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Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

Washington, D. C. October, 1925

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE ARABLE
LANDS OF THE GREAT BASIN

By

SAMUEL FORTIER, Associate Chief of the Division of Agricultural Eanecan
Bureau of Public Roads

CONTENTS

Introduction

Units and Forms of Expression

The Great Basin

General Character of the Soils of the Great Basin

Climatic Conditions

Water Supply

Agricultural Products

The Relation of Irrigation Water to Crop Production

Time of Irrigation

Conditions Influencing the Quantity of Water ae for Irrigation
Water Requirements as Affected by State, Community, and Corporate Regulations .
Lands to be Reclaimed

Seasonal Net Water Requirements

Use of Water on Crops in the Great Basin

WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1925

The problem of what constitutes an adequate water
supply for irrigation of lands in the arid and semiarid
regions is of vital importance to those regions. In an
effort to solve this problem the Division of Agricultural
Engineering, Bureau of Public Roads, of the United
States Department of Agriculture, has been studying the
duty of water for the past 25 years. A part of the
results of the earlier experiments were published by
State and Federal agencies, but the results of later coop-
erative experiments, as a rule, have not been published.

It now seems desirable to summarize and publish in
bulletin form the data so collected. In order to treat the
subject adequately, the arid and semiarid regions have
been divided according to watersheds. This report
relates to the Great Basin.

The Great Basin comprises an area of about 138,789,000
acres, of which 2,313,165 acres were irrigated in 1920.
The crops grown include hay, grain, and potatoes at
the higher altitudes, and alfalfa, grain, corn, fruit, and
canning vegetables on the bulk of the arable lands at
lower elevations.

It is estimated that eventually an area of 5,000,000
acres may be irrigated with the available water supply,
or approximately double the area irrigated in 1920.
This estimate is based on the assumption that water will
be used much more economically than at present; that |
the supply will be regulated by means of storage reser-
voirs; and that waste or return water will be reused
wherever possible. The seasonal net water require-
ment of crops under careful use is found to vary from
1.5 acre-feet per acre to 2.2 acre-feet per acre, depend-
ing on the locality.

—

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Washington, D. C. v October, 1925

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE ARABLE LANDS OF THE
GREAT BASIN

By SAMUEL Fortier, Associate Chief of the Division of Agricultural
Engineering, Bureau of Public Roads

CONTENTS
Page Page
AT OSHICHON= 2. 82 ra Fee Thin GLO einbion bLOn==- 6 sea 19
Units and forms of expression______ 3 | Conditions influencing the quantity
RHE GrTedt Basin |. ose jes ee, ree 8 4 of water required for irrigation_ 29
Gereral character of the soils of the Water requirements as affected by
Great Basin 2 fh eiis by ia) et 5 State, community, and corporate
Chmatie-COnuglaons = =>. = 4 ek 6 Rew atiON Se te ee Pe 33
Wrsttok SsuD PLYy == oe ee 6 Lands to; De. reclaimed 2 45 37
Aericultural . products 2222.2 £2225 ss 12 | Seasonal net water requirements___ 38
The relation of irrigation water to Use of water on crops in the Great
EXOD DrOduCLION) =] = Sse Ss pili lt = 13 Basinid ete 3 3. ite 8 J 39
INTRODUCTION

The irrigation requirement of arable land, or, as it is frequently
termed, the “duty of water” in irrigation, may be said to be the
yardstick by which the utility of the diverted waters of western
streams and the agricultural prosperity of the arid region are meas-
ured. This subject pervades irrigation in all its phases. It has to
do with the legal phase in the definition ond settlement of water

rights; with the administrative phase in the equitable apportion-

_ment of public water supplies; with the engineering phase in deter-

mining the capacities of canals, pumps, reservoirs, and irrigation
works in general; with the economic phase in the prevention of
waste and the attainment of the highest possible efficiency; with the
financial phase in determining the permissible cost of reclamation
that can safely be undertaken With a known water supply, and with
the agricultural phase in maintaining and controlling soil moisture
in such a way as to produce profitable yields of crops.

In most irrigated sections there was an abundance of water for
irrigation for several decades after irrigation was begun. This

1 Duty of Water in Irrigation, | by Samuel Fortier. Proceedings of the International
Iengineering Congress, 1915, vol. 2, p. 458.

42944°—25 1 1

a4 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

abundance of a natural resource led to lax methods in determining
the rights of the users, and not infrequently excessive quantities of
water were granted to individuals, associations, and corporations.
These lax methods apply to a considerable part of the 19,000,000
acres irrigated in the United States in 1919, for which the water
requirements were more or less arbitrarily fixed by various agencies.
Due to the growing scarcity and increasing cost of public water, its
apportionment in recent years has been made with increasing econ-
omy and equity, many former grants have been questioned, and
many rights are being readjudicated.

A consideration of the unutilized water supplies and the economic
benefits resulting from irrigation leads to the conclusion that fully
50,000,000 acres in the West may ultimately be irrigated. In other
words, about 60 per cent of western water supplies are still to be uti-
lized ; but, judging from the trend of public sentiment in recent years,
the apportionment of these supphes will be done with much more skill
and economy than was exercised in alloting the 40 per cent now
utilized. Furthermore, since fertile land is plentiful and cheap and
water scarce and valuable, the ultimate prosperity of the Western
States, from an agricultural point of view, will depend upon how
wisely and equitably the water supplies are used. If too much water
per acre is allotted, the ultimate possibilities of the land and water
resources can not be attained. On the other hand, if too little water
is allotted, profitable crops can not be raised and the interests of the
farmer will suffer accordingly. To avoid either extreme and to place
irrigation farming on a secure foundation, the quantity of water
required to irrigate each kind of crop in each type of soil under
the varying climatic conditions which prevail should be carefully
determined. The results of such studies should be widely dissemi-
nated, in order to guide the correction of errors already made and
make possible a more equitable and economical apportionment of all
the available water supply.

Such an apportionment of water is rendered difficult by topogra-
phy and other physical conditions. The higher mountain ranges
intercept the moisture-laden winds and cause a relatively heavy pre-
cipitation of rain and snow. The locality of heaviest precipitation
may, however, be quite far removed from the farms to be supplied
with water, and the storage, conveyance, and distribution of the
run-off involve heavy construction cost and require wise adminis-
trative regulations in order that the farmers may receive at the
proper time an adequate supply of water. Wide fluctuations in
stream flow, seepage losses from earthen channels, waste of water
on irrigated lands, and the return and reuse of part of the waters
diverted, all tend to complicate the undertaking.

Largely because of the scarcity of water and the injurious effects
on soils and crops of using too much, several Western States have
enacted laws limiting the quantity that can be used in irrigation.
Some have created special tribunals and administrative bodies whose
duty, in part, is to apportion the public waters within their respec-
tive jurisdictions. When litigation arises over water rights in-
volving the duty of water for certain lands, it devolves on the judi-
ciary to settle the controversies. In like manner, the management
of irrigation enterprises, where the State does not interfere, de-

phe Erase A

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 8

_ termines the proper amount of water to be delivered to their respec-

tive water users.

A study of the duty of water on western lands was begun by the
Division of Agricultural Engineering,? Bureau of Public Roads,
United States Department of Agriculture more than 25 years ago
in an effort to solve the many-sided problem of what constitutes an
adequate water supply for the irrigation of the standard crops and
the modifications necessary on account of the prevailing types of soils
and climatic conditions. Since then more or less experimentation
along this line has been carried on by the department, chiefly in co-
operation with western experiment stations. The results of the
earlier experiments were published mostly in State and Federal bulle-
tins which are now not easily procured. The results of later coopera-
tive experiments, as a rule, have not been published.

The present is an opportune time to collect all the reliable records

vailable pertaining to this subject and to publish the summarized
data so collected. With this end in view the arid and semiarid
regions have been divided into five subdivisions in accordance with
river basins rather than political boundaries. The information in
this report deals with the Great Basin.

UNITS AND FORMS OF EXPRESSION

Since irrigation was first practiced in this country various units
and forms of expression have been used to indicate the quantity of
water required to irrigate an acre or other unit of land. Those in
most common use are defined below, with some of their equivalents.

The miner’s inch represents, according to locality, the volume of
water which will flow through an inch-square orifice under a con-
stant head of 4 to 6 or more inches when measured from the
surface of the water to the center of the opening. In southern
California, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Da-
kota, Nebraska, and Utah 50 miner’s inches equal 1 cubic foot _per
second; in Ari izona, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, and central Cali-
fornia, 40 miner’s inches, and in Colorado 38.4 miner’s inches have
that equivalent.

An acre-foot of water is the quantity of water which will cover
an acre to a uniform depth of 1 foot. It is equivalent to 43,560
cubic feet. An acre-inch is one-twelfth of an acre-foot.

_ Duty of water, as defined by Sir Hanbury Brown,’ is “ the measure

of the efficient irrigation work that water can perform, expressed in
terms establishing the relation between the area of crop brought to
maturity and the quantity of water used in its irrigation.” The
duty of water is usually expressed in acre-feet per acre or jn the
number of acres irrigable by 1 cubic foot per second. Intake or
gross duty is the average duty under a canal system when all trans-
mission losses are included. Delivered or net duty is the duty at
the margin of fields when all transmission losses are deducted.

2The irrigation work of the United States Department of Agriculture was originally
conducted under the supervision of the Office of Experiment Stations and designated as
“Irrigation Investigations.’’ Later, under a reorganization of the department, this and
other agricultural engineering activities were grouped in a division of agricultural engi-
neering and made a part of the Bureau of Public Roads.,

3 Irrigation, Its Principles and Practice, as a Branch of Engineering, by Sir Hanbury
Brown, London, 1920, 3d edition, p. 32.

4. BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The soil moisture requirement of a crop is the amount of soil
moisture expressed as a percentage of the dry weight of a unit of
soil required for the proper growth of the crop.

The irrigation requirement of arable land is the amount of water,
including the natural precipitation, required for profitable cro
production under the physical and normal climatic conditions of the
locality.

THE GREAT BASIN

The Great Basin (pl. 1), as Gilbert* has stated, “is not, as the
title might suggest, a single cup-shaped depression gathering its
waters at a common center, but a broad area of varied surface natu-
rally divided into a large number of independent drainage districts.”
It includes within its confines about 95 per cent of the area of
Nevada, all of western Utah, a long strip in California bordering
on Nevada, and small portions of Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming. It
is 572 miles from east to west, 717 miles from north to south, exclu-
sive of the Salton Sea Basin, which is now irrigated by the waters
of the Colorado River, and contains in round numbers 138,789,000
acres. On the west the Sierra Nevada Mountains act as an enormous
retaining wall in separating this territory from the central plain of
California, and the Wasatch and Uintah ranges on the east serve -
a like purpose in separating it from the Colorado. River drainage,
and a divide at the north prevents its waters from joining those of
the Columbia River. The divide between the Great Basin and that
of the Colorado River, toward the south, is less clearly defined, as
scant rainfall has prevented a deeply eroded ridge.

The aridity of its arable lands and the drainless character of its
lakes and sinks distinguish this region from other parts of the coun-
try the streams of which drain either directly or indirectly into the
ocean. Geologists are of the opinion that aridity has been the pre-
vailing characteristic of the Great Basin for countless ages. It was
only during a part of the Pleistocene period that semiarid cond1-
tions seem to have prevailed. At the time when the mastodon
roamed over this high plateau the climate underwent a change.
Due to an increase in precipitation, and possibly a decrease in evapo-
ration, the run-off from the several watersheds exceeded the quantity
of water evaporated and resulted in the natural storage of enormous
quantities of it. Most of this excess water was stored in two lakes,
one of which has been called Bonneville, in honor of the army
captain and traveler of that name, and the other Lahontan, from
another explorer of the region, Baron LaHontan. Lake Bonneville,
of which Great Salt Lake is but a remnant, was 346 miles long, 145
miles wide, and had a surface area of 12,640,000 acres. -Its highest
shore line was about 1,000 feet above the present surface of Great
Salt Lake, and when it was at this elevation that part of its annual
inflow which was not evaporated was discharged into Snake River
and later into the Pacific Ocean through the Columbia River. Lake
Lahontan, on the other hand, was never filled. It reached an ele-
vation about 525 feet above the present level of Pyramid Lake in
western Nevada when the yearly loss from evaporation began to

4Lake Bonneville, Monograph No. 1, Geological Survey, U. S. Department of the Inte-
rior, by G. K, Gilbert, 1890,

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 5

exceed the inflow, and an intermittent lowering of the surface re-
sulted. All that now remains of this great lake, which was 250 miles
long, 180 miles wide, and covered an area of BY, milhon acres, are
a few relatively small, shallow lakes and several sinks. A large part
of the area irr igated at present in both Utah and Nevada is located
in the beds of these ancient: lakes.

GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE SOILS OF THE GREAT BASIN

The soils of the Great Basin are probably more variable than those
of any other large land division of the western part of the United
States. The chief danger resulting from the irrigation of these
souls is their tendency to become «water- logged or alkaline.

Residual soils—Weathering and decomposition of the rocks in
place have led to the formation of a widespread variety of the soil
material, confined mainly to the hills and mountains. These soils
are often shallow and contain an excessive quantity of rock frag-
ments or areas of rock outcrop, and, owing to rough topography
and their elevated position with respect to sources of water supply,
are generally nonirrigable. These conditions render most of the
residual soils of the Great Basin suitable only for grazing.

The soils of the valleys and plains are of various origins and
frequently have been transported long distances by wind or water or
both. In many areas the soils have been laid under water. In some
instances the lakes formed in past geological periods had two ex-
istences, with a dry-lake period between, resulting in a further com-
plexity ‘of the subsoils. The lake-formed benches have been cut
through by streams and the valleys modified by fan-shaped deposits.

In the following paragraphs the valley soils have been orouped
according to their formation. The adaptability of each type of
soil to irrigation is briefly outlined.

Lake-laid soils —These soils were formed under water and are for
the most part rather dense, with poor drainage, and liable to con-
tain an excess of alkali. They are usually deep, and while they may
be rich in plant food are hard to handle under irrigation.

Alluvial fans—TVhese are the deposits of torrential streams and’

frequently cover lake-laid material. They are of irregular shape
but of-favorable topography and fairly smooth. The material
varies from gravel and ‘bowlders near the base of the mountains to
loam or clay | at the outer edge of the fan. The soils are of various
depth, usually productive, well drained, fairly free from alkali, and
are readily irrigated.

Valley fills—These soils are also largely the result of stream
action. They are mostly smooth, deep, and productive, but are
deficient in drainage and liable to become alkaline. As a rule, they
are near a water supply and easy to irrigate. They vary in texture
for the most part from sands to clays. The valley fills, together
with alluvial fans, form by far the greater part of the irrigable area
of the Great Basin.

River flood plains—These result from late river deposits or river
erosion and deposition. Such soils are mostly well adapted to irri-
gation but hable to become water-logged and alkaline. The surface
is usually level and smooth and requires little preparation for
irrigation.

6 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Volcanic soils—These are derived from volcanic débris. They
are very limited in the Great Basin and are confined principally to
that part located in south-central Oregon. The soil is usually
shallow but productive. The surface is irregular and difficult to
irrigate, Most of these soils are basaltic.

CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

The prevailing climatic conditions of the Great Basin are low
annual precipitation, abundant sunshine, low humidity, occasional
high winds, a comparatively short crop-growing season, and com-
paratively low night and high day temperatures.

Climatological data have been -collected from typical localities
within the Basin where irrigation is practiced, and those pertaining
to precipitation, temperature, frost-free period, evaporation from a
water surface and wind movement have been averaged for the num-
ber of years of record at each station and are shown graphically in
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
: WATER SUPPLY

By far the larger part of the water supply of the streams in the
Great Basin is derived from precipitation on the mountain ranges
and elevated table-lands chiefly in the form of snow. The first warm
weather of spring melts the snow at the lower elevations and as the
season advances the run-off from higher elevations is increased.
This continues until the latter part of May or the first week in June,
when the run-off begins to decrease and continues to decrease witil
August 1 or later. During the late summer, fall, and winter months
the streams remain low but fairly uniform in flow, barring the occur-
rence of storms. The prevailing characteristics of the flow of Basin
streams are shown in Figure 4. These hydrographs, giving the mean
monthly flow in acre-feet of each of three typical streams, show great
differences between the volumes carried in the flood period and
those of the late summer period. They also show the necessity for
storing a part of the flood flow for use later in the same season to meet
‘the water requirements of crops. For years the need for water
storage has been keenly felt throughout the Great Basin. With few
exceptions, the flood flow is unutilized and the only water available
for crops during the latter part of the crop-growing season is derived
from the scanty summer flow.

This condition has also induced many farmers to apply excessive
quantities of water to their fields in the spring when the streams are
high, in the belief that a part would be retained in the soil to nourish
crops when little could be diverted from the streams. While this
custom results in some benefits to those who practice it, from the
standpoint of water conservation it has little to recommend it, imas-
much as the greater part of the excessive quantities of water applied
in the spring percolates through porous soils, is diverted and reused,
or collects in low-lying places, and damages soils and crops by water-
logging and alkali. 7

A better and more economical plan is for each community of
farmers receiving water from the same source or sources to unite into
one organization such as an irrigation district, and, by the sale of
bonds or otherwise, raise sufficient money to provide storage for a

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN

v gis
BBG OEEELE
S}IZIBIS

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Fic. 1.—Condensed climatology of typical stations, showing average frost-free period;
mean monthly precipitation and mean minimum temperatures (lightly shaded
bars), mean temperatures (double shaded bars), and mean maximum. temperatures
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southeastern Nevada

BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT-OF AGRICULTURE

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IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN

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42944° 252

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10 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

part or all of the flood flow and thus provide an adequate and dss
pendable supply of water for all needs, from seedtime to harvest.
With such storage facilities, there would be no necessity to apply
more water at any one time than the crops require.

LOGAN RIVER, UTAH

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Fig. 4.—Mean monthly flow of typical rivers of the Great Basin

The storage of water, if carried out generally, serves a double
purpose in that it provides water for irrigation and also develops
hydroelectric energy. Part of the energy so created is used to pump
water from underground supplies and from surface supplies too

TRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN tI

low to be utilized by gravity. The potentialities of the Great Basin
in this respect are very great, provided cheap electric power is
available. As a result of surveys made in Nevada by the United
States Geological Survey, a large area, in the aggregate, of the
arable lands of that State has been found to be underlaid by ground
water sufficiently near the surface to admit of being raised by pumps
for agricultural purposes. Some nine years ago a creditable be-
ginning was made by the Division of Agricultural Engineering,
Bureau of Public Roads, in cooperation with the Utah Agricultural
Experiment Station, landowners, and other local agencies, in de-
termining some of the possibilities of ground water development in
central and southern Utah by the installation of experimental wells
and pumping plants. In this work special attention was given to
the cost and most profitable use of pumped water. From 1914 to
1919, 14 pumping plants were installed in different parts of the
State and assistance was rendered to a much larger number under the
management of individual landowners. This cooperative work is
still in progress and promises to add greatly to the productivity of
the State.

The water supply of the Great Basin is further augmented by a
large number of springs and creeks. Thus far these minor sources
of supply have not been utilized to the best advantage, particularly
the flow of the creeks whose sources frequently depend on melted
snow at the higher elevations. Under natural conditions the flow
in these creeks during low-water periods is absorbed, as a rule, by
the coarse material of the foothills and fails to reach the arable
lands. If such flows were conducted in pipes from the beginning
of the porous material to the place of use, much of the water could
be saved for useful purposes.

Since the extensive practice of irrigation was begun in the Great
Basin, a large quantity of water has been derived during each irri-
gation season from seepage and return flows. As more economy
is practiced in the conveyance and use of water, the amount of return
water will diminish, but thus far it has greatly mcreased the avail-
able supply.

TABLE 1.—Discharge of typical streams in the Great Basin

|

x Discharge for year
; é Monre W ater-
River Station shed
cord area | . “ate
| Maximum | Minimum | Mean
2. |
Square
Utah: miles Acre-feet Acre-feet Acre-feet
Beans asset Se (Preston saca-s-e 24 4,500 | 1, 648, 320 401, 000 1, 006, 620
MO Panes ee Se Movants en oe 25 218 370, 750 67, 000 245, 800
Wiebe eee eee ce Devils Gate______- 10 1, 090 758, 000 180, 000 420, 000
Orden gs Ogden! sae 2 Se 9 550 479, 400 65, 300 228, 600
American Fork_-_____-- American Fork-___- 4 43 61, 690 | 7, 330 34, 470
Nevada:
Pam boldtso=3 => mahsadess— ees 7 5, 010 | 538, 000 | 86, 000 | 304, 000
a BNCKEG 2 32 e REN Os eee eee 9 2,370 | 1, 430, 000 | 305, 000 | 800, 000
California: |
West Walker___.-__--_- Colevilles 2-222. 49 405 | 1, 079, 000 110, 000 313, 800
TTS aides aoe ee Susanville_____.__- 49 1,507 | 1,117, 000 80, 000 330, 800
enrSOMghasbel Onkes [2-2-3 2 49 323 868, 500 91, 300 309, 000
(Oh Gi Cea eae Round Valley_-_--- 49 524 516, 000 181, 500 278, 100
IS ED GA ers el IAT Works*=2 soo ee 49 211 407, 700 14, 200 98, 200
Oregon:
Silver Creek. _._--_-- Silver Lake-_-_-_-__- 8 317 48, 000 10, 000 32, 000

Donner und Blitzen___| Diamond---_--__-- Za 500 134, 000 | 83, 000 | 102, 000
} \

1 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Some of the characteristics of the flow of typical streams of the
Great Basin may be learned from a study of Table 1. The data in
this table have been compiled from the reports of the Geological
Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation, of the United States De-
partment of the Interior, and State departments of engineering.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Irrigation by the Anglo-Saxon race in this country was first prac-
ticed in the Great Basin. It was to ward off starvation that the
early pioneers of Utah resorted to this method of raising crops.
They soon found that in building ditches to convey water from
mountain streams to cultivated farms, the individual possessed of
small means could do little. It was, as a rule, only by cooperative
effort that such a task could be performed. Thus at the earliest
stage of agricultural development in the West, the spirit of inde-
pendence so characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon farmer had to give
place to ene of community helpfulness and a willingness to join
hands with others to accomplish a common purpose. Thus, too, the
principle of cooperation so early established may be said to be the
chief cornerstone of western irrigation. About 75 per cent of the
irrigated area of the Great Basin of Utah is included in cooperative
enterprises.

