been made by the engineer in charge. 



During the past year the Service maintained and fur- 

 nished water through 490 miles of canals for 131,364 acres, 

 the largest area ever watered in the valley. The water 

 supply was ample throughout the year, although this has 

 been a season of unusual drouth and low water. The lands 

 in crop received more than five acre-feet of water, or suffi- 

 cient to coyer each acre 5 feet deep. The maintenance 

 and operation of the vast system of canals in the Salt 

 River Valley is a more complicated and difficult problem 

 than it would be in the northern country, owing to the 

 fact that the irrigation season is twelve months. Repairs 

 and enlargements must be carried on in connection with 

 irrigation, for there can be no shut-down of the works. 



In the valley, crops are growing all the time. There 

 the harvesting and planting occur every month in the year. 

 An enormous amount of work was required to put the 

 irrigation system in its present condition. All the old 

 canals which were absorbed by the Government were in 

 need of repairs; most of them were too small and had to 

 be enlarged and many new canals were constructed. To- 

 day everything is working perfectly and is probably sup- 

 plying a larger area than any single irrigation system in 

 the United States. Agricultural experts declare it is 

 without doubt the most fertile and productive agricultural 

 district in the United States. 



The most important single factor in the valley's great 

 development this year was an assurance of an abundant 

 supply of water. The guarantee was provided by the 

 enormous reservoir created by the Roosevelt dam. Dur- 

 ing all the low water months when the Salt river is 

 ordinarily dry, the big lake was pouring forth a generous 

 stream of water which was picked up by the canals and 

 turned upon the thirsty land. In such a year as the 

 present one, Salt river without storage would have proven 

 inadequate, and there would have been a shortage of 

 crops on all farms and a greatly reduced acreage in culti- 

 vation. 



The most important crop, and the most valuable was 

 alfalfa. Probably 65,000 acres were harvested. More 

 than 5,000 acres were in canteloupes and melons. 



Improved Winter Emmer. 



Bundle at left and two stools at right crop 

 of 1910. 



In most of the mountain region the winter emmer 

 should be planted in September or early October, using 

 about one bushel, or forty pounds of seed per acre. The 

 grain will be ready to harvest early in July. 



IRRIGATION ENGINEER PROMOTED. 



Mr. C. R. Crownover, of North Yakima, Washington, 

 has been promoted to the position of Project Engineer 

 in the U. S. Reclamation Service and placed in charge 

 of the Tieton Unit of the Yakima irrigation project, Wash- 

 ington, to take the place of Mr. Conway, who is leaving 

 the Service to engage in private work. Mr. Crownover 

 was appointed Engineer in the Reclamation Service in Jan- 

 uary, 1910, having been previously engaged as Superin- 

 tendent of Construction. He will be located at Naches, 

 Washington. 



DANGER TO ALL INTERESTS WHEN FARMERS 

 ARE POOR. 



The American farmer never has received fair com- 

 pensation for raising grain or producing milk, and it is 

 only in the last five years that he has been decently paid 

 for his meat production. Trained business men would not 

 give their time and investment on any such terms as the 

 farm does. If middlemen buyers, packers, merchants or 

 carriers are responsible for price inflation they are the 

 ones who should be brought to account. 



In this new campaign for lower prices let us make sure 

 trr^t we are aiming at those who are to blame for the ex- 

 tortionate rates which have prevailed for the last few years. 

 A cheapening of farm products will not help business con- 

 ditions. It is quite possible that cheaper food will lessen 

 the burden of city life for the poor, but not if it be at the 

 expense of wages and business activity. 



The low price of corn today is something of a blow 

 to farmers, who are not purchasing goods freely nor cir- 

 culating money with as great liberality as they would if 

 they were getting higher rates for their produce. When 

 the producers begin to hold up their food supplies on ac- 

 count of depressed markets, business becomes slack in 

 the country, money circulates slowly, storekeepers are 

 unable to sell goods or pay bills, and bankers report bad 

 times. This at once affects city wholesalers and manu- 

 facturers, who employ less help and cut wages. Times 

 soon become bad all over under such conditions. 



This is not a theory but a fact which has been pain- 

 fully demonstrated in the last few weeks of _ money 

 stringency. Fortunately for producers the low prices for 

 country supplies have prevailed only a short time and the 

 purchasing power of farming communities is not yet 

 greatly crippled. 



