THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



211 



The comparisons made in the accompanying 

 table may be considered direct, as the averages and 

 values for identical regions have- been computed 

 for this purpose. In comparing the 1913 and 1912 

 figures with the previous values obtained in 1911, 

 however, it will not be forgotten that these last- 

 named figures were obtained two weeks later in the 

 season. 



The snow measurement work inaugurated by 

 the Weather Bureau is now being done by the citi- 

 zens of some mountain streams in the San Pete 

 Valley of Utah, and by the Provo Reservoir and 

 Irrigation Company near Provo. This company not 

 only furnishes water on contract but supplies light 

 and power on contract by the year, as well, and if it 

 discovers early in the spring that there will be an 

 excess of water the company can undertake much 

 larger contracts. Snow studies for similar purposes 

 are made in scattered regions of southern Idaho 

 and northern Utah by the engineers of the Utah 

 Power & Light Company. The government aims 

 to supply the equipment in all cases of snow sur- 

 veys, and it is only for lack of funds that it does 

 not actually perform the work on every watershed 

 where a stream flow forecast would be valuable. 



Mr. Alfred H. Thiessen, in charge of the Salt 

 Lake City office of the U. S. Weather Bureau, who 

 also has charge of the snow survey work in Utah, 

 plans a co-operation with every water company in 

 the state with the end in view that the government 

 shall supply all instruments, and possibly send ex- 

 perts to show the farmers and engineers how the 

 work is done, and to publish and distribute from 

 Salt Lake City, all information obtained in this way. 



A measurement among the quaking aspen trees. Depth 39.0 inches; 

 water equivalent 12.2 inches. 



This should result in surveys being made in fifty 

 instead of a half dozen watersheds, and from this 

 many actual measurements made simultaneously, 

 estimates for intervening watersheds (not meas- 

 ured) could be made. 



It has been proven that the cost should be 

 comparatively small, as the labor in most cases 

 should be supplied by men in the employ of the 

 water companies who are not doing other work at 

 this time of the year. And where most of the com- 

 pany are farmers, the work may be done by volun- 

 teers, as it has been done already at Moroni, Utah. 



The Marvin Snow Density Apparatus. 



Snow sampling tube 2J^x50 inches, containing the snow core, or 

 sample (note its protrusion), is weighed on a spring balance scales 

 swing from an alpen-stock, thrust into the snow. The scale is grad- 

 uated to show the water equivalent of the contents of the tube. 



In this way, with the instruments furnished by the 

 government ; and the computing, publishing and 

 distributing of the information being also done, 

 promptly, from the Salt Lake City office, there need 

 be no actual expense to the water users for the 

 work. And as has already been demonstrated, a 

 week's work in the headwaters of a well-used 

 stream, by two snow measurers, may be worth many 

 thousands of dollars to the community at the foot 

 of the mountains. 



Comparative summaries of Maple Creek snow 

 measurements made during the past three years : 



I 



Branches of 

 Watershed. 