In that part of the basin lying in Nevada, California, and
Oregon, the main agricultural industry is stock raising, and stock-
men are as a rule financially able to construct their irrigation
ditches. Accordingly, for the Basin as a whole, the largest area
of irrigated land is under individual and partnership ditches. The
next largest area is under cooperative enterprises, while irrigation
districts occupy third place. With a few exceptions, the irriga-
tion district is of recent origin in the Great Basin, but from present
indications it bids fair to become an important agency in the re-
modeling of old and infericr irrigation systems. During the past
decade 24 irrigation districts have been formed, of which 5 are
being operated and an equal number are under construction.

Two projects of the Bureau of Reclamation, United States Depart-
ment of the Interior, are located in the Great Basin, one being in
Utah and the other in Nevada, but their combined irrigated area is
less than 4 per cent of the total area irrigated in the Basin. With
the exception of these two projects and some 30,000 acres irrigated
by the Indian Service, United States Department of the Interior,
irrigation development in the Great Basin may be said to be the
result of private enterprise.

The increase in the irrigated area of the Great Basin during the
decades beginning with 1890 is shown in the following figures:

|
|
r Irrigated pas Irrigated
Year area | Yeai area
Acres Acres
1890 703, 105 1910 2, 022, 277
1900 1, 451, 080 1920 2, 313, 165

i
|
i

a

wu.

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 13

The crops grown on the irrigated lands of the Great Basin include
hay, grain, and potatoes in the more elevated and colder valleys,
alfalfa, grain, corn, fruit, and canning vegetables on the bulk of the
arable lands, and in the southern parts of both Nevada and Utah
such crops as almonds, walnuts, and figs are successfully raised. The
principal crops raised in Utah and the quantities of each produced
during the census year in each decade since 1850 are given in Table 2.°

TABLE 2.—Production of wheat, cats, corn, barley, potatoes, hay, and sugar beets
in Utah during the census years from 1850 to 1920*

Year | Wheat | Oats | Corn Barley Potatoes Hay | Sugar beets
Bushels Bushels Bushels Bushels Bushels Tons Tons

TRONS se eae 107, 702 10, 900 9, 899 1, 799 43, 968 4, S050) 2 ae ee ee
WS60e 4-2. 2 ee 384, 892 63, 211 90, 482 9, 976 141, 001 TGP 235) | Helene ee
STOR eee ee 558, 473 65, 650 95, 557 49,117 323, 645 De SOD) |e ee
FIR (hee eee 1, 169, 199 418, 082 163, 342 217, 140 573, 595 92573 Dr | eee ee
[SO0 etegs eee 2 1, 515, 465 597, 947 84, 760 163, 328 519, 497 3019014 |/S 42 Sea
OOO Eee ele ee 3, 413, 470 | 1, 436, 225 250, 020 252,140 | 1, 483, 570 850, 962 85, 914
ORO aes SE 3, 943,910 | 3, 221, 289 169, 688 891,471 | 2,409,093 | 1,015, 913 413, 946
O20 ie 2 a 4,100,979 | 1, 724, 392 265, 361 365,186 | 1,648,400} 1,031, 609 930, 427

1 Formerly nearly 100 per cent and in 1920 about 67 per cent of these products were grown in the Great
Basin.

According to the crop census report of 1919, the acreage devoted
to various crops and the quantity of each produced in Nevada are
given in Table 3.

TABLE 3.—Acreage, yield, and value of principal crops grown on irrigated land
in Nevada and comparisons with totals for the State, 1919

ae “| Quantity
Crop Acres har- , Value
total vested
for State

Cereals: Bushels
; Win Gerawiin eat 25525 Nee Se Pel Ee SS ia EE 2,921 83. 9 60, 220 $138, 506
Paring NAGE E Use 2 Aerts as ee a Ae Creer tel ads Ree Pag eee eer 17, 062 92.2] 377, 248 857, 670
Oats eee eee Cae eperigein et oe ee emer Cees Mad See ek Beet 2, 501 84.1 64, 873 74, 604
eee oe GC og a pes he Sa Fe Ee Mie 5, 156 92. 1 138, 793 242, 888

Hay and forage: Tons

neENb HRY As Re OR 0S Oe eS eine eS OL ue a See ee 112, 166 95.7 | 318, 906 6, 537, 573
PMOL VialONGs eee ee US A ee a gee ee! 4, 229 94.8 4, 855 111, 665
imothyrand clovermixede ass 0) ee ee 14, 059 95.8 19,351 45, 073
GIOVCRIALG RON toes yee Boa ES eee a Sones eres eA 487 62.7 768 16, 896
Otheniamnererassese mets ern le ET ab Lee AS 29, 114 95. 3 31, 306 641, 773
Annus llerumes cub forhay = 52. -$ 2 LL 2tee lb. o 706 Oi? 545 9, 810
SHAMS PAINS CIAO aye ee ee 5, 564 79.0 6, 272 116, 032
Wald salt. onsprainieerasses. 420.2. ee tel 134, 389 75.8 | 122, 146 2, 259, 701

Vegetables: Bushels
LECGIAD NOTES = Sa oe a ees De ape LS ae 2, 823 77.6 | 410, 001 918, 402

THE RELATION OF IRRIGATION WATER TO CROP PRODUCTION

The extent of arable land in the Basin is estimated as equal to
that of Iowa, and the soil an the whole is rich in plant food and
easily worked ; but the rainfall is so ight that the greater part is
well-nigh worthless without irrigation, and dry farming i is confined
to a few favored localities where the precipitation is above the aver-
age and the soil is deep and retentive of moisture. The improved

5 Circular No. 44, Utah Agricultural Experiment Station.

14 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

land in farms is confined to less than 3,000,000 acres, of which
2,318,165 acres were irrigated in 1919. It is from this relatively
small area of irrigated land that the bulk of the soil products are
derived. The large profits resulting from irrigation in the Basin
as compared with those from nonirrigated land would seem to
justify the expenditures which
have been made in providing water
supplies for agricultural purposes.

A large number of experiments
have been made to determine the
relationship between the amount
of water applied to soil and the
yield of crops. In all cases condi-
tions were more or less under con-
trol, effected by growing crops
under test in plots or in tanks.

In order to determine the actual
water requirements of various
crops during their period of
growth, the Division of Agricul-
tural Engineering has for years
used metal containers |snown as
tanks, in which the crops are
grown and irrigated with varying
amounts of water. These tanks
are made of galvanized steel and
vary in diameter from 18 to 30
inches and in depth from 4 to 6
feet. To facilitate weighing at
short intervals and for the better
control of temperatures, each tank
is enclosed within a larger tank of
similar design and the annular
space is filled with water. In
many cases the inner tank has a
false bottom composed of brass
gauze over No. 10 gauge plate and
an outside tap through which
water percolating through the soil
column of the inner tank may be
withdrawn and measured. ‘The
| general design of the tanks is
FIG. 5.—Double soil tank, showing inner Shown in Figure 5.

shell with eyelets for Hoisting fad col” “ Tn 1901 a series of plot experi-

tion of tank shown as torn away to ments was made on the Utah Agri-

disclose screen resting on perforated 3 =)
plate, space for capture of deep percola- Cultural Experiment Station Farm

a ater and tock for withdrawal of at Logan to determine, among

other things, the effect of water on
the yield of crops. The sandy soil, which varied in depth from less
than 18 inches to 59 inches, was underlaid with gravel to a depth of
several hundred feet. On account of the porous character of the
shallow soil and the coarse, gravelly subsoil, more than the average
quantities of water were used in order to compensate for deep per-

fo)

°
See

actesacen—
{e)

fs
a=Soe

amber for Collecting
Excess Water

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 15

colation losses. The results, however, may be regarded as typical of
those resulting from the use of water on the more porous bench lands
of the Great Basin under the methods practiced 20 years ago.

Figure 6 shows the quantities of water applied to each of several
plots of oats, wheat, potatoes, and corn, and the corresponding yields.
To economize space the mean of the results of plots receiving nearly
the same quantity of water has been inserted instead of those from
each plot; the figures in the column headed “ No. of Tests” give the
number of plots or tests, which are included in each case.

WATER APPLIED CROP YIELD
a in - on i ico ale ied ee aoe
OATS

iacale Seles deals oe Station 70 aos 6

ier ogan,Utah. | |

ae Shallow Sandy soil over

: me Deep percolation. ese heteash
oo

Losses heavy ED aE
Breen i

well Canaiiiane Similan =
fava to those for Oats above 25
EET | =

= 200 300 400 500

POTATOES

Conditions similar F
to those for Oats above

BED of Conditions similar =

to those for Oats above

Fic. 6.—Relationship between amount of water applied and crop yield for oats,
—— potatoes, and corn as determined by plot experiments at Logan, Utah, in

Largely on account of the shallowness of the soil and the porosity
of the gravel and cobble subsoil, the site of the experimental plots
on which the foregoing results were obtained was abandoned at the
close of the crop-growing season of 1901, and a new site was pur-
chased about a mile and a half north of the Agricultural College of
Utah, known as the Greenville farm. The soil of that portion of
this farm devoted to irrigation experiments consists mainly of sand
and silt and weighs, on an average, 76 pounds per cubic foot. The
soil is comparatively uniform in texture, far removed from ground
water, and of great depth. The maximum water-holding capacity
under field conditions is about 24 per cent of the dry soil, the most
favorable percentage of soil moisture for growing crops about 18

16 BULLETIN 1340, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE _

per cent, and the minimum percentage required for crop growth
about 12 per cent.

From the close of the irrigation season of 1901 to January 1, 1911,
irrigation experiments were conducted on the Greenville farm by the
Utah Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with the Divi-
sion of Agricultural Engineering, Bureau of Public Roads. <A part
of these investigations had for its object the determination of the
relation existing between the quantity of water, including soil mois-
ture and rainfall, used by various plants and the yields of these
plants. This relationship 1s shown graphically in Figure 7, in which
the mean of a large number of experiments on each of eight crops is
given. During the 9-year period covered by these experiments the
average annual rainfall at Logan, Utah, was about 17 inches. The
early spring rainfall was heavy and the rainfall during the growing
season was about 5 inches. This rainfall, which is far above the
average of the Great Basin, coupled with the fertility of the soil and
the quantity of soil moisture available, was sufficient to produce, ss
the diagram shows, fairly good yields when small quantities of irri-
gation water were added. To illustrate, an equivalent of 10.25 acre-
inches of soil water and rainfall, with the addition of 5 acre-inches
of irrigation water, produced 6,080 pounds of dry matter per acre,
composed of the roots and tops of sugar beets, whereas the addition
of 30 acre-inches of irrigation water produced 10,271 pounds of dry
matter per acre.

In 1905 a series of experiments was carried on in several coun-
ties of Utah by the Division of Agricultural Engineering, Bureau
of Public Roads, in cooperation with the Utah Agricultural Ex-
periment Station to determine among other facts the effect on yields
of variations in the quantity of water applied, above a relatively
small amount. The results are shown graphically in Figure 8. The
alfalfa was grown at Richfield, Utah, on a soil composed chiefly of
clay and sand. The oat crop was grown on clay-loam soil near the
town of Tooele in Tooele County. The sugar beets were grown on
sandy, gravelly loam underlaid with coarse gravel, near Provo,
Utah County. The potatoes were grown on a black loam soil mixed
with clay in Salt Lake County.

Cooperative irrigation experiments on a 40-acre tract near Good-
ing, Idaho, were begun in 1909 and continued to the close of 1916,
by the Division of Agricultural Engineering and the Idaho Agri-
cultural Experiment Station. The soil of the tract is a medium
clay loam with a clay subsoil underlaid at a depth of 8 to 12 feet
by the basaltic lava rock common to southern Idaho. The precipi-
tation during the crop-growing season (April 1 to August 31) for
the years 1910 to 1916 inclusive, averaged 2.91 inches and the tem-
perature for the same 7-year period ranged from a monthly mini-
mum of 8.3° F. to a monthly maximum of 95.9°, while the average
yearly mean was 47.2°.

The tract on which these experiments were made les outside the
Great Basin, but the soil and climate conditions are similar to those
of the southeastern part of Idaho located within the Great Basin.

In determining the quantity of irrigation water necessary to pro-
duce profitable yields, one set of plots received a small quantity of
water, another set a medium quantity, and a third set a larger

Fig.

42944° 95

fod

(

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN

YIELD

Thousands of Pounds per Acre
(lees eo ies eee ET |

Z Pos facilen) estas]
SOIL MOISTURE a
IRRIGATION —Bae3 mee _ifarm, Logan, :
RAINFALL C3 snes So// and Subsoi/ |

(ene ainly of sand and Patt aes

WATER USED BY CROP
Inches in Depth on Land
0 €9 59 40 30 20
|

PZ silt, typical of the

| lbes gene of the mae

SEaeaEA | Great Basin.
aia rey Mee peg | TH A

=> ee a - *

a oo
TS
= =
al ere Fars Whee oo

eee _|
aie set a Yield includes straw,

See
, == Conditions similar SEN
r_|fo those for Wheat. De De a teh
Ss Yield includes stalks=@R

™{|Cenditions 1a a
to those for Wheai. ann weErRE ;
| _|¥/eld includes rcots|_| es Bsa NC
ae

Gaal rien aa

ia fe st 3 ses Ps

Ft CARROTS gs] eat bso

Conditions similar “eee
PRPS Ea Ro A a

| _|fothose for Wheat, laa Pea aa

a a
ae J
| see
= POTATOES :
PE Conditions simi/art é
ra sea ee —/o those for Wheat ree
es Ea SEeae
——-—! TS Es aa Pe a
: Pee as
aed all
ae ae
wacom
r ee lE ce!
a

ALFALFA | 8
——Relationship between amount of water applied and yield for various
crops as determined near Logan, Utah, between 1901 and 1911

3

Ly

18 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

quantity. The water used was measured over a weir and all run-off
was measured and deducted from the quantity passing over the
weir.

The relation between the total quantity of water applied exclusive
of the rainfall and the yields of alfalfa, spring wheat, oats, and
potatoes is shown graphically in Figure 9, in which the average of
a large number of tests is given.

On April 25, 1911, 6 tanks each containing about 1,000 pounds
of soil, were seeded to alfalfa at the Nevada “Agricultural Experti-
ment Station. This experiment formed part of the cooperative
irrigation investigations carried on for a number of years by the
Bureau of Public Roads and the Nevada Agricultural Experiment
Station. The soil used was alluvial in character, intermixed with a
considerable proportion of sand and small rock fragments, and typi-

WATER APPLIED CROP YIELD
ences in a on i inebediiullsetbactrd :

andy Gravelly Loam, |||

3
2
!
BuNnder/aid with coarse BE

—= in Ses Gravel, near Provo, Viah. 2 RS SES

Bushels per Acre

50 100 150 200 250

ALFALFA

On Form near
S on feis Utah. Soil mul

a On Clay LoamSoil Pee cay =a ea a
em near Tooele, Utah. Trin nem
Pee Ue fll ae) a a -

Fic. 8.—Relationship between amount of water applied and crop yield for alfaifa,
sugar beets, potatoes, and oats as determined at various places in Utah in 1905

cal of soil formations in the vicinity of Reno. Soil samples taken
when the tanks were filled had moisture percentages of 11.9 to 12.8.

Tanks 8 and 4 received 4 light irrigations during the season, in
which 3 crops were harvested ; tanks 5 and 6, received 4 medium
irrigations; while the soil in tanks 7 and 8 was maintained at a
fairly constant moisture content by adding, at the time of the semi-
weekly weighing, the quantity of water lost by transpiration and
pine | ation. This plan was believed best to insure vigorous plant
growth.

The experiment was continued through the season of 1912, with
the results as shown in Figure 10.

On April 23, 1913, the tanks used in growing alfalfa the two pre-
vious years were seeded to Marquis w heat. As in the case of alfalfa,
tanks 3 and 4 received relatively small quantities of water, tanks 5

7“ oe

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN | 19

and 6 medium quantities, while the soil in tanks 7 and 8 was main-
tained at a fairly constant moisture condition. Similar experiments
were made by growing oats in tanks.

The mean quantity of water utilized in each set of tanks in grow-
ing wheat and oats and the corresponding seasonal yield are shown
in Figure 10.

TIME OF IRRIGATION

The purpose of this discussion is to indicate as definitely as the
varied conditions will permit, the quantity of water needed by
typical crops during their successive stages of growth, in order to

Inches in Depth on Land
40 35 30 25 2015 10 5 ALFALFA

| On acre plots and | hae co
|_| |smoller sub-plotsat| | {|
meee Gooding, /daho. pee ES
Soil, medium clay loam
with clay subsoil.
| A/l surface waste water EES
exc/uded.

Bushels per Acre

10 20 30 40 SO 60 70
hiss |

SPRING WHEAT

On Sacre plots
at Gooding, /daho.

6
2%
~
or
sQ
Ss
% ¢
“SB

OATS

On plots at
Gooding,/daho.

Mean of
5 years
and/7Tests

POTATOES

On plots at
Gooding,!/daho.

Mean of
6 years
and 20 Tests

Tlic. 9.—Relationship between amount of water applied and crop yield for alfalfa,
wheat, oats, and potatoes, as determined by plot experiments at Gooding, Idaho,
from 1909 to 1916. While Gooding is outside Great Basin the results are appli-
cable

serve as a guide to irrigators in deciding when water should be
applied.

Tf it were practical to maintain in each type of soil the quantity
of soil moisture best adapted to the kind of crop grown, it would go
far toward settling the question of proper time of water application.
Of the many ways of applying water to soils and crops, the sprinkl-
ing method ® may be considered the only one by which small quanti-
ties of water can be spread uniformly over the soil at frequent inter-

vals in order to maintain a reasonably constant soil moisture content.

°U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin Ne. 495, Spray Irrigation.

20 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

This method, however, is costly and not weil suited to arid conditions.
Ordinarily crops grown in the West are irrigated with large quanti-
ties of water at certain periods and when these pericds are limited
to two or three in the growing season, it is not easy to determine
in all cases the proper time to use water.

Vhile it is generally true that the more foliage a plant has the
more water it transpir es and the greater is its need for soil moisture,
cases arise like that of a newly cut alfalfa field where the transpira-
tion is small, yet the need for water is urgent in order to start the
new growth.

W hen the growth of plants is checked—especially at a time when
it is most rapid—by a lack of moisture, complete recovery is not
possible, and a smaller yield, depending upon the severity of the
check, is the result. ‘To “ouard against such an occurrence, an ade-

cps 2 CROPS Paaal “YIELD
——

ALFALFA

- SEES, 19/1 in Tanks eet
a ler Nevada Experiment ial a

“I on Ww \Mumber |

ALFALFA

19/2 in Tanks,
Same Location

“IO
I
on hf

.

WHEAT

1913 in Tanks.
Same Location

25.50 .75 1.00 1.50

OATS
19/3 in Tanks.

Fic, 10.—Relationship between amount of water applied and crop yield for alfalfa,
wheat, and cats as determined by tank experiments at Reno, Nev.

quate amount of soil moisture should be maintained during the
critical stages of growth, because when crops suffer a setback on ac-
count of drought no subsequent waterings will repair the damage
done. It is also true that the application of water to many crops
approaching maturity results in injury rather than benefit.

Before taking up the question of the proper time to apply water
to typical crops, it will be necessary to consider briefly the influence
which several secondary factors exert in causing more or less de-
parture from theoretical conclusions based solely upon the water
requirements of the crops under consideration.

Of the secondary factors, the character of the soil is one of the
most important. Some soils when irrigated retain little water, ne-
cessitating frequent hght waterings in order to supply enough soil
moisture for the use of crops, Sandy and gravelly soils having

eee ee

Eee

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 21

relatively large particles belong to this type. Other soils are made
up largely of small particles and are in consequence retentive of
moisture and do not permit much water to percolate through them.
Silt and clay soils are of this type and these as a rule do not require
water as frequently as the more porous soils.

Cropped soils having a water table near the base of the root zone
need little, if any, water apphed to the surface of the soil, since
moisture is drawn from beneath.

The time of irrigation is also influenced by precipitation. In
some parts of the West enough moisture is stored in the soil, result-
ing from rainfall or the melting of snow, to nourish plants during
their first stage of growth. Under such conditions no artificial
watering is needed until the roots of the growing plants threaten to
deplete the soil moisture below the desired amount. In other parts
of the West most of the precipitation occurs during the winter
season and irrigation is needed shortly after crops are planted if not
before.

There is likewise a wide seasonal fluctuation in the flow of West-
ern streams. To lessen the injurious effects of the lack of water
during the late summer months, a common practice is to apply sur-
plus quantities when there is an abundance, and this is done with
little regard to the need of the crops for water at the time cf ap-
plication. While this practice increases the yields, it is wasteful of
water and tends to water-log fertile land. As stated elsewhere, the
better practice is to store a part of the surplus flow and to apply
water from stream and reservoir as the soil and crops require it.
This more economical method is being followed wherever funds are
available to build works for the storage of water.

The regulations in vogue governing the delivery of water to those
entitled to its use exert a marked influence on the time of irriga-
tion. Tor the most part water is delivered to water users in rota-
tion. In other words, all the farms furnished water from a lateral
ditch receive the entire stream in turn and the number of hours of
use 1S apportioned to each farm in accordance with the number
of acres watered. On small farms, the number of hours of use may
be less than 24, while the period between water deliveries may vary
from less than 10 days to more than 30 days. Under such regula-
tions in respect to water delivery, it 1s not always possible to irri-
gate crops at the proper time.

Lastly, the varied and at times pressing duties of operating an
irrigated farm often render it inadvisable to quit an urgent task in
order to ir rigate. In the Great Basin the harvesting of alfalfa often
occurs at a time when sugar beets or other crops need irrigating.
The delay in irrigating a particular crop by first harvesting the
alfalfa may affect the yield of that crop. On the other hand, the
delay in harvesting the alfalfa when ready to cut, may incur as
great a loss.

THE CEREALS

The amount of soil moisture absorbed by the roots of plants and
transpired through the foliage varies quite widely in most crops
in accordance with the condition of the plant and the stage of
growth. In the case of cereals, for example, a relatively small quan-
tity of soil moisture is absorbed and transpired from the time of

actin men ee a

et

92 BULLETIN 1340, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

germination until the plants are well above the ground. From that
stage to the heading-out stage, there is a oradual i increase 1n water
requirements and a more rapid increase beyond this latter stage up
to the time of the beginning of the milk stage of the grain. Beyond
the hard-dough stage there is a sudden decrease in the quantity of
soil moisture needed and this lessening requirement for moisture
continues until the grain is harvested.

This is shown in. diagrams “A” and “B” of Figure 11, which
represents the results of tank experiments by Fortier and Petersen
at the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station farm near Reno
in the summer of 1914. Diagram “A” represents the mean of six
experiments in which Marquis wheat was grown in tanks.

In “A” the stepped line shows the quantity of water used at the
various stages of growth. Every three or four days water was
added to each tank to replace that used in transpiration and evapora-
tion from the soil surface. Accordingly each horizontal step repre-
sents the average quantity of water used by all the tanks during the
period covered since water was last added. As nearly as could be
determined, the ratio of the loss due to evaporation and transpira-
tion was as 1 is to 2.44. Each tank on an average received 359
pounds of water and about 71 per cent of the total was due to trans-
piration. The tanks were fitted with false bottoms so that all deep
percolation water was withdrawn through a tap and the quantity
deducted from that applied to each tank. Soil moisture deter-
minations were also made at seed time and harvest time and the
gain or loss of soil moisture included in the final results. In like
manner due allowance was made for rainfall.

Diagram “ B” represents the mean of five tank experiments for the
purpose of determining the water requirements of barley at various
stages_of growth. These experiments were conducted simultane-
ously with those represented by Diagram “A” and the meteorological
data are the same for both.

The Utah Agricultural Experiment Station has demonstrated
repeatedly (1) that if cereals can be watered but once in their period
of growth, this one irrigation should be applied about the time of
the early booting stage so as to supply ample moisture for the plant
stage requiring most water; (2) that water applied after the dough
stage is reached decreases the yield and tends to lodge the grain, and
(3) that the largest yields are obtained by maintaining an adequate
moisture supply in the soil by the necessary number of irrigations
until the soft-dough stage of the cereals is reached. The gr aphical
representations of F igure 11 seem to give a reason for these demon-
strated facts.

Thom and Holtz, in growing plants in tanks under irrigation at
Pullman, Wash., during the seasons of 1911 and 1912 , found that
the daily quantity of water transpired by wheat, corn, oats, and peas
increased until about the beginning of the ripening period and then
decreased until harvested. ‘The daily quantity of water transpired
by each of these plants, expressed in pounds, is shown in Figure 12.
The same authors found that in growing wheat, corn, oats, and
peas on plots adjacent to similar control plots w hich were uncr opped,
the averaged ratio of the quantity of water transpired to that evapo-

rated from bare soils was approximately as 3 is to 1. The rainfall

) —

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 93

during the growing season averaged 3.3 inches for the wheat, oats,
and peas, and 3.15 for the corn.

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Fic. 11.—Water requirements of (A) wheat and (B) barley at various stages of
growth as determined at Reno, Nev., in.1914. Modifying meteorology also given.
The lines represent mean values for several days

The water requirements of cereals during the several stages of
growth as determined by tank experiments agree closely w ith those
of similar crops grown in plots near Twin Falls, and near Gooding,
Idaho. The results of experiments carried on for three seasons at

24 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

the former station showed that there should be enough moisture in
the soil at the time of planting to sprout the seed and maintain the
crop in a vigorous condition to the beginning of the jointing stage.
By plowing the ground in the fall, leaving it rough during the winter
and cultivating “and seeding early in the spring, there is usuall Ly
enough moisture in the soil in that locality to meet this requirement.
If, however, the ground is not plowed in the fail, the season late or
dry, a medium irrigation may be necessary before planting. The
results also showed that the greatest need for ee occurred be-
tween the jointing and the soft-dough stages. A heavy irrigation
about the time of early jointing produced a lar ge head and supphed

f|
ep dnel Ee ec
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Fic. 12.—Water used during various stages of growth as determined at Pullman,
Wash., in 1911 and 1912. Average of 4 tanks, each of 3-1/7 sq. ft. area

sufficient moisture for subsequent growth. When water was with-
held during this period and applied after the soft-dough stage, the
effect was injurious rather than beneficial. ‘The best yields were ob-
tained by maintaining a fairly constant soil moisture content from
the time of seeding until the hard-dough stage was reached.

The results obtained in growing cereals at the substation of the
Idaho Agr icultural Experiment Station at Gooding lkewise showed
the advantage i in crop yields of an adequate supply of moisture until
the hard-dough stage was reached. When the crop was not irrigated
during its critical “stages of growth, the quantity of the yield was
reduced and its quality impaired. No subsequent waterings could
remedy the damage done. In many cases the application of water
three weeks or less before harvest time tended to lodge the grain

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 95

and otherwise worked an injury. References to results obtained at
Pullman, Wash., Gooding and Twin Falls, Idaho, although located
outside the Great Basin, are introduced for the purpose of com-
parison with those obtained in the Great Basin and because con-
ditions are somewhat similar.

FORAGE CROPS

Alfalfa, clover, and other forage crops differ in certain features
from the cereals in their water requirements during their several
stages of growth. As with the cereals, the need for water is small
in the case of newly seeded alfalfa during the first stage of growth.

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JULY "AUGUST SEPTEMBER
7i0.13—- ise of? water Hargett eapiokes) ae e@sch of throe cuttings of alfslfa,as detercined st Hex, svete in 1911. Eodifying meteorology sleo given. ‘Ste stepped

Fic. 13.—Amount of waiter transpired during growth prior to each of three cuttings
of alfalfa, as determined at Reno, Nev., in 1911. Modifying meteorology also
given. The stepped lines represent mean values for several days

The demand for water increases, however, quite rapidly as the foliage
expands, end this increase is accelerated until the root system is well
established and the aerial part of the plant approaches full develop-
ment. l'rom this stage to the time of harvesting, the increase in
water requirement is fairly constant, provided the alfalfa is cut in
early bloom. If the cutting is deferred to late bloom or beyond,
there is a falling off in the amount of water needed. Figure 13 is
a graphical representation of the quantity of water tra ispired daily
by alfalfa grown in tanks at Reno, Nev., in 1911. It will be noted
that it required from April 25 to July 18 (84 days) to mature the
first crop and during this period the transpiration was low and the
growth slow. The next crop matured in 35 days and required during

42944°—25—_4

a a ee ee re re ee
i i, ee eee eee

26 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

the last half of this time a large quantity of water. The third and
last crop of the season matured in less than 30 days and required
somewhat less water than the second crop. The results shown are
the mean of four experiments. The quantity of water evaporated
from a water surface during the growing of the three crops, the wind
velocity, and the temperature are also shown.

POTATOES

An essential feature in the production of large yields of market-
able potatoes is to maintain as constant a soil moisture content as
conditions will permit. A medium amount of soil moisture is to be
preierred to either a high or low one. If the soil is too dry at the
time of planting, it should first be irrigated in order to furnish the
plants with sufficient moisture until the vines are 4 to 6 inches high.
From this stage until the potatoes are nearly mature the ideal pro-
cedure would be to apply a small quantity of water each week. ‘The
nearest approach to this which is practical in the Great Basin is to
apply about four light irrigations. If the soil is moist at the time
of planting, the first of these may be given when the vines are 4 to
6 inches high, the second when tubers begin to form, the third when
the vines are in bloom, and the fourth prior to ripening.

In experimenting with the irrigation of potatoes at the Nevada
Agricultural Experiment Station during the years 1914 to 1917, .
inclusive, the plan adopted was to apply water when the vines
showed a tendency to wilt. The depth of water applied at each
watering was 3 inches for one series of plots, 6 inches for another,
and 9 inches for the third series. For the 4-year period, the highest
yields were obtained with 3-inch applications given when the.vines
started to wilt.

As a result of years of experimentation with potatoes at the
Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, the highest yields have been
obtained by 1-inch apphcations weekly for a period of 13 weeks.
Since such light applications are seldom practical under field condi-
_ tions, this station has adopted, with good results, the practice of
applying fairly frequent light irrigations extending from the time
the vines are 4 inches high until the plants are nearly ripe. Other
phases of this subject brought out by the Utah experiments are that
the yields of potatoes are decreased by too much water and by irri-
gating after planting and before the plants are above ground, that
if only one irrigation can be applied during the period of growth,
it should be at the time of full bloom, and that if the soil is allowed
to dry out to such an extent as to check growth, knobby or gnarled
tubers may result from a subsequent watering.

SUGAR BEETS

It was formerly quite generally held that water should be with-
held from sugar beets as long as possible during their first stage of
growth in order to produce long roots. Observations and the results
of experimentation during the past decade have shown that this
practice is not profitable. Depriving young beets of water may
induce deep rooting but this slight advantage is apt to be counter-
balanced tenfold by the injury done to the plants in thus checking

TRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN mat

their growth. Good practice seems to call for a thorough prepara-
tion of the seed bed by deep fall plowing, followed by cultivation in
the spring and an adequate supply of soil moisture. If the moisture
supply is not sufficient under natural conditions, the field should be
irrigated some time before seeding. When the top layer of soil is
carefully prepared after water has been applied, and contains the
right quantity of moisture, the beet plants should germinate
promptly and make a rapid growth. Beets grown under favorable
conditions should. possess normal shapes. The deformities arise, as
a rule, from drought, hardpan, a high water table, alkali, or disease.

The maintenance of a soil moisture content as nearly uniform as
practicable is a reliable guide in determining when sugar beets
should be irrigated. This rule holds true to within a short time of
maturity. The additional profits to be gained in irrigating when-
ever the plants are in need of water was demonstrated by the Great
Western Sugar Co., at their experiment farm at Longmont, Colo.
In this experiment one set of plots, No. 1, was irrigated June 27,.
July 22, and August 12. This set was termed “early irrigated”;
set No. 2, irrigated July 22 and August 12, was termed “ inter-
mediate”; set No. 3, irrigated August 12 and September 18, was
termed “ late,” and set No. 4, irrigated June 27, July 22, August 12,
August 24, and September 6, was termed “ when in need of irriga-
tion.” The yield, sugar content, and farmers’ profits for each set
- are given below.

Num-
ber Yield per Sugar Farmers’
of acre content profit
Set
|
Tons Per cent
1 16. 89 14. 79 $82. 53
2 16. 57 14. 95 79. 63
ae 15. 69 13. 93 75. 97
ie alah ge Sz 15. 25 93. 66 |
}

The proper time to irrigate sugar beets was investigated by the
Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station in 1914 and 1915 on 19
plots. : |

A 4-inch irrigation was applied at each of four stages of wilting
with the following results:

: |
Yield per | Sugar con-

Stage | acre tent
| Tons Per cent
Beltore wants peran to wilt. - 2 oo ee ie oe 20. 92
When plants began to wilt__________________-_______- | 9. 67 21. 48
When the leaves wilted down once______________------ 9. 40 21. O1
When the plants failed to revive at night_____________- 7. 38 | 18. 59

During the growing season of 1919 sugar beets were grown in
tanks 2314 inches in diameter and 48 inches deep, at the Denver
field laboratory in Denver, Colo., by Fortier and Blaney. Figure 14
indicates graphically the quantity of water in pounds which was

28 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

transpired by the sugar beets during their period of growth, as de-
termined by the mean results of three tank experiments. The mois-
ture content in each tank was maintained as nearly as practicable
at 17 per cent of the dry weight of soil, by adding water at each
semiweekly weighing to make 1 up the loss due to transpiration and
evaporation. The loss due to evaporation from the soil in each tank
was afterwards deducted. The mean temperature of the air, evapo-

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POUNDS OF WATER

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JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

®iG. $4 — sccont of cater transpired by svgar beets betvesn seed ani Rarvest as detorcinod at Denver,Colorado in 1929. Uodifying mteorology aleo abcrn.
Stepped lines indicate mean valoss for apveral days.

Fic. 14—Amount of water transpired by sugar beets between seed and harvest as
determined at Denver, Colo., in 1919. Modifying meteorology also shown.
Stepped lines indicate mean values for several days

ration from a water surface, and wind movement during the period
of growth are also given.

It will be noted that the quantity of water transpired is small
from the time the sugar beets are sprouted.on May 23 until they are
41% inches high on June 20. From this stage the transpiration in-
creases quite rapidly and uniformly until August 4, when the beets
are 18 inches high. From the middle of August until October 7 :

Seas

ee = a er

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 29

when the crop is harvested, there is a gradual decrease in transpira-
tion from 12 pounds to less than 1 pound per day.

As has been pointed out, conditions imposed on the farmer may
prevent him from irrigating at the right time and with the proper
quantity of water. When possible, however, water should be sup-
plied as needed during the various stages of erowth of the crops.
To do this, there should be an adequate and dependable supply of
water throughout the irrigation season.

CONDITIONS INFLUENCING THE QUANTITY OF WATER
REQUIRED FOR IRRIGATION

Of the conditions influencing the quantity of water required for
irrigation in the Great Basin, what may be termed permissible waste
of water is by far the most important. As shown by many of the
records of duty-of-water measurements herein tabulated, much
larger quantities of water are diverted from streams and other
sources of supply than can be utilized by the crops irrigated. The
difference between intake duty and the actual water requirement of
crops is made up of losses in the conveyance of water from the
source to the place of use, unequal distribution over the surface of
fields, the application of more water than soils can hold, causing
deep percolation losses, surface run-off, and other more readily pre-
ventable losses. It is estimated that fully half of the water annu-
ally diverted for irrigation purposes within the Great Basin is thus
wasted. Bark’s estimate for southern Idaho, where irrigation con-
ditions are somewhat similar, was 55 per cent loss exclusive of
evaporation from soils.

In order to ascertain the percentage of this waste water which may
be conserved economically, it is necessary to determine the relation
between such factors as the value of water and the cost of conserving
it, the value of crops and the profits derived from them, and also the
damage inflicted by waste water, but as these are all variables, it is
not possible to reach any definite ‘conclusion. It may be stated, how-
ever, that the general trend is toward a more economical use of
water, largely on account of the growing scarcity of water and its
rapidly increasing value, as well as the increasing damage due to
water-logeing and the cost’ of drainage. To illustrate: In 1898 a
water right under the Bear River canal system in northern Utah was
worth $10 per acre; 25 years later the same right was worth $100 per
acre, and in that period the area of land served by a unit of water
was much increased. Accordingly, waste which was permissible under
conditions which prevailed in 1898 may not be justified under 1924
conditions, and wasteful practices which may be permissible now are
not likely to be allowed in the years to come.

With. few exceptions, water for irrigation within the Great Basin
is conveyed in earthern ditches. These are located for the most part
on porous bench lands which absorb a large quantity of the water as
it flows from the source to the place of use. This loss is greatly in-
creased by the existence of too many canals. In many cases one
canal could be made to serve the land which is now watered by from
10 to 20 canals. Ifa dozen or more of these small, poorly built water
carriers could be merged into one canal of proper construction and

30 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

ample capacity, it would be possible to prevent all but a negligible
amount of the current losses. In a few cases large investments have
been made in concrete linings for the more porous portions of main
canals, but this procedure can not. be generally recommended be-
cause the lining of some canals might cost more than the water is
worth. ‘There are, however, other means of lessening the waste of
water and bringing about a more economical use which do not in-
volve much expense.

The most important of these are: (1) The adoption of the most
suitable method of irrigation; (2) proper preparation of the sur-
face of fields; (3) the use of large heads and short runs in porous
soils; and (4) the application at any one time of no more water than
the soil can retain against gravity within the root zone of plants.

In respect to the first suggestion, care should be exercised to adopt
a method of applying water that will best meet the conditions of
water supply, soils, topography, and crops, and the farm ditches
should be located and built in such a way as to conform to the method
adopted. The proper preparation of the surface of fields is one of
the necessary things in irrigation farming, since every attempt to
spread water over a rough, uneven surface results in the waste of
water, extra labor in applying it, reduced yields and profits, and, too
frequently, damaged soil due to water-logging and the rise of alkali. |

An instance of the saving which may be effected in water and labor
by the proper preparation of land is reported by R. W. Allen’,
superintendent of the experiment farm at Umatilla, Oreg. Two ad-
joining 10-acre tracts of alfalfa land of medium sandy soil, having
similar topographic conditions, were irrigated by the same man with
the same head of water. One tract was carefully prepared, whereas
the other was rough and uneven. On the former an average depth of
314 inches of water was applied at each watering, at a cost of $1.25
for the tract, whereas on the latter 16.8 inches was applied at a
cost of $5.90.

Instances in which yields and profits have been reduced by over-
irrigating the low parts of a field, although the high parts remained
unwatered, are so common as to need little comment. Packard, in
writing of alfalfa in Imperial Valley, Calif.,® states that “the num-
ber of cuttings and the yields secured from an established stand
of alfalfa depend almost entirely upon the efficiency of irrigation,”
and this in turn depends upon how well the surface has been pre-
pared for irrigation. : :

In preparing land for irrigation, where the soil and subsoil are
porous and absorb water readily, a common mistake is to run water
too far from head ditches. The length of run should be short where
excessive deep percolation is likely to occur. The effect of the length
of run on the quantity of water applied, the time required for its
application, and the crop yields on the porous, gravelly soils of the
Snake River Valley, near Rigby, Idaho, was shown by experiments
conducted by the Bureau of Public Roads, in cooperation with the
State Land Board of Idaho, during the seasons of 1910 1911, and

1912.

7Cirewar 3, Umatilla (Oreg.) Branch Experiment Station. ‘ 4
8Trrivation of Alfalfa in Imperial Valley, by Walter E. Packard, in Bulletin 284,
University of California.

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 31

The first of the series of three experiments was conducted on a
field of red clover 11.6 acres in extent and irrigated in borders. The
soil and subsoil are composed of sand, gravel, and cobbles, and are
typical of this locality. During the latter part of August, when the
second crop of clover was about 14 inches high, a strip of the field
49.5 feet wide and 2,359 feet long was selected for the experiment.
This strip was divided into seven equal parts, each 337 feet long, and
a head of water of approximately 214, cubic feet per second was
turned on at the upper end. The stream was allowed to flow unin-
terruptedly over the entire length of the strip, the time being noted
when the advance of the water reached each division. The results
are summarized in Table 4.

TABLE 4.—Time required to irrigate equal subdivisions of a strip of land in red
clover near Rigby, Idaho, and the quantity of water applied to each

| Lengt Time | Quantity

Sie Area of | required | of water

No. of division divgcion | @ivision | to ‘| applied

: irrigate | per acre

Feet Acres | Hrs.min.| Acre-feet
Yc I OT AT gc eS UR Re Oe Ae ee Pa TU ge Es 3 B7/ 0. 3835 1 22 . 2605
Pi cS Nil AMUN OS Si oN De EA ea gt Beem oye TU oe Fp pm 337 - 3835 oO - 3499
=} Sean! LIRCEY Fuge RN pees ee EOE Ay ey eal Soe ee ge Fe 337 - 3835 2 00 . 3818
A PE nen aie ec a ee ae AB ec et RLU So Rag ge 8 | 337 . 3835 2 30 - 4772
tig) he Weed Pete Bae AS 8 a2 AE ee eg Ie OO ek a ee eee 337 - 3835 3 00 SHY Pil
Cees eee aaeeN Lk a ee Cee Be i eee ee 337 . 3835 6 00 1. 1454
a eee ners MIU ieee Rte Co Reems Ure Wes mcr Ae Ciege eM oe 337 . 3835 7 00 1. 3363

PEALE sets se So ee 2 a BRP st dt ED Sel a Be Sg | 2, 359 2. 6845 23 42 4. 5238

An alfalfa field containing 16.5 acres, located 7 miles southwest of
Rigby, Idaho, was selected for the second experiment. Formerly
this field had been irrigated in three border strips each 2,560 feet
long. In order to determine the benefits, if any, to be derived from
shorter runs, the middle strip was subdivided into three equal parts
by the building of two extra head ditches, thus reducing the run to
one-third its former length. The average quantity of water in each
irrigation applied to each of the two outer strips was 1.25 acre-feet
per acre, while that applied to the middle strip was 0.9 acre-foot per
acre, thus effecting a saving in water of 28 per cent and securing a
larger yield of alfalfa.

The third experiment was conducted on a 16-acre oat field in the
vicinity of the former experiments. The soil and subsoil were simi-
lar in character. The field was irrigated by flooding in three par-
allel border strips 90 feet wide subdivided into different lengths.
The length of the run in the first strip was 428 feet, the second 857,
and the third 2,570 feet. Each strip was given three irrigations, the
first receiving a total of 2.9 acre-feet, the second 3.23 acre-feet, and
the third 4.26 acre-feet per acre. The yields of the respective strips
were 76.7, 63, and 74.7 bushels of oats.

It is well to bear in mind that the length of run and the quantities
of water absorbed by porous soils do not apply to the tight soils,
since in applying water to the latter type it is difficult to secure suffi-
cient penetration of moisture. One of the means used in moistening
clay soils to the requisite depth is to apply a small head of water to a
long border or furrow for a sufficient time to insure proper penetra-
tion of the moisture,

82 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Closely related to this subject is the proper quantity of water to
apply at each irrigation. This in turn leads to a consideration of
how much water soils can retain for the use of plant roots. To
spread more water over a field than is needed is as bad a practice as
filling bathtubs to overflowing, yet the former is done on hundreds
of farms every day of the irrigation season throughout the Great
Basin. One of the results of this wasteful practice is the annual
expenditure of large sums of money for the drainage of over-
irrigated lands. Frank Adams found® that the average quantity of
water retained in the lighter and more permeable soils of the Sacra-
mento Valley, Calif., was 0.92 acre-inch per acre for each foot in
depth of soil, or the equivalent of 5 to 6 acre-inches per acre for 6
feet of soil, whereas the clay soils, because of their great impervi-
ousness, absorbed an average of only 0.37 acre-inch per acre for each
foot in depth, this being at the rate of only about 214 acre-inches for
6 acre-feet. He found, however, that in the surface foot the light
soils retained an average of 1.04 acre-inches per acre-foot of soil as
compared with 1.71 acre-inches per acre-foot held by the clay soils,
this being in accordance with the well-known fact that clay soils,
when thoroughly wetted, will hold much more soil water than soils
of coarser or “lighter ” texture.

Israelsen and West” state: “It is doubtful if an acre of typical
upland soil 4 feet deep (in Utah) would retain more than 3 acre-—
inches of irrigation water”. They further state that an average of
nearly 3,000 tests, made by Widtsoe and McLaughlin showed that the
upper 8 feet of loam soil of the Greenville farm near Logan, Utah,
retained a little more than 1 inch of water for each foot of soil, 24
hours aiter irrigation. The general conclusion reached by Israelsen
and West is that soils have the capacity to absorb from one-half to
11% inches of water per foot of soil, the actual capacity for a given
soil depending on its texture and structure. Sandy and gravelly
soils retain the smaller quantities and clay loam soils the larger
quantities.

In cooperative investigations conducted in Idaho by the Bureau of
Public Roads and the State Land Board of Idaho, Bark™ found
that alfalfa grown in metal containers filled with porous soil
utilized only about 13 inches of the 80 inches apphed in seven irri-
gations; the balance, amounting to more than 83 per cent of the
volume applied, percolated through the 6 feet of soil and was with-
drawn from the bottom of the container.

In addition to those briefly discussed in the preceding paragraphs,
there are many more conditions which influence the water require-
ments of crops, but only two of these, viz., the kind of crops grown
and the fertility of the soil will be referred to here.

THE KIND OF CROPS

It is a well-established fact that crops differ widely in their water
requirements. The quantity of water required to produce a ton
of air-dried alfalfa may suffice for the production of 214 tons of

® Investigations of the Economical Duty of Water for Alfalfa in Sacramento Valley,
California. Bui. No. 3, State of California, Department of Engineering.

10 Tsraelsen, O. W., and West, F. L., Water-Holding Capacity of Irrigated Soils, Utah
Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. No. 183.

1 Bark, Don H., Experiments on the Economical Use of Irrigation Water in ‘Idaho,
Bul, No, 339, U. S. Dept. of Agr.

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 83

some other standard crop of relatively low water requirements. Ac-
cordingly it is possible to grade the crops produced in the Great
Basin into low, medium, and high water requirements. Such crops
as beans, millet, sorghum, and corn belong to the first named grade;
wheat, oats, barley, rye, sugar beets, potatoes, and orchards to the
second; and the legumes, grasses, rice, and sunflowers to the third
grade. In localities where water is scarce, it is often feasible and re-
munerative for a farmer who practices diversified cropping to raise
crops of all three grades and thus reduce the average quantity of
water required for “the farm. Under present methods of farming
in the Great Basin a large percentage of the total irrigated areas
is devoted to the raising of alfalfa and this practice calls for a liberal
use of water. Notwithstanding the fact that alfalfa forms the basis
of most crop rotations and that this product is needed to supplement
range feed for livestock, it is reasonably certain that in future years
the percentage of the total irrigated area planted to alfalfa will de-
crease and that there will be a corresponding increase in the per-
centage of areas devoted to such crops as peas and other vegetables
for canning, sugar beets, small fruits, and deciduous orchar ds. Such
a change in crops will demand less water and is likely to increase the
farm profits.
THE FERTILITY CF THE SOIL

It is generally true that the richer the soil and the better it is
tilled the smaller will be the water requirements for any one crop.
Arid soils are well supplied, as a rule, with mineral plant food, but
in their uncultivated state they are deficient in decayed vegetable mat-
ter. Until this deficiency is supplied by crop rotation, the applica-
tion of manure, and proper treatment of the soil, the water require-
ment is reasonably certain to be high. To produce heavy yields
from the use of a given quantity of water, the soil in which the
crops grow should not only be rich and well tilled but should con-
tain sufficient vegetable matter derived from manure or the roots
of legumes to retain the moisture applied in irrigation. The rela-
tion between the efliciency of irrigation water and the fertility of
the soil in producing crops is shown in Table 5, which gives the
yield of each of a number of crops following a leouminous crop or an
application of manure and the same crop grown on new or less
fertile land. ‘These experiments formed part of the cooperative irri-
gation investigations carried on in Idaho during 1910 to 1913 by the
Bureau of Public Roads and the State Land Board of Idaho.

WATER REQUIREMENTS AS AFFECTED BY STATE, COMMUNITY,
AND CORPORATE REGULATIONS

State legislation and control in the interest of the public welfare,
decisions of the cour ts, regulations and methods adopted by com-
munity enterprises, and water -right contracts entered into between
irrigation companies and consumers, have all exerted an influence
upon the quantity of water which can be diverted for definite areas
of land, in that they have defined the quantity and have attempted
to make actual practice conform thereto. On the whole it may be
said that these influences, which in some cases have been the result

34 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

of a growing economic pressure, have probably tended to a more
economical use than would have resulted without them.

STATUTES AND ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS

Several States have placed a maximum limit upon the quantity of
water which may be appropriated for irrigation purposes. Idaho,
for ape allows no more than 1 cubic foot per second of normal
flow to be diverted for each 50 acres of land, or 5 acre-feet per acre
per annum to be diverted for storage purposes, unless it can be
shown to the satisfaction of the department of reclamation or the
court that a greater quantity is necessary. Nevada’s provision is
that the diversion for direct irrigation shall not exceed one one-
hundredth cubie foot per second for each acre, measured where the
main ditch enters or becomes adjacent to the land to be irrigated,
due allowance for losses to be made by the State engineer in per-
mitting additional diversions into the ditch; and for storage pur-
poses, not over 4 acre-feet per acre stored in the reser voir, evapora-
tion and transmission losses to be borne by the appropr iator. The
California law limits the appropriation for the irrigation of un-
cultivated areas to 214 acre-feet per acre, but leaves the amount of
other appropriations to the discretion of the division of water
rights, this provision not yet having been interpreted by the courts.
Utah provides no statutory limitations, but states that “ beneficial
use shall be the basis, the measure, and the limit of all rights to the
use of water in this State.” The Oregon law has a similar provision.

To bring about a more economical use of water and thus to in-
crease the duty, Nevada and Oregon have statutory provisions per-
mitting water users to rotate in the use of the water to which they
are collectively entitled. Utah, as a means of preventing waste, al-
lows a determination or redetermination of water rights, in whole
or in part, where it has been found that waste exists.

Opinions differ as to the wisdom of enactments fixing the duty
of water. Unquestionably a hard and fast rule is not wise, because
of the great variation in water requirements not only in any State
but even on many projects, so that a uniform allowance would work
hardships in some cases and encourage waste in others. On the other
hand, a maximum statutory allowance of, say, 3 acre-feet per acre
would be found inadequate in most places for the irrigation of such
crops as rice, yet much more than enough for certain other crops, and
unless carefully administered might be construed as entitling an
appropriator to 3 acre-feet per acre regardless of his requirements.
Such a provision as that of Idaho leaves room for a showing in par-
ticular cases that more than the maximum is necessary. If any
allowance is made by statute, it should be put forth only as a guide
and as an expression of public policy in restricting the unnecessary
use of water, leaving the actual amount of the appropriation to be
fixed by the State administrative body in accordance with the needs
of the appropriator and the best interests of the public.

State administrative regulations in allotting and distributing
water are necessarily based 1 upon the statutes, but are very important
in governing the use of the appropriated waters. The discr etion ex-
ercised by ‘the State officials in deter mining water requirements,
where they are granted such discretion, may be far-reaching in

-—_" "= - =

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 35

influencing an economical use of water. Likewise, the State engi-
neer usually has the discretion of refusing applications that may
interfere with a more beneficial use or that may otherwise prove
detrimental to the public welfare.

COURT DECISIONS

Litigation over water rights involving determinations of the duty
of water began among the Mormon pioneers and has been widespread
in all the States of the Great Basin, as well as in other parts of the
West. In line with the generally wasteful irrigation practices of
the early days, when water was plentiful and could be secured at
small cost, the court decisions ailotting water were most generous to
the litigants at the expense of nonparticipating water users and the
public ‘alike. Streams were over- -appropriated, and decrees were
rendered in many cases for far more water than the stream carried.
Quite generally the economical use of water was not considered in
establishing the rights of users. As late as 1893 a decision was ren-
dered by the Supreme Court of Oregon’ that “the quantity of
water to be appropriated is to be measured by the capacity of the
ditch at its smallest part; that is, at the point where the least water
can be carried through it.”

But with the increase in the settlement of land and the resulting
decrease in available supplies of water, more careful use has become
necessary and wasteful methods are frowned upon by the public and
the courts. In the famous Oregon case of Hough v. Porter,* decided
in 1909, the court called attention to the more economical use of
water made necessary by the scarcity of the supply and stated:

In this arid country such manner of use must necessarily be adopted as
will insure the greatest duty possible for the quantity available. The waste-
ful methods so common with early settlers can, under the light most favorable
to their system of use, be deemed only a privilege permitted merely because it
could be exercised without substantial injury to anyone; and no right to such
methods of use was acquired thereby.

Throughout the more recent decisions of the higher courts runs
an insistence that water be used economically, and a determination
that the courts will require “the highest and greatest possible duty
from the waters of the State in the interest of ‘agriculture and other
useful and beneficial purposes.” *#

In actually determining the duty in individual cases the courts
have frequently been hampered by a lack of available information
upon water requirements. Opinion evidence has been plentiful, and
has often been the only evidence upon which decisions were rendered.
The courts more recently have come to refer, in arriving at the duty
of water, to the best use in a community, to lands well prepared for
irrigation, and to actual tests and experiments as to the proper duty
rather than to rely upon guesswork on the part of persons not com-
petent to testify upon the subject.

Another angle from which the courts have attacked the uneco-
nomical use of water has been in passing upon the method of distri-

bution. In Oregon, Idaho, and California decisions have been

22 Coventon v. Seufert, 32 Pac. 508.

1898 Pac. 1083.

14 Warmers’ Cooperative Ditch Co. v. Riverside Irrigation District, Ltd., et al. (Idaho),
102, Pac. 481.

86 ‘BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

rendered upholding rotation in the use of water by appropriators,
riparian proprietors, and enterprises in delivering to consumers,
where the continuous use of the divided water supply would result
in waste and ineffectual use by the farmers.

In an Idaho case* the court, in interpreting the laws of appro-
priation, held that it is the policy of the law to prevent waste of
water and that consequently the water of all claimants must be
measured at the point where such water is diverted from the natural
channel of the stream from which it is taken.

COMMUNITY REGULATIONS

Irrigation enterprises have usually a definite quantity of water
to distribute to their users, but have the power to encourage or com-
pel an economical use through handling its distribution. ‘Trrigation
districts are enjoined by the statutes to make rules and regulations
governing the beneficial use of water. In Utah the State engineer
makes the original alictment of water to each 40 acres or smaller
tract if in separate ownership, but the board of directors of the
district makes the final ‘iilepent after the water supply is definitely
known, using the original allotment as a basis. The method of water
distribution used by the enterprise is often a potent factor in bring-
ing about a careful use, and the measurement and distribution upon
a quantity basis rather than an acreage basis tend to a more eco-
nomical use. Important also are the vigilance of the water delivery
force in detecting waste, and the measures which can be taken to
penalize a wasteful irrigator by cutting off his entire supply for a
time or at least by reducing the amount of the delivery by the
amount of the waste. Some enterpr ises establish see quanti-
ties of water which will be delivered to any tract, and others have
schedules of maximum deliveries based upon water requirements of
land and crops.

WATER-RIGHT CONTRACTS

Contracts between commercial companies and their water users
provide, as a rule, for a definite or a maximum quantity of water to
be delivered during the irrigation season to a defined area of land
and in case of water shortage at any time, the quantity available is
to be prorated. In the case of projects operated under the Carey
Act, somewhat simular provisions prevail. In most of the Federal
reclamation projects the Secretary of the Interior determines the
acreage for which one person may obtain water and the quantity of
water to be delivered to each acre duri ng the growing season. About
two-thirds of the area irrigated in the “West is or evanized under co-
operative or mutual stock companies, and in these the quantity of
water diverted by each company is divided into as many equal parts
as there are shares of stock in the company. Thus a water user who
owns 1 per cent of the stock of the company would be entitled to 1
per cent of the total water supply. Thus, too, the water supply,
which usually varies in quantity from day to day, is allotted to con-
sumers in proportional parts rather than in any fixed amounts.

——— — —

% Stickney v. Hanrahan et al. 63 Pac. 189.

el nil tak

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 37
LANDS TO BE RECLAIMED

The extent of arable lands within the Great Basin which can be
reclaimed depends on the water supply and the manner in which it
is stored and used. Only a part of the flood flow is stored at present,
and the ultimate possibilities of this region in the utilization of land
and water can not be said to be reached until all the excess waters
which can be economically stored have been so stored. The storage
of water for irrigation will also permit of the development of electric
energy and a a part of this energy can be used to operate pumps, to
raise water from underground and other sources, and to drain water-
logged lands. it has also been pointed out that a large percentage
of the water at present diverted is wasted in conveyance and use.
Assuming that the extension of the irrigated area is desirable, efforts
should be concentrated along four main lines of endeavor: (1) The
storage of flood waters; (2 is providing better facilities for the con-
veyance of water and adopting better methods in its use; (3) the
development of underground water supplies; and (4) the drainage
of water-logged lands.

What is possible of accomplishment under these several lines is
difficult to estimate, but it is safe to predict that in time it will
amount to a doubling of the area now irrigated.

According to the census of 1920, the area irrigated in the Great
Basin in 1919 was 2,313,163 acres. Since 1919 was a year of low

rainfall and small stream flow, this figure probably should be in-
creased to at least 2,500,000 acres to represent normal conditions as
regards water supply at that time. A doubling of this area by the
means outlined would therefore increase the reclaimed aréa to
5,000,000 acres.

The Great Basin, 38 per cent larger than the State of California,
has important interests apart from irrigation which should be main-
tained and enlarged. Chief of these are the mines, hydroelectric
plants, grazing areas, transportation facilities, manufactures, and
the welfare of urban populations. All of these and more that might
be named are more or less directly dependent upon the products of
the irrigated farms, and if these other interests are to advance, it
will be necessary to maintain a corresponding rate of progress in
irrigated agriculture.

Up to the present the rate of progress in irrigation development
in this territory may be roughly indicated by stating that 2,500,000
acres have been reclaimed in 75 years. Since such progress in ‘the
future’is not likely to surpass that of the past, it is reasonable to con-
clude that another 75 years may pass before an additional 2,500,000
acres is irrigated. Providing a water supply for this area at the
present time would call for an expenditure of more than $150,000,000,
of which the greater part would be for the storage of flood waters.
The building “of large dams to retain water for agricultural pro-
duction and the development of power, on account of the costs in-
volved, is likely to extend over so long a period of time that succeed-
ing generations may have to per form part of the work. Mean-
while a part of the fiood flow of streams may be utilized with profit-
able results by early spring irrigations. Instead of permitting the
waste of such waters, the part that can be used economically should

38 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

be diverted and applied to arable lands. Many of the results of ex-
periments herein reported show that profitable yields of many of
the standard crops can be produced with relatively small quantities
of water. To be most effective, this water should be applied at the
stage of growth when it will be of greatest benefit, but without
storage this practice is not always possible and too often the farm-
er’s choice lies between an early spring irrigation or none at all.

SEASONAL NET WATER REQUIREMENTS OF THE ARABLE LANDS
OF EACH SUBDIVISION OF THE GREAT BASIN

By way of conclusion, an estimate has been made, based on the
data available, of the seasonal net water requirements of the crops
produced and that may be produced in the Basin. This estimate
is intended to apply mainly to the lands to be reclaimed by irriga-
tion. In order to take cognizance of the varying conditions which
affect water requirements and at the same time recognize geographic
position and similarity of climate, products, and types of farming,
the Basin has been separated into 12 subdivisions by placing in the
same subdivision as far as practicable all of the contiguous arable
lands requiring similar quantities of water for profitable crop pro-
duction. (See fig. 15.)

The net requirements of any farm or other tract of land represent
the quantity of water (expressed in acre-feet per acre) which is
needed in any one crop-growing season. This quantity is exclusive
of all transmission and other losses which may occur between the
source of supply and the margin of the farm, and contemplates the
recovery by pumping of water lost by deep percolation in the upper
lands.

In computing the acreage of irrigable lands on which the water
is to be used no deductions have been made for unirrigated portions.
Such portions are made up of the spaces occupied by lanes and roads,
building sites, corrals, fences, ditches, and land which for one reason
or another is not irrigated every year. These nonirrigated portions
amount, as a rule, to about 25 per cent of the total irrigable area.
Accordingly the transmission losses which occur in conveying water
to a farm may be offset by the reduction of the area on which the
water is applied. So, too, if the transmission losses do not exceed
25 per cent of the total quantity admitted through the intake, the
intake requirements at the river will not exceed the net requirements
on the farms. In other words, the reduction in the quantity of water
needed, owing to the difference between the gross and net: areas,
compensates, in a measure, for the loss of water in conveyance.

The net water requirements as given in Table 6 for each division
of territory are likewise based on the character and amount of the
supplementary rainfall during the growing period, the character
of the soil and subsoil, the kind of crops raised, the adoption of suit-
able methods of applying water, the proper preparation of the land
surface, and the exclusion of all run-off and a reasonably small, deep
percolation loss. °

It may be stated that in making these estimates the furnishing
of sufficient water for maximum yields has not been the main object
sought. The results of experimentation show that the yields of
many crops can be increased by the application of excessive quan-

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IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 39

tities of water. When one considers, however, the value of irriga-
tion water, the time required to irrigate, and the damage which the
waste water resulting from overirrigation is likely to cause in water-
logging soils and causing alkali to rise into the root zone, it is
seldom that such a practice is justified from an economical point of
view. Such a practice is also at variance with a wise public policy.
In the Great. Basin, for every acre that eventually is irrigated with
the limited water supply at least 6 acres of arable land must remain
dry and barren. In view of the abundance of arable land and the
shortage of water, it has been deemed advisable to limit the use of
water to the actual requirements for profitable crops.

In a few cases the net requirements have been placed below this
limit on account of the extreme scarcity of water in certain locali-
ties coupled with the possibility of growing crops that require little
water, providing the climate is suitable. To illustrate: Deciduous
fruit trees, vines, corn, beans, millet, and sorghum may be grown suc-
cessfully with the use of 35 to 50 per cent of the water required for
alfalfa.

Many who are familiar with the present methods of using water
in the Great. Basin will consider as too low the seasonal net require-
ments given in the table. Such an opinion is well founded if the
present wasteful methods of use are to continue and no further effort
1s made to store the flood waters. It will be noted that the figures
given are based on an economical use, a regulated water supply and
the reuse of waste water wherever feasible. If crops can be sup-
plied with water at the time of need, from surface run-off, ground
water, or storage reservoirs, and without undue waste, it 1s believed
the conclusions reached in this bulletin will pave the way for the
largest agricultural development possible with the extremely small
available water supply.

In the economical design of irrigation works it is of outstanding
importance to know the largest quantity of water that will be re-
quired during any monthly period of the irrigation season. As an
aid to good practice in this respect, an estimate has been made, based
on regulated stream flow, of the percentage of the total seasonal
water requirements that is likely to be required in each month of
the period of water delivery. These percentages for each subdivi-
sion are given in the appendix in Table 6.

USE OF WATER ON CROPS IN THE GREAT BASIN

All the reliable records available pertaining to the measured use
of water on crops in the Great Basin have been compiled and are
herein appended in the form of tables. These tables give the sea-
sonal use of water on plots and fields and the monthly use on other
plots and fields. The results of use and duty of water experiments
have been obtained from the following sources: .

(1) Unpublished reports on this subject prepared by members of
the Division of Agricultural Engineering, Bureau of Public Roads,
United States Department of Agriculture.

(2) Unpublished reports of cooperative irrigation investigations. |

(3) Published reports of the Utah, Nevada, and Oregon agricul-
tural experiment stations.

40 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

(4) Published reports of the Office of Experiment Stations, the
Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering, and the Bureau of
Public Roads of the United States Department of Agriculture.

(5) Published and unpublished reports from the Bureau of Recla-
mation, United States Department of the Interior.

(6) Irrigation Requirements of California Lands, Appendix B,

Water Resources Report, California Department of Public Works.

TABLE DLE IL effect of fertility on yield produced and water requirements
in Idaho, 1910-1913

Depth Yield
oi a =
: a Class of soil and previous
Year Crop Locality Area ree ce Per treatment
; 2 acre-
plied acre foot

1911 | Dicklow wheat__| Filer__....-___-_- 3.5 0. 625 63. 2 ee 5 | Alfalfa sod manured.
DOM cee Ones. 22k Bullets: Bea See Sazon | 215 38. 0 17.7 | First crop after clearing.
OTOH Sas 6 (0) See ad map ate: eT does aesaee 5. 06 1.44 67. 2 46.6 | Clay loam manured with
sheep manure.
109) 0) Paes Goes set es Goodinga== === . 769) 1.8 26. 3 14.3 | Raw sagebrush clay loam.
AOU Se (6 Ko) see oe Kimberley _-_----- BaZa 1G 82.9 71.5 | Alfalfa sod manured.
HOU eee 2s dG se fee Bubls 2 ee GOO pole 24. 1 19.9 | Fourth year frem grain on
raw soil.
1OMGIMOatseeseeee sks Oakley 2. tse 4.68 . €4 76.5} 119.0} Alfalfa sod.
aie ht | ere doses asco ‘Byanetallsee= == 4.03 | 2.2 63. 9 0.5} Third crop from sage-
brush, unfertilized.
NODA Aa (Koh he gan) eee S|) BON oe ee 2. 37 1.076 73. 0 68.0 | Two years from clover sod.
TIT by (6 Oye oo Richfield ete ares 4.15] 1.89 50. 8 26.9 | Twoyearsfrom sagebrush.
TODAN VVC e ts Sea ees Boisel es seer el6s) W204 54. 5 52.3 | Two years from clover sod.
GH ons (6 \ ogee a ak Meridian____--_- 1S7365 |) 62247, Bile & 12.6 | Cropped 10 years without
fertilization.
1912 | Big Four oats___| Gooding Experi- som | 24, el 106. 3 52.2 | Manured.
ment Station.
NGIBH|Esaes OnE Se ss = 43 Pu aare Ofee usr Be .49 | 2.7 C6. 0 24.4 | Fourth crop from brush,
no fertilization.
1912 | Coast barley__-_-|__--- (gy Rare ee Re euledi Tease, 90.0 59.3 | First year from alfalfa sod.
HIE tps Ope sae | eee Clo: weeeecas > 74) 2.75 32.8 11.9 | Fourth crop from brush, no
: fertilizer.
1912 aarkey winter |_____ dos a 69 64 39. 4 61.6 | Manured lightly.
wheat.
GON eneee GOLetes BIS Ae (GVoyere ee as See he 96 81 23. 0 28.4 | Second crop from sage-
| brush.

TABLE 6.—WMonthly and seasonal net water requirements of the various subdi-
visions of the Great Basin

Sea-
sonal
No. Monthly percentages of total seasonal net ue
Ate Description of division requirements Bie
sion = _Inent
F in acre-
a eae OCR Be
Mar.| Apr. | May June | July | Aug. |Sept.| Oct. | acre
1| Bear River basin in southeastern
Kdahovandinorthermavita eee | ene 8 25 30 22 11 4 2.0
2| Utah Lake and Great Salt Lake
Valleys south of Weber River basin _|______|_____- TOn eee 28 20 14 4 2.2
3. lt Sevier Riveribasint i555 40825. 4s ee espa ee 10 23 28 22 14 5 2e1:
4 | Irrigablelands ofsouthwestern Utah_|______ 6 14 22 26 20 10 2 1.8
5 | Irrigablelands ofsouthern Nevada_-__|______ 8 1a 20 22 18 12 6 177
6 | Antelope Valley and Mohave River |
PTCA ou Da cge Se ee ee ee 3 10 16 18 20 18 10 5 1.8
7 | Mono, Owens and Inyo-Kern valleys! 2 10 16 20 20 18 10 4 2
So AWalken River: PaSIN ices eee eee see 2 14 22 26 20 12 4 2.0
9 | Truckee River and Carson River
DaASINSs Eek aoe Ss ee Sle Pa ea eee a ene 14 24 28 20 12 2 AL
10 | Humboldt, Quinn, and White River
asin! 7 2bk SED Est) CE ee a Fee ae = 15 25 30 20 2Opi- toes 2.0
11) oney: Ieake Wasin= .22. Leber es|as—25 3 14 24 26 21 EZ eae SY:
12 | Malheur Lake, Harney Lake, and
otheripasins imiOregon sss | eee 4 16 26 28 18 ye ee oe 1.5

1 See Irrigation Requirements of California Lands, Bul. No. 6 Calif. State Dept. of Public Works.

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN

APPENDIX

TABLE 7.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin.

Year

rainfall, and crop yields in experiments at Logan,

SUGAR BEETS

4]

Irrigation water applied,

Utah*

Each plot contained 0.03793 acre

Monthly application of water

Num-
ber of
irri-
gations
Apr. May | June July Aug Sept.
Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches |. Inches
3) eee IAs 2 BI | BR = 11S {afes a” eee. 4. 52ne
Spd eae ek 2 S| a ge SP eee oe SP see 2h
2 wl Nae ae El] SED ee bn eS ae CSP S| Sie Seer
“bel es 8 ABs SA eS RRSE CS CERES) bam ES
AVES a s- all| GREER Ma) 1138 7 | a ANS 2 Wiews sss
5) jee Seal ES ee a4) ies Qe iG EPs | eee ee
| eee ies | eee iL | fas Sa ZG) | NR eR
S| ee epee ie | | ea een Nea) || Bke Fare Cy) | ica ee
3h | Reopens EE ee 21 ae 41S ewe
Ch | becoph ear barat cae GLa] bP. betes meta ANSQiGs 4 ce
35 Be as eat (EMER Sees i Lse4 eae A DN aes
2 ys [eae pe eee Soe 1 hel A eet Se CEG yee See
/ bed | pee Ee ee ee 0 1B (OG a ee Ae 5B Pee
fol Nei ge A PR, een 1S oP eae are oe yA |
7A eases ea (Se PUD) SS ce! Be 5D |e bse
Are ea gap eee ia Ag Se ee CON ae ae
A | 2 ae ee fe a 1 OR) ames: eee GUT es Se
(| faite naa = [lade | station MENT Da ees gL IT) teens 3 au
Big eee oi mercies Teed WPA fee page ag Ag5 DG eeeeseae
AN Rens | eee ae ae GH26is) eee e|E e e
CB | ieee ema Me 337 we 1.5 Sh te
vl lee ode 2 AAR Serres eee | EE eres: 6. 06 8:05 -| 2
71a 4 Ve wi Be aad PRY eee. ae oe See 8.18 CE i ea eee
Aa inate ANOS OS Fr mee eed SO 6. 37 We 2ohl oe
iP hfe Ne Oe cle aa ee Priam Pie ial Lip aie cy Prom Ee AR
Oe ee os 8 a gee Se Ee ee Day Pa Mae pee Shes
PY eae esta ISR go pagel bea ees 3. 75 BS Ail es ees
ye (ee al | eee eS 25 GE 2G a | a Sh ee
Sy eo eee Ab Se A 3. 75 3. 97 TEAQY Rcs woes
f(s i ees, ei ne Bi 5 10, 2 5b eee se
La | is eae S| ee 7. 50 OT D5 A ek een PO ee ee
(ap es eee ae eee 2. 50 5 EX 2. 50
ZTE Pe al | ae PSTAGs DENS Op |e ee ee
6] ee Ian neat | FP ae Lae 10. 05 Gye Peeek Eee
2 eyo ae | ee, eee (eee, AIS i} ey a bee Bem
Tt sd eee ed I, aie (a bs 2 Se ee Gi ier eer, RERES
(Ss 5 Fae es ea ore 7 1 Sa a
OW pees ae Rees SR | ot ape i ANS Sa Bek

Total quantity of
water received

by crop

Irri- Rain :
gation | fall Total
Feet Feet | Feet
0. 49 0. 50 0. 99
. 49 . 50 . 99
.47 . 50 .97
47 . 50 .97
.47 . 50 .97
47 . 50 .97
47 . 50 .97
.47 50 .97
. 49 . 50 . 99

. 50 S50) pembas
47 . 50 .97
47 450 97
47 . 50 97
47 . 50 .97
47 . 50 .97
47 . 50 97
PAT . 50 97
47 . 50 .97
AT 560) .97
5 . 50 1. 22
1. 87 . 50 2. 37
L>17 . 50 1. 67
1. 06 . 50 1. 56
liga} . 50 1. 63
5 2A . 50 al
. 42 . 50 . 92
G2 . 50 Tet
if . 50 122
Sith 150 1. 27
1.45 . 50 1.95
1. 56 . 50 2. 06
tere 5 . 50 75
2. 09 ee 3. 21
1e25 112 QUT
. 83 1. 12 1. 95
. 42 1.12 1. 54
1.16 P12 2. 28
$¢h5) 112 1. 87

1 These plot experiments were carried on under cooperative agreements between the Division of Agri-
cultural Engineering, Bureau of Public Roads, United States Department of Agriculture and the Utah
Agricultural Experiment Station on the Greenville Farm, the property of the Utah Agricultural College
located 2 miles north of Logan, Utah.

The plots were 29 feet wide by 57 feet Jong and contained nearly 0.03793 ofan acre. The computations as
regards the quantity of water used were based upon the actual size of each plot.

Considering the variety of soils to be found on most tracts, the soil of the Greenville farm is uniform in
texture, consists mainly of sand and silt, is of great depth and is far removed from a water table.

POTATOES

| | Bushels
1502. 52 3) oss iS Sues ip BAV6)| 0 10247 Oke SG 8 thee 1.35] 0.50 1.85 | 347.4
i) ee eee 7 eae ETON ae 319751 6406 IL 15eIS een fo 2. 84 .50}] 3.34] 422.9
fous. My Bete oe BOT * ae 5.05 | 10 i ae a i ee 1. 67 50} 2.17] 352,24
te te 2 (nn) ile th Saale ie 5.05 5 =, ant aaa seal 1. 25 50 1.75 | 325
te bt od Coens 7. eas ae 5.05| 5 x1) oeney ees FS 1. 67 50] 2.17 | 285
[it | ea FAR eS ae in 5.05| 5 107; alee i 1. 67 50} 2.17] 299
ip Seat ieng 4 ear ry ier eae fee 5.05 5 10% glen i 1, 67 .50| 2.17] 321.9
ee ee gio Be 5.05]. 5 10) “alae 00. 1. 67 50) 2.17 | 34688
“LT pais Se) Bee Eile 7.50] 7.50] 7.50 1, 87 .50| 2.37] 398.79
(2 a sae FUG teat Gobelins eee | 7.50] 15 Cotes (oe 3.12 .50} 3.62] 380.79
ty, nee Bebe ie co cireere lesen 7.5 3.75 | 7.50 1.55 .50] 2.05 | 365.85
fgg4s foo FY eek ec ea oe a ae 7.5 7 RS A aad ope 1. 87 BO) | 2. Sansa FE
°C 1 aes P| i a a ec etal ae 15 RBG ees 2. 26 .49 2.751 330.2

42, BULLETIN 1340, U. 8. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TABLE 7.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, etc—Continued

POTATOES—Continued
re Total quantity of
Monthly application of water water received
AEE by crop Yiel
Year ber of eld
iri. _
BANDAS " Irri- | Rain-
Apr. | May | June suly Aug. | Sept. gation fall Total
Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Feet Feet Feet |Bushels
19052052. Gy Es erie PE ae 275.1 75 7.5 3:75.) 1087 .49| 2.36| 331.6
1905 Me Se rt NEG = Ch Cee nde 10 LO) gig tee ce ae 1. 66 .49| 2.15] 336.2
rhe i SS 75 a 2 DOR ea 10 10. hee 1. 66 49/1) “Oei5i| Sses
1005 ee 71 eas oes ia eT A 10 Tr pple! EAL casi Sas Figs 2 1. 66 .49} 2.15] 286
AOQ5 Se ee 7g eee Ea haga TOA 10 10S alae oe on 1. 66 49} 2.15] 314
1905s - 2 os ele Si |e A aie 10 10. calc: Teed wee aad 1. 66 49| 2.15] 305.9
AOD ee Le aia 7g |S ae RSS Sa 10 re aes a ae eae 1. 66 49| 2.15} 306.8
GGG a asco a | ee OF 60 [e755 |. ee 2. 50 49} 2.99| 377.5
AGG 2 ee 77 aR So Rae SE 11-25 12 S750 Suze E cet 1. 87 50| 2.37] 265.3
TOG Se Fe Fl (igs Oo P| (ean AR |S as 15 10 2. 50 50] 2.00| 384
TODS os oes Bs A sa | RP ES ea TATA CT 1.25 50| 1.75 | 281
|
BROME
| Tons
1908S = 232 Tey RG BaP Be eee tee 8.75 [SoS cee oe ees OS75 ete le ae 4.16
10042 8 ee iy ae BS) RS EE 8 75 Bee 350 [ioucese: A O2 feos | Bee lea 4.02
100 DSF i ER SAS FS SE 28.48 |= "750 |) 750 4a ss SHGL us.) Ss aes 3.59
WOH se 7 RR Lal ND JA DLE SR PE 7 Bek A Bae ae a 1:57 | “0.37 > abo 1.95
1905 ES et ih ep a es RES BIS 7.50 est Ale AE ee 1 37 98 2.14
Ti eee (a eas We RIED 2 ee 36) 87> (P-B5) pei AER REE eS 4.31 37 | 4.68 1.53
TIMOTHY
30 Nee i Bee tl oar 19) Wale 755 TEBE ioe te 2°88 | eles 3.35
TODD hg (eel es Ra GO 19 em abs) a sorte |e ERE FEO! |: Sahu Bo eae 1.55
i eS sy (ne Sve RN So Pfr ise ema Pe poieeg Sige ie a 260. toe ees BS 1.63
100g ence GB | ee ee ee S6Nisrlaclon en ee |e 4.31} 0.37| 4.68 1.11
1005S lh RAO oh) pean Bs PUGS Hal ay 7A Osi | se eee meee 1.57 371 1.94 1.71
TORS Tl (eens ieehea Pages ia le 750s | S28 ee ee es eee .61 37 98 2, 42
ALFALFA
19D = 4 0. ‘iol ene ot | Mea ee 15 15 LOUS ileere ee: 3.54] 0.50] 4.04 7. 28
190G Rot 12 ecto 8S a 5 5 1DPEO ea 1. 87 50 oe 5.57
i) an 7g Vin aE 3 Saag 7.5 5 750 || inet ee 1. 66 .50} 2.16 5. 06
1904S Le A Pee 5 2 ei oe 705 alee 25. lea Shore itawais eas 1. 87 550'|. 2:37 5. 23
ODS eee 7G tl SR ek ene S169 | Gora7s| ee ee ae 5. 34 $3715 cbiud 6.95
1OOn ee eee A knee Sa ee Rate G.25.| 16.25 | 16-58 ee Ss 2. 42 RBCS 5. 69
TOO5 LL bbs A | eae ae See 6.25 | 12.5 GLB “| 2.08 Ay pig ir 5. 56
190522 ED 7 ERPow Ty BRU EST 3: 758+|) S667 |) 19 75 Se 2. 51 Sip ttepeins 4.97
1905. .=222: 7g SEE BB AS 7 OSES 5 | $1481 13230 [6.25 |). 2 2. 33 97 [9-270 4, 28
2. 58
TOG Male: 5 5.83 2.70] 0.61| 3.31 he
2.5
11 papeaeeerelan 5 5 2. 08 .61] 2.69 : 12)
2. 37
OCG HE. oo 4 5 1c] vel} 2.27.) > say
2.5
fonetr ead 3 5 125 |; ei | /ae86 { ae
toggERS = 3 2 5 3] | 61 | eas { Ree.
1s0gan. os 7 0 5. 62 .60| 6.22 6. 57
rey ei 7 7.5 4. 16 .60} 4.76 5. 83
cues os 7 7.5 4, 42 .60 | 5.02 5. 62
iggee te s2 7 5 2.70 .60| 3.30 4. 69

2 Bushels.

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 43

TABLE 7.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, etc-—Continued

CORN
Total quantity of
Monthly application of water water received
x ee by crop Yield
Year ae | per
a acre
til M J July | A Sept. | 2: | Rain- | otal
Pr. Se aa y ug. | vepl. | gation | fall
Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Feet Feet Feet | Bushels
19048 Sr os 0 eee cag TY hee BORN | al Sn 15 2250 ee ee 3.18 0. 50 3. 68 119. 34
i210): SSIS ae Se eee et ea eee 7.5 LDA |e ee 1. 56 . 50 2. 06 117. 08
TG ee oe ae OY ay,| bp cathe 2 ge EA Pee 6 24. 95 a I EtG acs | eee ee 4. 03 50 4.53 124. 61
OAR Fe C: foit ete Efe ed ae 5 ts Se al 2 agi ae 1. 50 50 2. 00 129. 13
od 1 HE LY Pee tS [pe ce) 13. 26 19. 97 DO [eae Re 4, 43 50 4.93 117. 46
TTY Bae le 7 | [Be ay ie Be] ame ag i AS 10.17 Heep) |. sige oe atl 1. 70 50 2. 20 117. 46
BGO is So ere 1) peepee Mee 2 |S Mt Co 5 Y Lee | eal Bien Bl | ee eee 1. 67 49 2. 16 87. 33
TOO He Pa. BS (needa REF fat PM: ae Se | [eae ts i 8. 98 103 Ess 1. 58 49 2. 07 76. 04
FEC) pe Se dees oa cee | eed Be, 5 15 OSS veal (eek See 2. 92 49 3. 41 80. 18
UGE eae 7 OP IS ase hes he | Laan ie || oe aa 10 LOLs tS eee 1. 66 49 alo 62. 11
HOODS. Foe 17a bea teeeny “Ridge Oi AN [VT ee | Serene [BSS Be a9 2. 08 49 PA BY 78. 67
OOH! Pee 1 yl ERE 2 | alae | Sa 2. 61 5. 76 TOSOSs Ee es 1. 54 49 2. 03 161. 64
OO ye eee ese 39h] PARR ey al eet alesse eds Pees 5 105670 (2 2 1.31 49 1. 80 89. 59
i 43 OSS ae eee CS eee a a es | 5 TOvee ieee zo 49 1. 74 33. 12
a0 (1 eee eae | | es | eee Eel | ey 15 : Cai | See ee 1. 87 49 2. 36 90. 73
1905 =: 3 es. 1) Moiese ees ae) Ld he ee 4.5 Cine SE Te 1. 56 49 2. 05 COAT
1906s 8 2.5 Gy ae SS eee Sie at ee eee 5 5 5 25 1.10 2. 35 85. 45
NOOG 5. 22 ae) 7a Se tt 3 5 ae |S SS eS 3.14 6 3 1. 01 1.10 2.11 80. 56
1906 25- s2- Tl [cai aa | Cwatt Cet ae (Paes See 10 5 5 1. 66 1.10 2. 76 84. 32
ITALIAN RYE GRASS
Tons
1904S SS Gupece cose al asa 31 7.6 (ap mh (ea eel ete 3. 83 0. 50 4. 33 1. 98
LOGOS Bes UU 8) es se Dae Pees eee GY Wl [ge A | (ale LS bl Na 1. 29 . 50 1.79 1.90
DO O4ss et aL pee ae a eee Cee VSD Seal eas 3 3 ere | [eee Pe a nee 3) lee 66 . 50 1.16 1. 73
1905s 2 Gu ee Peeters DE OF i fr Ca [nie | ae oh 3. 35 .49 3. 84 1. 06
LGQS Se. es ye) corey IE eens SA (G8 or ON | SE |e Se | ee ele 1. 58 . 49 2. 07 82
(2) 0 pees ele Uta eee es | aye (AY Re ee | aes ae ees 62 . 49 pels: 63
ORCHARD GRASS
GQ AE = este (i) eee ee el | ae 30.5 7S es One lee ee 3.79 0. 50 4. 29 2. 02
ODA BS 1 CY estes Se eS | eee Cy oy ba: Reig fe Le | EAT See . 66 - 50 1. 16 1. 61
fS05 2 4 See! (eRe SS eo & Mee 8 26.8 22 Dee ie ee es 4.10 . 49 4. 59 . 60
1905. 50-2 Se 74 ae Ts a Pee g TS oe Ls Beceer aes Be Se Fe 1. 40 . 49 1. 99 1.21
CORN FODDER
Li ee ee 7" | eee see Sl PRN Ne | [aU ns a es yin ees a | ee aoe 0. 83 1.10 1. 93 5
POOG Se soe 3) Peg eRe] aE yea) [ec ieea a GS sete frais 2 SAE [eee we 1325 1.10 2. 35 6. 2
POOG so 1 Ne ie TS hel pote Weenie 5 OS) a ete sin ad ee 1. 66 1.10 2. 76 5.8
WHEAT
Bushels
MOOG === © is 5 ae ely RE Oe ee Se Sia2t et Opie 22. ee 1. 56 0. 39 1. 95 51. 82
13: 1 eee oe Salen Se | ee el 5 1 el eee Cee Sl ee 1.25 39 1. 64 46. 12
ieuom es sid Se Se eee bees 5 OM Selo ae | Be 125 39 1. 64 43. 24
J (4 1 epee 7 | pe Ses Spa pettayresnyer 5 3 Sar Gael (reese rye paeaniyeas Ss 1/8 1. 06 1.79 58. 75
iM eee Se ee fee eet 5.6 Oo er ee 1. 30 1. 06 2. 36 53. 14
ig aie ee | 2a 3.8 Bere eal treat 1 1.15] 1.06| 221] 54.46
THOT0% sae SepenererT s wy levee ae” Sa] Pea ee Gy (ae en rete Pea 8 aaa WLS os |e een ONS (BER ES 54. 46
Tht Uy See ie eae |e 5 39h Ee | (ea Pal eS es AA a eee eee Nee ee 45. 68
1 A 3, Soa 2M Pl I a PRE ae 5 LOGS oe eee 2D ise So ae] = SL 43. 92
OOS So io ne cee 5 Ra 2a Bas Tt 2) (Neca eae ee 42, 82
iit Ss ee eee © é | Nea fea | NERD Bp 4 5 42005 bee uo oo 3y| ee ee S| |e 45. 02
1 7 i en eee ote 14.3 yO [ee eee eee [Ad See 1G 50h eee Re eee 35. 57
J ae 1 | oS ere| eleoies Se 9. 87 5.11 NOT00T | See oe2 Ze OB ee 2e 22 |S 43. 04
iT Goes IN eee es ae 10 21.5 Te) | Rees cee Bae eee el ee 54
UY See 7 eal En amen RES 10 15 OSS cee 8 282! ake we ee eee 58. 19
kt Se ae i fog Fs ey ee a8 5 15 By eo feesens 2s OB: Sees oe Ree aes

44 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TABLE 7.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, ete.—Continued

W HEA T—Continued

Total quantity of

Monthly application of water water received
Wome by crop Yield
Year ae a nS Se ee ee eee
: acre
seus Irri- | Rain-
| Apr. | May | June July Aug. | Sept. gation | fal Total
Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Inches | Feet Feet Feet Tons
Oe ee Snell aoe OB | eee oe eee 53.
pee 51. 61
peeeee ae St 53. 14
aa 48.75
ee Ss = 42. 82
ue eae 54. 46
Le eae 50. 07
ee ee 38.
ee ae 45.9
Be TERE 47. 65
et ee 43. 48
ae Se 42. 04
ee 47.
as EP? | 60.83
Beebe ee 56. 66
2. 99 57. 53
1. 64 50. 1
1. 78 50. 1
70 42.16
1. 64 42.16
1. 64 53. 38 .
1.22 43. 48 .
52 38. 38
IEP. 49.19 |
1S 22, 44.5
1. 22 54. 02
2. 05 49.19
80 38. 46
1. 64 40. 85 |
1. 64 46.12
3. 58 16. 68
1. 66 19. 32
1.95 19. 32
1. 33 10. 98
2. 58 5. 80
2. 89 4.07
1. 69 28. 5
5 ; 2 2. 67 38. 64
100622 2k s Galeto2ssed/ Ri eet ee ee 195245) 1 ON65) |e eae | . 49 1. 01 3. 50 39. 96
BARLEY
1904 Aes = 6+ ta elon ee 8. 26 15. 84 Ol ee ee 2. 26 . 46 242 72.19
SOPs eos 3 Bd ees | See Cee 5. 6 5900 | = eee | eae 1. 76 . 46 2. ae 66. 15
1h be ee |e | es 10 Orie | Heese eee 125 . 46 a RxAS 67. 23
1 eee 7a) eee) 2 SGN [ESP AEN oa S215 | ae | eee . 63 . 46 1. 09 66.15
MOORS ee LS) beers ee (eres See 15.5 DA. ps 2 Ss ee Bee 3. 29 . 39 3. 68 62. 59
1 i ee AS Enoki ee | es eee 13. 75 3210) | fae eee eee 2. 29 39 2. 68 63. 13
1005 i =) PE 8 6 ae ieee dele Rll O| Sie 2 eee be 1. 56 39 1.95 68. 08
1h) 1) eee 74 ieee AE A ES oS 255 42991 | Gee kee pee oe . 62 39 1.01 71. 37

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 45

TABLE 7.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, etc-——Continued

CABBAGE
Total quantity of
Monthly application of water water received
Num- by crop Yield
ber of Ae
Year irri- eRe sees Se ee per
gations Irri- | Rain- ae
Apr. May | June |} July | Aug. | Sept. gation.| fall Total
—eEe—E—E—E—E—EeE—eEeEEE——————————————————
Inches | Inches. | Inches.| Inches.| Inches.| Inches.| Feet Feet Feet | Pounds
190See cok. hs sept | a lea OAS Fi il (neg ape |e oe oe) eS IES SDA fi eee te ee ere 13, 240
190427. 7 (ee, sc el (RIO Da Whit Sekt aes | Die el (reas Spits peetieed Sige ME eS 2 15, 602
(i ee Ee) Roser a PEE AE CY hi Wiis Sy ecg eS)? BE tL te OR rae DD 24, 510
TIT Seer Re Sean see saa | someone 15 5 a [Pay Stig [8 See Rie aes 2.91 33 3. 24 15, 340
ROO ees et £30) | eee al Laie PR ee a (Be ees ae ee Parga ae P46) 1. 45 38 1. 78 17, 440
POO RE 2 ean G32 Ee eS 9. 99 CTR Y | ee ese Sepa a2 1. 48 A858) 1.81 12, 400
TO eens SS lesen es ree 5 5 iG eee 194) 33 1. 58 9, 900
i £5 3| (nee RoR (AG IAS = Se 9. 64 Tei) 55,16 ee 1. 84 33 AS ANel 5, 440
TKE (1 ce a 7 f'3| \ Ose AS) | as ibe LOP Pt |e ees 1. 45 33 1.78 17, 380
LOO pee Oot | terre tee | Pan ei 10 10 5 ee ae 2. 08 33 2.41 14, 180
HOOGe SS al Na gS A | A OR 6 12 6 [cL eeee A 2. 00 1. 06 3. 06 21, 780
TRS eee ee AW eS 2 Re a(n Sees 4.5 9 A Ole eee see 1. 50 2. 56 4. 06 24, 560
NOOGT os AG Ee en ea| eee 3. 35 6 3 [ieee sgh meee 1. 03 1. 06 2. 09 27, 080
1906225 —2u5- On| Sta see eee Siri 9 6 i Siete 1. 56 1. 06 2. 62 29, 0:
|
ONIONS
Tons
Tha ear ee 72 kes Maca ol |b, SPT 5. 07 ESS GY (at ls as ta ecceay is oh are ONS4y ee eee eee 5. 43
ODA ere Sh | RSet irs |i eee. AS il LOSS) | Ae Res er WA ZG al eese oso paced 16945
142) 0Y, LSet GRiS Bale: eke eee 7. 50 OS Oe Reos coe eee = AGS ee ieee 3. 02
O04 es! cl epee ene |i ee BN 2. 50 T2810 | eee artes ES | ee on | area a aa 3. 55
1004S tes | (oe epee [ea ee a 5 12. 50 2550) |e ase 166" \see | oS. ae 4.11
LO Ae oe rool Leelee beg eas ee 10 POSE pS ame ae eee 2.085 |Rae n= OES ee 5. 74
1904 ee £0 yo] | ease Ala (Sears 15 15. 50 71 (Vaan | Se ieee aaa AS 2A) | Pee SS pe sie eee 9. 35
TAY eee ee es de: at Nis etree cage (Lae Te ee a 5. 5 4.12 QRG2 Basen 1. 60 0. 56 2. 16 DAR ETE
1905Se. seer U0 i eee ag ee (Se 13. 03 6. 97 15 3.03 3.17 . 56 By 1 22.19
1905.222=222- Y (od ee eS (epee eee 7.5 AD Senta pan date apd i es 1. 45 . 56 2. 01 20. 86
G05 ee | sql lo econ a leeheparmenae S502 Re le Oa eee een eee eee 1. 66 . 56 2529 17. 79
ee ee (ol ee eral ee a a 5.0 5 2.5 1. 45 . 56 2.01 11. 40
TAS Of is aeons By a | eee hs | lta a a 74; 19) 5 7.5 lee 1. 87 . 56 2. 43 24. 60
1905=5- 2-2 jl eee ee |e <a 7. 50 LO Das | emer |e aes 1.45 . 56 25015| See
LOO Gees OF 2 igh Sates ee] ee 10 10 10 5 5 Oi . 56 324%) |e
MOQ0GS seo oe ofl Veta el Ne eB a 7.42 12 12 6 Bh ly 1. 06 4.18 14. 80
NGO GM 22s co (Ee area se easy Rae 6. 96 9 Om eee 2.45 1.06 Bh 13. 82
10 Ges 2S 6) ee 3. 59 6 6 3 11, as 1.06 201 IDEPAL
HOOG So sles rN [Es Sea aoe |e Salt 3 12 6 3 2 1.06 3. 06 10. 44
CARROTS
|
OQ Se Se DR eee Sones Le HL AT ip ct a ro ea eae ee ew es ORS Tals ee ee 21. 69
U0 OY: aie pas ae Zi | eto ae | RE ee a SETS Ae See oT SPECS SEN Pe BY Pan tel Pepe eae (onan pee 13. 69
19042—- Dates te Ue Meg De Nirewe er ECTS oe S25 | ees | ee 11. 87
it 2 appetoenra Te eco ee Rei aera Lys eee weenie ree W621 Reema [eater 12. 35
ODS ene 1 lees, Seat ame 5.0 TO) 3 oi al eer eee pl | Speer ea A eyo) bes ree Se 19. 44
AGQ4 a! OS Ae ee ee Ue DAD G? |Soe nea |Pe = oa 125) |ensa on: = |e meee 13. 03
1G bass 2S TE ey et Seen Ee ng eee 6. 89 PATE: SuG 2h ee = 1. 60 0. 56 2. 16 23. 4
OOD Sere Oaisos- =.|-8 15. 00 5.0 IESG | ee i ahr . 56 Sh 7 26. 59
190552 Se-=2 (Oe a aS ne 7. 50 1A YS 2g) (Es ee = eer 1. 45 . 56 2.01 28.
L052 4265S (Ey ae en | OY gee Se 15. 00 DEO eae eee U5) 2. 50 . 56 3. 06 27. 92
112/05 ee teas ea este 2 ee eee 10 i Sere | pees a ea | tea Es 1. 66 . 56 2. 22 30. 06
HOOD-- se 4 ne ES I coat Mero io deo dao 2. 50 . 56 3. 06 19. 31
1005) 2 32 1 | ae 6 eee vba OSes Tae 2 Sn . 62 2562 | ashe lst piseos
712) eee a ree areal PR deo era | tes coe ee reas ee te . 56 1. 81 13. 26
Theta ee J biol Se eerie ae ae ene BR fi yet | Se et oh a ae ee ea <Bil 00 . 87 13. 75
TAS baie peta (| cae | ree US Die ted Olea |e see ea 1. 45 - 00 2.01 31. 45
112 (0 ej ee pe edie (oo a eee 10 10 10 5 2.91 . 56 3. 47 24.17
WOO GH Soe 0) 1) Si ENS (ED anata 6 12 12 6 3. 00 1. 06 4. 06 30. 85
1906= 2: 2+ 15 [Ecce Senet Ee ee I re 9.0 9.0 4.5 1. 86 1.06 2. 92 29. 38
AGO GS eye 1) | See es ee 3 3 6 3 125 1. 06 P4y ik 31. 24
HONGH = £044 [NC SS eS Se 3 12 6 3 2. 00 1. 06 3. 06 25. 20
1906S 2 =o Gila ees See, 4.5 9 9 4.5 2. 25 1. 06 34, 831l 26. 12
e—————ee———————ee————eeeeE——————————Ee—EE————————— eS ——esQr Tr r—____— a _—t (

46 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
TABLE 8.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yields in Oregon

ALFALFA, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY
[From Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletins 140 and 189]

Quantity of water received

by cro
y Area Mf P Yield
oot irrigated =
Irriga- | Rainfall | Total
Acres Feet Feet Feet Tons
BING ee Ps SS a ee Ee ch ES Ree tn ag a ae er 2208 A 9) Pr ee Sa | ig sa 6. 10
BG ete ROE 2 a ER ed pee ee ae 3. 16 Li iSajeeee ee ee 4.39
NOTG 4 5s 2 Se ee RS 2 Se Pee ye eee 2. 38 93 Ul eeeert oe ee ee oe 4, 37
1 (CHASES SEER ES a StS Dead Se eee ee Oe 1. 59 06 5|, ee eee .. 86
TAY A Spee ae ke SIS ERS SE eae OS pages A | Se Ad Sh ae 1. 65 302.) Sscee Sele ae 1, 29
TIGNES gO SES 2 Nee BPS PIS BED See eS ET Uap oe 1. 46 ne. KAYA) Bnd dpe Nek Sani firs Got aah 2 1. 09
(soo A Bev d Bo 3 Bie RA Ee See ake eee 1.0 S25 0| ee 2 ee ee POF
7 LST 7 (a SSSI Sa UN = ie a ae a es 1.0 2.0042 Se ee ate eee 1. 43
TE pc Sa | SI RR AR SS ae 3 I ice one hemes Cy ste a BAU 1.0 aR) Wy Iasi eee fel oe aes ee 1. 06
|
ALFALFA, HARNEY VALLEY
OG Prien a hae Re et Ms Be ie ene fee Pees aL Se wee ae ao 0.1 0.64 nets oo. oe sae Cee Tas
TEI a Se BND A eI 9 em aoa. 5. igh ER ne I oil 7076 |S ee an ees 2. 36
TA SITU | Soa ae cea eet es A LSE SR a Se eS RS Om eS All 13) [282 Se eee 3. 61
THONG a aE RR Ee ee a ee ee ae eS oll ROS: ete Se ees 1. 96
TRO eu i eR aR Date a eta eels es a he a ee RE od 2Q 77 seaee sealer ee 2. 67
OLG eee Bean See a ae eee te et LS een Sal 1 Es 3 Wal PES, neces [a eee a 2. 97
TKD OY eI ER oat Sa ia ht a ne eR ct eee ARR sal ROBT seed Sr res 4. 94
920 See IS as iN oe EO Ean eos a Re neem ea roa Al Pecos hal be ce ae eno | ah ee gy 3 C 3. 07
G20 a ee Rah SSE AES > te ee Sa et Pee 9 RD Se ee Su! LOY jp sien Se so * tS ae Daa
TOAD is fe SS Is aA eas ec pn ee Aes ene 2 au Pigs fel pe ea amend Pees 5.0
THO PAVE SESE a TU patetie bed oo, Rereele, Conte ke Ceeerees cc pa ne ae eee Nee Ss Sit 2851 Saale = se be ee eee 2. 42
TG PL PRES Se Ra Becec Doh eee ee tke en 1 Sere ce Meee ee alt hs 7c see: 38s ae. ee 5.9
ALFALFA, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY
TOZQ SRC hoarse cab erd e safe aa Sane hs ee ie age Ee 2. 53 PSP ees wea lotee NOS ae 3.1
THO PF 0 ase ales CTS Fie 29 pga aD gt CO eae yeh ee os Se ed 3. 16 L203): || ets= oe oss ee 2. 24
TRS A see eae ree om 9 eet AL ae Apsara Sie ge eens a UT aA ot 2. 38 oO ie eae ge ees Se ee 2. 32
Gaye ee che) NS hy SO a abe ie VN Ir a PRES 2. 68 0. 42 3. 10 6.1
CGT Ge ee aE RE ait Sea ea ee at be ee 3. 16 1. 76 56 75 BY 4.4
11ST 0) cia pS GS rp a RR Be oh Se Ie ee 2. 38 . 93 67 1. 60 4.4
TYCO 1G es HEF 2 ean igi el ane, ed St rage way eae Gene TERR DOS Ci Vent 1. 03 28 1.31 . 86
TOS Uh aR peg ee SET NS ee case a ne bce 4 8 Ua . 82 37 1.19 1. 29
IG ea ee ee Ta SSE Ly eee te ls ie ee Ee Ho il 46 55 1.01 1. 09
ALFALFA (ROWS), HARNEY VALLEY
TO ac Ee tS Ea en SR ok eh a ee is | | 2 1. 50 0. 08 1. 58 2. 16
DDG ee aa ne as NT a se ee ee ate 1.0 on ie SY / 2. 64
TANG SR ee I ee Pig Ss a et ee hte fe io ee . 50 - 53 1. 03 2. 08

Note.—The soils of Chewaucan Valley range from a very fine, sandy loam to a very stiff, silty clay
which is hard to work and of low water-holding capacity. The lighter soils, however, are productive,
easily worked and of good water-holding capacity.

The soils of the Harney Valley are varied but silt predominates, being about 4 to 6 feet deep, with a sandy
subsoil, and are easily worked, also grow excellent crops.

The crops grown in these valleys are hay and grain.

TRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 47
TABLE 9.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yields in Oregon

MARSH GRASS, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY!
[From Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 140]

Quantity of water received

cr
ee Wer Yield
Year irrigated ae | a
rriga- -
Fiat Rainfall Total |
Acres Feet Feet Feet Tons
Te ee eel ee eee ee a eee ee 0.1 2. 38 0. 47 2. 85 0. 89
TEP EUG eRe eee CR ea OT a RE ad > he ae nee Es 1 . 94 . 26 1. 20 1. 03
ee ee rer a So eo 1 i eee ee hee . 28 . 28 57
LDU Ue Peo Rin coht Gee Se eee ee ee 1 15th . 54 2. 05 70
Hig Vitae eile IG SORE Re Oe EON epee Me Se eke ES ee Se 1 20D . 42 .97 73
aT 500 se see ORs teeta Wer Aa ee oe ee: Rp cape ea ian 36 . 36 70
CLOVER AND TIMOTHY, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY!
TET Es ae 8 gs mB Ty ge eR Sees Deve ee elvis ek 1k oe EO a eee SS 0.1 0. 35 0. 22 0. 57 2.6
Lid P fy, eSB: RSS IRR TS S98, Re Rees Re See? ee Se otk 26 =P He . 48 pa |
SRE Eye Se ea py ty ree ee SRE ge ae es OEE Aa! 19 <Pas . 40 2.4
NATURAL MEADOW HAY, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY?
sD Epi ee ee Nn eee a eet 0.1 2.21 0. 58 2.79 15
EG eee ae ee ade Re eR i ee 1 1. 60 - 66 2. 26 1.9
FLINT waco dt Brae Seay ale ten ae Sera MATE ite Nes FREY Se a 1 nVGS wae 1. 43 1.2
NATURAL MEADOW HAY, HARNEY VALLEY 3
BR Cp pl ol Ng ae Se Pr 1.79 1. 04 2. 83 Pasa be:
NEG Os ee ee See ER nS IS ge ayes . 90 rods 2-15 218
Tie TS Siete te cael Bie lea cee a AN ENR ED FAT SPY Cee LY aes [ae > ae . 83 . 83 2.18
Ted SUS eB, i Se a a SA Rate el | ee 2. 04 aoe 2. 61 1. 96
BE eee nr Pere ge he oe ee ne ee en 1. 04 83 1. 87 1 96
TC Tic Se es SR eA SE ee BoE Sees ee ees el ae ee . 50 = Dunk
SE Fn a Nt ange rn ee ern oe ee 2. 33 . 93 3. 26 73"
TG epee enn 5 erg ee, SO Sere Re eS Te ie 117 .91 2. 08 yap:
DD Gee oe WR A Fea etal sae) BRON A Eo! Nt po ue ose ee 1.05 1.05 1. 36
SPRING WHEAT, HARNEY VALLEY?
| Bushels
DLE Pe gk see hm SR eee a ae aes oe Sm (ee. See 0.75 0. 93 1. 68 29.2
TS De ae a es he ae ere ee 9 eee ee 8 ee ee - 50 70 1. 20 26. 7
PoE Pah Se se ee eae SR Se Seeere serge nes pee eee om <745 - 82 1.07 22. 4

1 The soil of these plots consisted ofa silty loam underlaid by a fairly stiff clay and a subsoil of fine, sandy

oam.
2 These plots have a surface soil of peaty loam and a subsoil of fine sandy loam,
3 Fine sandy loam soil with asubsoiloffinesand. |
4 Silty loam soil on surface, clay beneath, and a subsoil of fine sandy loam,

48 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TABLE 9.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, ete—Continued

FIELD PEAS, HARNEY VALLEY

Quantity of water received
by crop

EaGP Yield
Year irrigated oe
Trriga P
aan Rainfall Total
Acres Feet Feet Feet Tons
TOK Fes A ee een Bee ones Wain creates © ote eee tee, ee 1 0. 30 1.30 1. 69
DOUG apne a a ee See re a eee per eet | Seer —= SYL 712 79 1. 69
CORN, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY
Bushels
BSG se A BE a i Ne ED 0. 48 0. 63 isa bl OoaD
QG SE Ra SE ae ee re eae 0) . 28 . 59 . 87 43.2
UG RS eee Se Ne Se. Foe Ne eee Bee eye eee ee 1.5 -16 . 62 . 78 43.6
SUGAR BEETS, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY
Tons
FOI G eee ee em Ben we a See ea ae Ie ligt 0. 33 1. 54 36.18
GT G tee Se ee 2 ee ee ae Tere . 84 33 1.17 37. 34
TS ae aS SN eee LE Shape ener ays ag VR pe ee Hee Sule 33 OO 28. 39
THUS ae as BO Ee EO TES Re ES Mage Ome, 16 2. 21 33 2. 54 12. 4
OUG = 3 oo ee ig eee ye og We eed ep epee S 1.5 . 87 38 1. 25 12
TICS Nas oS a a eee Se eee VG rea 5) . 50 51 1.01 Te
BARLEY, CHEWAUCAN VALLEY
Bushels
TUS os aS a ae BR ae el eae ec Sy CL 2.90 0. 71 3. 61 15.1
LO ee 6 Beg: ACR eg el 2. 43 2. 81 53 3. 34 35. 4

TABLE 10.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yields in Nevada.

WHEAT, TRUCKEE VALLEY

| Quantity of water received by
| Number crop =
2 Area aia Yield
Year irrizated Cee | per acre
Irrigation! Rainfall
Acres Feet Feet Bushels
RODS pes Se re ae ae es eee 4 1. 85 .18 : 48
1OQ3e anes. Ne oe ee a 2 Ee 1 3 1. 68 18 46
MOUS e202 a shoe 2 eee a ee sod 4 1. 45 18 46
TDS) cee ceees ice ae dete SURI en ek eh ee oa 1 3 1.85 18 47.9
OG ARE eo eee a Se Rea eee ett 1 3 1.70 18 42.2
TC) LS eS ewe ee Sener spear remerse as ee 1 3 1. 42 .18 35
1G (Aaa Bee a ei ee ee SH 9 7. 03 .18 46. 1
1905 oo 2 ee ece eee ee ee 1 4 2. 29 .18 42.3
TNS) tI ieee Se Gees a Rimes cen tere 1 4 1. 58 18 38.8
GS eee eS co Ore, or Roar Bt See so 2 1. 50 18 31.6
WOOD Eee oe fee ERE oS 25 1 . 86 18 39. 6
TREAD Es ee Se Se) eae a eee 25. ea 0.5 3 i Ty (iene ace ta lo [hens re eS 42.3
1G oe ee OS ee eee .0 3 1 Ay. UE nar ene (enone ne 34. 88
TUS se Se ee ee ee oe Shee a 9 VERS oh ee ee | ee 46.3
GOA Cees SOAR th OE Le A Sees =o 2 PERS Moe | Oe ee 25. 8
ODA ee ees eee ee eee 5 2 AIA eed Sree ot rae.
O04 ee eet Se ee oe ee ao 2 c Bgl! (2 a pein tan tere tthe Se 22.9
$1 (5 ee ee ec See ee ek ot ge 1.0 4 BDO | oo ae eee ees 42.3
OOD ete ts Si ec Be Ne 1.0 4 1 at Sy iota yt | Ni ae a ag: 38.8
LOD ee os Se ee eee ee 225 2, Lb oS |e 31.6
TIC( Dice ee Naa Soe ole ip a ET emer 225 1 86) oe eee 39.3
OU Se eee a ste AO ape et ele Ue ei alae “<2 9 2 Na ae ee 45.6
AGO Ses es os Bee ee ee <2 7 aI a ceases ee | ed Se eS 48. 0
1S) Tne eae Pea Rei geS Senge Soe nen Se 2 ae 4 7.49 boss ee ee 57.4
OG ere PS OS ae ee ae ieee ee 53 4 1559 0. "2S eee 46.1

oe

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 49

TABLE 10.— Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, etec—Continued

BARLEY, TRUCKEE VALLEY

Quantity of water received by
Number crop F
Area snutis Yield
Year irrigated ey per acre
Irrigation} Rainfall | Total

Acres Feet Feet | Feet | Bushels

1591 0¥ Lu seeeeaz pa atime amen tal eitat l al t pam e 3.0 4 Bh Og eae | Bes act 36. 4
TL ak wae Sig ya Si geet AI i HE 1 4 a Fe eal aceasta 24
TEGO ag eS aN Ai ae Rie tee nae eee aes SP 3 4 65948 Ree seer |ocecesssee 26. 2
TAGS 2 Pg ala respi 2 [at pee ah et a are BS 1 5 POLAT | ugh 8 Slglyn| d toe ee 30. 5
TAQ ee pee ty a ead Papal! Seek paasalatipip! Sea sn a 2) 20 8 DO si lessee eases lid aes vn 5 32.8
TESL Oe Se eee sana eee, Oe ws em og engl pee eg 2 5 Iya ee ee | ne tes oe 53. 4
INGO Pies pile ales aah el Balk rieeeaat hen ahead eld SN Ry 20 3 hl Sil | Sy aes, Nee Nek oan en shee 56. 2
[GURUS ET Cae Tata oh Led al ah eka Mp inet ae, 2 2 ROOY Ary Rea | Beoy ss ee 58. 4
OATS, TRUCKEE VALLEY
|

| Pounds
GQ Aer ee ae eo are Or ome ESN coe eee 1 3 EOI [ses orege ecient 1, 599
HL (D4 epeey re neater ions eee ee ene it 3 D157 / i ee ae eae Lasts | aan, Se Ae 2, 034
COR 2 chee a eee rie amie Sl cs. are 1 4 DR Sit ie neki | ie ee 2, 440
TOUS aes = ae Ak ita is NS UE di ed ee eee 1 + Ly RDN eae Soe eee 202
LONE SOO, eek pales any Niel aidirniaen Bie Oiipne 2 3 TROT Spree merece ent 2, 588
D0 Glee: Pree kee Se Od De Sn er ae aes eee 220 10 PANGS ae i er |e es el ev 2, 165
UG OGRE Sat eke os SO el RR aed 20 Uf PAT Na (2 ns celine | eran at 3, 900
HOU G2 5 atts Rove ae Ral ina A. a enone. . 20 4 I UG oy aaa a es Sa eg ac! 3, 952
TOTO) GS ai ee A wetter. Cl eer aan alee MN . 20 4 NAS | eaten Sheen | ee ne eee 3, 180
WOOG see eey a toes cai eS dene ee ae dee ee ue ne icra cericne | Pops cles cpap | ome 540

MACARONI WHEAT, TRUCKEE VALLEY
l

Pounds
TGT) See Saale Sei eo ae ee 1) eae 0. 5 18 DNB ral Rise aah te a | ye oe, 2, 340
QOS Maa RaSh ass ee Se SS 8 8 a) 13 20Gb Sa Sistas teca ee C Oe 2, 286
SOD EES He chara eb SC IES Smee ot 5 8 M4 On [Cas ceeine ct So eee 2, 035
ISCO ects clover Sisto ota pienoare kak to Beem Wh | 0 7 BOM Rae sai ee (LR eae 2, 120
COS, Se ee Oe REAR aE ft OES | 5 5 1796, |kacen auee |e aoe ae 1, 060
LIC 03 RO ae FREE ee 8 Eppeely amas te). aes Cena dt 36 4 1 NCO 0) 4 Least meres ape, al gets So 950
G1 ce iy SSS SE aie te SEAL SA ae | 5 2 Deeps my [AL ie See 450

| Tons
US (Ue eine Re gs ert he ae Vamecel ew es oy if Ue: | oes ahs see Death eK 20 D038 20. 03
TOTO pe ee ae! eh Rap ral Nie ES Re aD dy | 1 in| Eee ier: Fe epee eee 3. 4 15. 84
1KEL Gyie Snook SSIS ne OE Oe ies AW ean mee vee . 20 Pi, |e ea thes | Ae stig ee eed 922} 59
TEGO ee eae OS A ai 2 . 20 ES Sa op ea (PR ia SP 1. 32 16. 81
SO Greet ee ee ies ier ne Le RTE . 20 SI) SN oct Red | (ee 1.05 VSS U5
ONG Sa oir ae ne ed Re os 2 pe es . 20 Ao Neer sees oath whee Nae . 89 15. 47
ee a ee eae een a ea les, EC ee al 2 ae ee

Tons
LSD 2 ng ey Sr 2 ee ee A 0. 50 5 CGY: |e IN ae aed ea 9. 53
HO(}4 2 aE) Se or one bake eee eer ee eee o 511) 6 ANGG) |e saree ele 9.
TGS ARS 6 or geen es ee ee ne . 20 32 RODE | Seeeeseee ect | aaa 9. 56
TASIU SS LIE dees ay see OO Re ieee ial eel er mee 20 11 GO Base eee ewe ee 10. 66
ISG a es SP elas teen at ee . 20 5 | Ue erates | ees eeneea Se 11. 56
LGV ae ESS a a ee a ee ee Cee . 20 5 to tn [eau San kee ee ee ae 7. 07
LORS 5 gB =. ere Seo eee a nae Beene . 10 1 SUG" Lee reas a | Nae are 3. 50

NotEe.—The plot experiments pertaining to duty of water in Nevada were carried on for the most part
at the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station located in the Truckee Valley at Reno. In this work
ee Se intermittent cooperation between the Division of Agricultural Engineering and the University
of Nevada.

The soil is variable but speaking generally it may be said to be gravelly clay loam underlaid by sand,
gravel, and bowlders.

50 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TABLE 11.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yieids in Nevada

[From Nev. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 96 and O. E. S. Bul. 104]
SUGAR BEETS, NEVADA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FARM, RENO

cone Quantity of water received by
7 Area baa po eon Yield
Year irrigated of aree RRR NREL er LOS
Irrigation! Rainfall | Total

Acres Feet Feet Feet Tons
TiC Wy UE ape: ae ge ee a rare eeu ae Be 0. 03 7 POS span eae aes eee 9. 58
12) Ie FUE eee eee Bec ne Rah ecm en eee 03 5 E2505 ea Soe | eee eee IHR
THUY TZ TES is ae a a2 pee eRe pte te NS a 03 4 elon | Nae seve ee Gal Pe a ads 10. 70
TAR 15 te ee OES Be Ld Ee ata ape EDS 03 5 Soya ee eae eee 9. 64
QI 4 SVS meres Roe Se elo Monee’ rata eee ey 03 4 TALGh ee Se eee | ee 9. 67
FO TG eet Fe she = at ene ete Re as 03 3 LS OOR Eee eee |e meee eee 11. 43
O45 eset 9 the ee Ly Si Sa Rei 03 3 2 YW eet ie es Ol ae ME Re 8. 80
iC) Ee eee ea eee a ee 03 3. 8 Ja a eral | dee 9. 40
1G) i a Nate oS eee eee Re ee ee LL feet 03 2 le Ws ee 8. 57
TOV) GS Re A, BS gang Na ae 03 2 Soh esse etal aeean eae 6.12
TIO Ee ee late ee SSE a Ee ee ieee 03 2 SOE [Rice Scie ale ete 7. 38
TDN Es Sia aes roe apis ae i = cee) tah Shahi t 03 1 SOM eee 2 Sea De es ees 6. 27

POTATOES, RANCH NEAR RENO
{
Bushels

HQ) () ese he ae isl Seeaels 5 Bis ae owa ey 5.5 13 7. 43 67 8. 10 363

POTATOES, NEVADA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FARM, RENO

NGOGAIIG Sie Sls Ae Ree ake ee a Ae Cee Rn oe Oe nae CBAC. 9 apa | atl ae ed | 127
Qik eee ee eS ea 3 sr Oe ees ee ee 0. 01 8 DSO (eee oe 25 se eeaie ee 255
TAG ES Tae Sa ear > tae iat en ei Ae ae AE 01 5 PANSY fal OS SMELT [a ay Rs 176
THRO IZ a U7 ae Soa tei part ev eae eng Pease ee des eee al Be 01 5 DAS a eS See ie Se ie 223
SCO Tee aa eS eres ag a ame aR 2 ee 01 6 Was Ge tate ee Nee es 266
TIC H (Teo lpn os Seats le erga reas “ave esate 01 4 VE GAM Cert Se alia ere 159
EA eee ees Ae ee ieee ee ue 01 3 DDO | Pek Sec ueeeena| Sok eee ee eel 153
IUGR) 7 (eal igre ne ee ns 24 NENA RMR eect lg ee 01 4 OG ree ales | ag 161
TAO VT Uy (oA Cas aaa ae se See eects ae wl MMe eS 01 3 A Ft es rd ol 164
TIC IZ Ufa 2a eae tat SS le Mee es ee 01 2 1 Ist ie | Sees re ac 129
1 We Ely I ee ee 2 ee Aer ey ce eee 01 2 SO il Secs Bek ares tl ah oe ee 97
TOTES Up fs AS pres a an eae se ee 01 2 62) eee eee [ite eee 92
TOE ES lye emis cee pes een ene Seek gerel esc ate | 01 1 CG haere ta eas selec useion area 3 | 59
OATS, NEVADA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FARM, RENO
TAG Uy ieee a aba ee fee Rear anes eras eps rar) Semi | Pe ee MS | aeton el Se | bl a kata ae | res) Shes s | 35
WHEAT, RANCH NEAR RENO
NG OO se beene as Se e Re te a eaten A ei ieee | 2 | 1l | 14. 24 | 67 | 14. 91 | 49
WHEAT, NEVADA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FARM, RENO

0. 08 2 LL irehseee Ce Aeneas 26. 5

. 08 2 Ney 10 en peer a ek, Peper ee eT /

. 08 2 12507|222 2 oe eeel| ase ees 25. 8

. 08 2 1S 25 iene Stee ea es 23. 5

. 08 2 V5 Ole cece 3 el eRe ee 29. 1
. 08 2 1 is | eee eeeaey he [Peerage we oe 26

. 08 2 1 Ue | | ee ees ee ee 25. 1

. 08 2 1 G7 Asp Pageprecsarceee eral [re Sd 25. 3

. 08 2 > peice abl jiseareie rn asente| bo Gannon ce. 26. 4

ALFALFA, RANCH NEAR RENO
Acres Tons
1100 fe CUA een eRe hoe cone SO sae SENS er 100 8 6. 55 0. 67 to2e 4.5

“a a re

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN

o1

TABLE 11.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, ete.—Continued
ALFALFA, DANGBERG RANCH

Year

, Area
irrigate

Number

da of irriga-

tions

C1 He OD

Quantity of water received by

crop

Irrigation| Rainfall

Total

Yield
per acre

— . - —_

NOL Bere eee eee ee Se Oe ne Sea es Is & alata so le Da Sy | Beene dao | here le 7.5
POLO Re eee ee se eee e ones aos Le (eAleee sees s Se OO Pepe a el ake woes 6.6
TAS eh eee Reg ars Pee ees ts PEt 0) | Se eee aes be a ase Se 5.9
LOI O Bee ee Se eee eee eek a a cee IS ee beg eee eee 2501s Pease ee celae 2s es 6.4
USI ea eset Gee. a se pee te es ee Thine op eee ose Lal Sareea aes ee 3 Be 6.6
IRC Oe Seabee a icp rates Se me ah Se aie ced Pee eee DOO ene eee Peer eee eee 6
TN ee egg pe a 8 ae 1 Gane ait Sse te ee SOA | eye te Benner Gee 5. 2
TUS UT ai Sse ae SES le aie ap By Oo Ee ie ae es 25060 eo een senme|: tae oe. 5.3
IGN Us SESS i eng ee lis Fe gs eee Pe PAS Sie oem aed aes 4.6
TAS IT see Sian is Sa a Ne eerie ee See aa ees a die g gees nse PEN | eee ae eee Be 4.3
LACM eee hae a ae ne a eee ae ey be Ai pss [ate See ed B58ii po eases eo cane kee 3.3
TAT 5 oS Fa ge Ee gS eer ene G5 Co fal |e es mie eee Rae 3.2
LONG = Sess ewe are et bee ee aee 15 11 SHOO}| See ewes at eee oe 6.

I 1S mh ie ee SN Palas Cis Te epee 15 7 0240) ee soeecees tae bees oS 6. 81
US ee hs a Ae le A ee ene a a ee ee 15 7 O10) poteeee a2 lesa sa aae oe 6.18
TGS ice ah Da al AN eg te pr ae 15 7 Dro eee sete Nees lect tees 5. 59
TCG ieee a ee a et 15 5 CTE: Sa ee Seen Melee alae ie 5. 45
EI Coes See aaa a ne Nee <a ee 15 5 AS OO} eee See a elk eas Ges 5. 43
MGT 118 egies Eee Se ne ie ed as DT LS eek SE 15 4 AUS teo ll eo eet, EP eee ES 4.08
ANT aU Bea os seen es Sn ee a Sere eS gy BS 15 4 2566) (St aes See ba ee 4.42
TSM eh orcs ee Se ee ee ane eens Bete, 15 3 PEE | Ea eersees eee 4. 86

CLOVER, NEVADA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FARM, RENO

OTA Suh oR ae Re Oy es 0. 06 6 Sel Seg See a (Ripe SEN 4,45
TSM a a Se ee Ce 2 aa A eee . 06 3 S00! ese s eRe ee Soe 5. 52
Ce as ee ot SUES ca Ae ape a . 06 5 BST OM = aan eets| mee Oe Sak 6. 97
LG are Seek nee ep tae meee ae . 06 4 Dike s| x a eee Le ee oe 3. 58
SL ae eee aE Soar ein, gee) 2h . 06 4 Se esate ne £2 ee ee ee 3. 51
TS Rs ae te 2 ie eee rere ee een ae . 06 3 Si sleet ee al ae 4.08
LAS eg ae ae 2a le a hes La . 06 4 DAN ral ean a a a yt eae 2: 71
TD 5 es 7 ec alk ae a eed . 06 4 Cl (pe i 3. 16
OTA eee SNe ee en Paes ewe ae . 06 3 Se yeas Tee et ae 3. 38

TABLE 12.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yields in Nevada

[Cooperative experiments, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station]

Quantity of water received

b
ogres 3) / ER Pasar: Yield
Year Location Crop irri- eric per
gated fons Irriga- : acre
+6 Rainfall Total
Acres Feet Feet Peet Bushels
1906 | Mason Valley________. Barley -__- 13 4 1. 04 . 80 1. 34 48
19062 |S e== 0 ee a [lee dos sus 10 4 .91 :30 lh PA 48
1906 | Carson Valley_________]__- doz: 30 3 1. 36 . 30 1. 66 60
LOG R Ea ON Ses geek ere Manner) | ees doses 2. 80 3 1.44 . 30 1.74 62
1906 | Mason Valley_________|__- doieiss5 10 3 1.39 . 30 1. 69 41
1906 |____- OnE ae Wheat --__- 4 2 1.31 . 30 1. 61 25
1906: e222 Opa Ais Sirians! oil: Be COs 6 4 2. 81 . 30 Salil 35
1906 |____- GOe ae aot soe baa bok doss 322 9 4 2.45 . 30 2.75 35
Tons
1906 | Lovelock Valley_--_--_|__- dos=-- = 80 2 4, 53 . 30 4, 83 1.5

52

BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TABLE 12.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, etc_—Continued

Year Location Crop
1906 | Lovelock Valley______- Wheat_-__-
TROT | ese (0 Yes foley Ie hay ae] | a doz es:
1QOGH eCarsoneVialley= = =| = Omen
19062 |= (Yop ee Sat Bi: (6 (0) eens
1906 | Clover Valley_________ oe <0 Ko) aaa Sal
1905 | Lovelock Valley_-_____ Alfalfa ___
1906 | Mason Valley________-_ Eu Obes eee
1906 | Clover Valley_________ TeeCOX) 5 ees
HONG He COR = eee eA OER Sane
1906 | Carson Valley_--_____- [Rerdone ess
1906 | Nevada Agr. Exp.

Sis ANG. Seed Ours ee
190GH O28 See: pad ON sae
1906 | Lovelock Valley__-_-___ SOs ete
1OOG Ses GOS Sen ee SaaS een
AGOG! 2 == == CORRS eran eon aoe
TOG) Se COS oe hers ee AG OSE RAE
1918 | Reno Valley__________ piercs( 0 (Geyer a
1919 |_____ COS aN ete arene) OKO aciy ree
HOUSE Sees COM SAE rer oie ex QOk eae

Area
irri-
gated

Quantity of water received

a gt

He OO 09
Oo SI OT

Number by crop
of

irriga- f

Hons | ltiga- | Rainfall} Total

Acres Feet Feet Feet
2 2. 76 . 30 3. 06
2 3. 04 . 30 3. 34
3 EY . 30 si7/
3 1 A . 30 1. 55
3 93 . 30 HES
2 3. 54 . 30 3. 84
2, 2. 64 . 30 2. 94
4 5. lo 30 6. 03
2 oll . 30 1. 07
3 i, 73 . 30 2. 03
if Pe TD . 30 3. 05
6 3. 34 . 30 3. 64
2 3. 26 . 30 3. 56
2 2.95 . 30 35 74d
2 4. 00 . 30 4.30
2 SHED . 30 4. 05
9 3. 80 - 20 4. 30
9 5. 62 . 20 5. 82
9 1. 92 220 2. 12-

OOS AIT a Eh oo

aSS

Note: The soils of the river valleys of Nevada are generally composed of silt and sand with a subsoil of
sand. They are spotted with clay and hardpan and irrigated very unevenly. Soil for Humboldt Basin is
river bottom silt underlain with sand. Carsonand Truckee Valleys have a sandy loam top soil and a sandy

subsoil.

TABLE 15.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yields in Nevada

OATS, TRUCKEE VALLEY

Quantity of water received

by cro
wens _ Area ae ¥ Crop Yield
irrigated ti ae per acre
Irrigation] Rainfall; Total
Acres Feet Feet Feet Bushels
1G Area Eee Oe ei Pith oak Su Fe ee, fie 1 3 1. 79 1183 1. 92 48.5
TCV se eS ie eet ar Lars es DY cu Se ar 1 3 US 3y/ ok 1. 50 64
TIS OG Ze CAs ee A RO A ie SA Re AS oe ee, 1 4 2. 87 .18 3. 05 76
BG OD By a ee Tip, 8 csc aly a ap ee ea alle ee ns 1 4 tz 18 1. 90 74
BOG eee eee et ate ce Pe Pind ores mere een eres 2 3 1.91 . 30 2. 21 81
ANG OG Bee Si Ee a . 20 10 PA. 15 . 30 2.45 68
HI (6 se a Ei Os hs Sa 20 7 Pep . 30 2. 43 122
OG Eee 2 Se ee eee ee VO ee eae ee 20 4 1 BY . 30 1. 62 124
IGG Sees eae re ere ee FR A be epee nye Pepa G 20 4 1. 43 . 30 ied 100
BARLEY, DANGBERG RANCH, CARSON VALLEY
Tee co ea earl ate as era lp rn ty ec “Mi 1. 38 3 2 SSH Lis Wena a La ee eee 61.
GOS Serres Foca fe Gey ie ee Ree ere 92. 3 2268 4 See ae ere ee eee 84.5
Hai ee Cie ed it Meal I So O59) coupes Oo: 3 DAS Baie ey Ee eee 78.6
ALFALFA, LAMOILLE
Tons
UES) ae Sa shee See eta eee eee 61. 10 COGS es Neh sae ae ee 2. 25
AQ Fae Set N Aish yoo Oa Gas ee RON a Tiley at ak Ee 50. 08 3 SS S| mate li hare ie art 2 . 97
ICC) U7 (acc ee A eapemee IT S Fo Mine EG ease Base ils 81.8 6 SAHOO ee ae | Sa ee ee 2. 53

—S Ss 7

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 58
TABLE 13.— Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, ete-—Continued
ALFALFA, DANGBERG RANCH, CARSON VALLEY
Quantity of water received by
cro |
Year Arent [ote Der “ Yield
irrigated gations per acre
Irrigation) Rainfall | Total |
Acres Feet Feet Feet Tons
ODS cts DE Sr ee) ae MOS are 81. 32 3 Lc al ine ie a Wp RE 6. 33
The? Ghent ge IR lela 5 Bor 80. 5 4 i oy ae a | Wake ae 3.17
TOTS _ LESS Sa NSS alee erie ® Dae dee 102. 6 3 G7 | (eta is Te aOR RE A 2. 92
(Giemibe end) Shh a Ne 50. 5 4. 96 oe | SIGE Ae aes 5.9
ALFALFA, LAND DEVELOPMENT RANCH NO.3
HEFL See Sat nde she oe bf UY 5. 3 TLS Ae Bees es le Oe 4, 20
“GWG Lae ESS Ie Relay Ce eee oe, noes fi 3 DANG a apts Sane al acs 4. 04
Peet See Se EA Be 5: 3 TEATS eee ll Oe 4, 96
TOT IS an Be OO ips Se ees th 3 AOD: | este cere ta 6nd Soe ee 4. 92
TaD AL 5 NRE A tL BEN Dao) Seen oe TO Se Pee Wie 3 TET (a care (ie Oe 2a 4, 49
Ly ae 1S BY oo eee Seen a 5. 3 ToS ip | Was aeeee ax | uncon Seek a 4. 48
MEADOW, BATTLE MOUNTAIN
pies Awe Rs PE era ae te 22 3.6 5 AE CAS [essen (NO a, Cee. 1.30
eg a BF STG SR Path BE a 4. 62 5 CG a ee a ee eA eee 1. 80
TOC. DANI T ey SEER e one eer es Waren 3.6 2 Ay REE a ey ee eee E if
ior Py aae ) eS Ce Be) ~ tee Gar 0198 Seer 4, 62 2 Gide | Seek A Pes eee: 1. 30

Note.—The soils on which these experiments were carried out are of the river-laid type, a silty loam-

surface layer with a sandy and gravelly subsoil.
hard to work.

This top soil has numerous clay spots and these are rather

TABLE 14.—Use or water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yields

[From reports of the Reclamation Service, United Gat Department of the Interior, Strawberry Valley,
t

Year and crop iran
1912 Acres
UU LD Ce RS a Bg Be ot ea 65. 24
RD ORS eee ea ee 15. 62
EUR) yes See et Ment Re 8 SS 16. 16
3D 10} Spee a" Eo ak So eee een ea 22. 71
ND) ea ie A shes EH Sp ere 2s 14. 60
AY LAV S259 ey Sheth CN a a A oe 6. 09
1D\Nse ase ocean ee eS 5. 37
1 ye iSL ee ee elles SAE ee ee Lee 8.11
1D) Quer see er er ge Doo
He) eee ee es lee pet es ee 2. 14
ONPG Lea ho CAT a ig ae ee 4. is
(0) cag Soh Oa nye, OR I ee ca SO ee el
LOGS stcreik Bt Sa att SSS aire ane a ee 2.10
Dee hie Bee ae eee eee 4,71
EQ ree oe re, ee re ee ee 5. 40
AE LON eee ee et ee 6. 31
IDS ie ek See ee So enn as 8. 50
DS) ate sere Ee gg ee 6. 84
1D {oye Sa a BS ae ho Pee pe are Bee 7. 08
OP ti pais gas ye EE 5. 28
ES Cat Sess ee Re 9. 94
ES) (pee etre re Sr me ee 8. 94
ANA) ee ee he ee ne 6. 87
Oe eee ss FEES Ste eS 6. 14
Ey yaa Ree Ia Ae eet rE 4,80

Number
of irri-
gations

bobo wwe

OO He GO CO DD DD CO OD CO WO OD GO GO

00 G9 He

Quantity of water received by

Irrigation! Rainfall

Ree bo rt et bor et

i bole bata

a
Bie iaueine «ems

crop
Total
Feet Feet
0. 61 5. 01
. 61 2. 89
. 61 2. 76
. 61 1.41
. 61 1. 61
.45 1. 94
. 45 2. 07
.45 2. 78
.45 1. 80
. 45 1. 61
. 45 3. 04
. 45 1. 69
.45 1. 83
HAD 1. 90
. 45 1. 44
45 2. 39
. 45 2.13
. 45 2. 60
45 P4743"
. 45 1S
BOW 2. 05
ou 2. 30 |
you Pa |
Bry Ge
a Ys 1. 74 |

Yield

| per acre

54 BULLETIN 1340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TABLE 14.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, etc-—Continued

Quantity of water received by |

Number |} crop “3
Area a Yield
Year and crop irrigated haloes per acre
Beas Rainfall | Total
1912 Acres Feet Feet Feet | Crates
LYST (Gs ee ee See Sere SE eee 7. 95 8 1. 80 .61 2. 41 755
ec Re A SS IE ee 3.13 8 95 61 1. 56 671
Dp ee ee PE a. PEE 5 2. 85 6 . 99 61 1. 60 68
2 rn eas oe od 8. 74 5 .90 61 1.51 | 140
|
Adfatis an eee noo 2 a 67. 53 | 15 2. 23 57 2.80 2. 38
ie Ra eee ee re et ee 16. 16 12 2. 25 57 a eo-] 3.87
f ; | Bushels
TALL aD ea veers aaNe O BT Pm a >) 11.68 4 1.10 57 1.67 | 35.3
Tons
Wb fates ek et a ee | 15.62 12 1.85 57 | 2. 42 3. 54
BI OEES: tei G te 0 ee ee oe | 7 8 2. 84 57 | 3. 41 19. 29
| Bushels
"FT ris ee On PONE Ad a ae ea Mey Sots SRN as | 3. 29 4 1.78 .57 | 2. 35 | 22.5
CRE RR as ae ag Na es 8.07 4 1. 25 57 | 1.82 | 25.5
| Tons
SES Re eaten ye eee ee rer ee 5.57 5 2. 50 57 | 3.07 | 11. 13
| | Bushels
‘TTT Ss ST engi iets Se ASIN ee 4.6 3 2.31 .57 | 2. 88 | 39.1
ETS Tea OE OS ROU I See braoe ¥ 1.02 = 1°" <61 Th7E| ast eae 98
Etre y a es erie a) tee ae ae ee 14:02) & #2 e 1. 45 _ 57 | 2. 02 72
“Tp ray Shee Seen aigaiay iaewie den ts wt <8 ees 8 3. 03 3 | 1.65 57 2. 22 37.9
Pe Se ei ee a 6. 32 1| 61 37 1.18 70
SUS Fas ceil PR a as IR 3. 86 | 2 4. 02 57 4.59 45.3
PRS BE eee SR a Sie Fs, 5.19 4 1. 20 37 1.7 | 62.7
Tir d Sob ew teeter bored remy many ace Pr 2 7. 86 2 1.72 a 2. 29 | 87.9
Opies alot Beh heris 5A pee Fale 6. 84 3 1.95 57 2.52 | 70.3
| | Tons
FES CLS Mere me tip tee oe Ge eee 7 4 . 66 a 5G 1.335) 19. 29
Beg eR cS fale oe nal Powe dite) ee | 6.07 5 2. 32 Se 17. 46
Ene ee ang ees cae ENE ETE 5. 95 3 2. 46 .57 | 3.03 13. 45
Bushels
BY Gy OS PO ye ee 4.23 4 2. 34 257 | 2.91 100
TEA i 7 eons iin geemrere Sees e. 1 1e 2. 37 5 4.05 57 | 4. 62 168
yg. eet ct i 2d iol a? eet Ni Pn 1. 04 3 | 1.74 57 | 2.31 100
Pigs te. Smee Cee en 3. 99 2 . 68 357 1.25} 81

Note.—The soil of this area is largely sand and sandy loam on the benches derived from the weathering
of the hills and from the shores of Lake Bonneville. The bottom lands contain a greater amount of clay.
The lands are well cultivated and easily worked when irrigated.

TABLE 15.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, irrigation water applied,
rainfall, and crop yields

[From reports of the Reclamation Service, United ben Department of the Interior, Strawberry Valley,
ta

Sip
4 Monthly use of water Quantity of water

eh, Num- received by crop Yield
Year and crop | irri ae per
| 88 tions Irri- | Rain- | =
| Apr. | May } June | July | Aug. | Sept. gation| fall | Total
| | aie Sos Se
1910
Acres In. In In In. In In | Ft. Ft. Fi. Tons
Pinlige so | 16. 16 2 (ese 23.8 4.36) 8.5 Ss eal (Set Sa 3.37 | 0.76| 413 3. 87
nse eh 5.9 10) 014} Tk oe SPY Pa ee | $.63| .76| 439] 4
iD ee 11 8 ees ae er ees eee ee fuser ts Vesa . 97 . 76 1.73 5.3
Dip See ee 2. 64 7 fs A 12 oe eee 10. 2 6.8 eee | 2.80 76 3. 5 5
ag et ne | 9.47 hfe es E71 tones) |e eee | 1.53 76| 229| 4.65
15 oe | 25. 65 5) [ete oe 5. 5 5.5 200)| 42: 6s hes ee i: 130 76] 2.06 1.75
Do. ass 9. 63 9 ees 8.1 6.3 4.7 4.5 | 4.2 | 2.31 76 | 3.07 4.89
Wo es 7. 09 12 Ee See ee eee 5. 92 -76| 6.68 7. 25

IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE GREAT BASIN 55

TABLE 15.—Use of water on crops in the Great Basin, etc-—Continued

Quantity of water
Nien Monthly use of water received by crop
Area Herat Yield
Year and crop | irri- SEE Sa Sy RE ETT TD Td PE OREN RL GORA REASONS Hou
gated |'tions | apr. | May | June | July | aug. | sept. | | Rain-| rota | 2°
De at) oe y 8- | Pept.) cation| fall
1910-
Acres In. In. In. In. In. In. Ft. Ft. Fi Tons
Sugar beets_-_--| 6.68 oy [eee ee (ae 1. 25-112, 51. || 15. 60 7. 56 3. 58 76 4. 34 13. 92
Qn kee me 4.11 ig Se ks} 10. 6 yD Reason te pe Dee) |S ee 2. 74 76 3. 50 ati By /
TOOL ae (ao Ayre ee 8.9 6. 4 6.9 bo AST. Ea (ates Ps 2. 64 76 3. 40 17. 31
WOE fess! 5.6 (ey (Ae AES) eee 5.9 11.8 IPA? 6. 2 3. 01 76 Se 8.1
PQs es 6. 49 Ale ae 3. 4 6. 2 8.1 62657 |Sauaces 2. 03 76 2. 79 10. 8
Que. BRS) cd (eee aa 7.4 5. 4 2 GS SD Lh |e ea es ie) 1. 23 76 1. 99 10. 7
1D Xo yt e eas 9. 58 (a3 pe pera 5 1.4 1.19 Sova eee . 98 76 1. 74 Vie
Bushels
BaArieVio = eo e Ye 5. 49 5 Fy |e ee Zax el LOWS Sees Coane eer 2. 85 76, 3.6 45
Questa eres 8.3 Sul Sa. ee 11. 6 OSD |e ee |S ee eae 2. 26 76 | 3. 02 63. 3
1D Yt ey ead 3. 08 BY ease eo 8. 6 6.3 phat ed pee ee |S SIS 1. 96 76 By 7 48.7
ID) are LE 19. 06 Sh | aaeleteeed Sree LOU GY pe ates | Be See ee ie il ay/ 76 230 Dose:
IBY Eten apes 6. 68 Dy Wie iia a YO | a aes ee ag 2A as ee Bs 2.14 76 2. 90 34. 99
Matsa isc LES 5. 43 Hy Pees tale 26.9 5 EY (ge (area ed aah Ry Fil 76 4. 27 36. 8
(0) ane ee 4. 06 oh eet ee 4. 67 8. 7 MUO Ts es eee Oe Lae 1. 20 SD 1. 96 38. 2
Dose. 22 = 3. 41 Aes ae 8.3 8.3 J kop log (tee ea Gn (nee a 2.90 S16 3. 66 74. 49
Orehard___---_- 7.95 2 UA Le Lap ieee 1. 82 4. 63 DEST ae meme) Abe oto Sls . 76 A ets yl foe et
Potatoes 22222, 2-3 Oi] See eee pee St 10.3 2.9 JoD iL VR mrs) 2.49 | 209
QWe Mees Sa iat (a Ser le 15 6.3 a Bila bone Si 2h iL eR . 76 2.29 | 136.4
Wiheat. ou 11. 59 A: | eateeweted Fee ok OY aL 6:52 [2S Pe. 3. 40 . 76 4.16 3125
DOs TR Uss 7: i | eee nk 20, 775 Set pal | ess ee CN LGR agp ee Sl [Ooi et 4.06 76 4. 82 28
IDV see ee 4. 46 Zod | Seed et 6.45 | 10. 45 2 tt Seas | eas Ne 1. 83 76 2. 59 28.9
POL e. Sat ar 355 Ti Slee 2a GQ ee Se Be es | 1. 52 76 2. 28 46. 3
DONTE ioe Sat | epee 8.8 TS ee at Ea a a 1. 64 . 76 2. 40 34.9
ORE Rey xe 4. 85 Sale ee 14.1 1 ay 9 ier | ae Sate [ena aaiest| | ell Zor 2. 45 . 76 3. 21 48. 25
ID ee ao ee 9. 76 yr meee 9.1 5.4 Ce ody eee meer beet A 1. 61 . 76 2. 37 BY Au)
1D oye Sart oe a [ea ele mone Dek epee kl boat Wpmnal| SE Sey Sa |e Ae aa, [a ts eg [ec 4.50 ihe 5. 26 28. 9

ORGANIZATION OF THE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

October 30, 1925

seerciuryof Agrieuliare-- +) Roe Fe eR W. M. JARDINE.
MaSSUShon iS CCneclatpy ® 3 2 Noe eee A R. W. Dunuap.
DITPCLOI OF DCLCNLLIG WOT as Pals meee ——
Pirecior of Regulatory Work. 22 = | WALTER G. CAMPBELL.
Waectorof Hatenston: Work_¢§ 8 8 C. W. WarBuRTON.
Wirector of Tuformatton. 20 Ve Te a NELSON ANTRIM CRAWFORD.
Director of Personnel and Business Adminis-

MONS. AL ENO TS eh ee ere W. W. STOCKBERGER.
SIDER pat fale Sh aye aera pt ae ae Ad ey R. W. WILLIAMs.
Wieother 2B urcawt eat Se Be LORE te ke CHarLes F. Marvin, Chief.
Bureau of Agricultural Economics______-__-_ —_—_———., Chief.
bureau of Animal Indusiry— =o) too ee JoHN R. MouuzEr, Chief.
Broreak-of Plant Industry 22222 BE Wiirtram A. Tayuor, Chief.
BiaeSE SCLOICES Sk obo 8 CR Oe ie eae W. B. GREELEY, Chief.
nrerinof Chemisthy oo 2 re I C. A. Browne, Chief.
PERCU OF SOLES! <0 2 tdci k era ee TEN RN MS Mitton Wauitney, Chief.
PUREE Of EF NLOMOLOGY = Se BL L. O. Howarp, Chief.
iurcaw of biological Surveys 235. S22 EK. W. Nz=tson, Chief.
Rea O, Lawl ROGdS. 2 SO A a Tuomas H. MacDona tp, Chief.
Buren of Home Heonomiess 22 2 1 e258 LottsE Stanuey, Chief.
x AOE OETA UIT tess ae rege ae Re Ne Ie C. W. Larson, Chief.
Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboraiory______-- F. G. Cottreu., Direcior.
Office of Experimeni Stattons______-------- E. W. ALLEN, Chief.
Office of Cooperative Extension Work____--- C. B. Smits, Chief.
LDU HAT [se es Sage ede rere eae Te Oho age con CLARIBEL R. Barnett, Librarian.
Mederal Horticultural Board. © 222025" 2YG C. L. Maruatt, Chairman.
Insecticide and Fungicide Board_______-__- J. K. Harwoop, Chairman.
Packers and Steckyards Administration _-__-_- JoHN T. Caine, in Charge.

Gram tT ubures AQMtNIsiralions =e See J. W. T. Duvet, in Charge.

This bulletin is a contribution from

UTEOU OFF UOLLG IOGGS= 520 hal ee ee Tuomas MacDona.p, Chief.
Division of Agricultural Engineering--_. S. H. McCrory, Chief.
56

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