~~
e,
and
Plains
Farmers.-»-
-DENVER,
COLORADO,
JULY 15, 1927.
No. 14.
S ientists Study
Arkansas
Valley
Soil
Conditions
Famous visitors from thirty countries
i~
party making tour
REAL spotlight w:a,; turned on ag-riculture in the Arkansas Va!ley of Colorado when 250 delegates to the International Congress of Soil Scientists visited Rocky Ford on June 30. This g1·oup of distinguished men, who rep1·esent thirty widely scattered nations of the world, are the
~uests of the United State3 government on a cross·
country tom· to study
the
various soil regions andtheir problems. The stop at Rocky Ford was made to show the visitor.s the study of excessive nitrate accumulations, experimenta wo1·k with sugar beets, practices in irri ation and unusual soil types found
in the recent soil survey.. ·
The guests, it was found~ were not all "high pow-ered" scientists. There were some real dirt farmers among them from both this and other countries.
This is a significant fact because it shows the grow-ing interest of the farr•1£r in the technical problems
of his soil.
After a tour of the Arkansas Valley which car-ried the delegates thru some of the most productive territory, a reception banquet for 700 persons was tendere'd them in the Exposition building at Rocky Ford. It was featu!·ed by its promptness, plenty of fried chicken1 and a servi g of tpe famous Rocky
Ford cantaloupe. 'The cantaloupes were imported
from the Imperi:ll ralley -"or the occasion, however,
but their gualit left the right impression with the uests.
A few from the iar~e .... umber of really famous
\Yarren
Leonard.
at the recent Congress in Washington, D. C. One member o ~ the party told the writer that Russia was in the lead .in soil science, and that the next con-gress would be held there three years hence in rec-ognition of her 'vork.
Sir John Russell, Director of the Rothamsted Ex-periment Station at Harpenden, England, was the
principal speaker. He represented the oldest agri-cultural experiment station in the world, which was established in 184:3. It is noted for its work on crop rotation, on 'vhich Lord Russell briefly touched. He commented that the station was established orig-inally because the people had to produce more food from their land year after year.
Englishman Speaks on Irrigation.
"Irrigation needs constant watching," said Lord Russell. "It wa .. known fully 5,000 years ago, but ruin has followed in its wake, due to alkali, mos-quitoes, etc." Lord Russell said the problems of drouth and excess nitrates in the Arkansas Valley were opposite to those in England, where there is a deficiency in nitrates and an excess of rainfall. Ten days in England 'vithout rain is considered a drouth, he commented-to the amusement of the Colorado
people. Lord Russell cited Doctors Walter G. Sackett
and Wm. P. Headdon of Colorado Agricultural
Col-Fall"1lllll h.o.mtl" of J. B. Ryan, Rocky Ford, lUgr. Rocky Ford Seed Breeder's Co.
stream of inigation water was running at the sta-tion, and many of the scientists w ~re interested in
ow 'rr'g- t'o was p acticed o h~ exten of owmg the water.
Scienti ts Marvel at Soil Nitrate Problem. Next, the caravan of automobiles went to th.:: farm of the Colorado Experiment Station, where the
delegate~ saw the methods and results of the study to control excessive nitrate accumulation in certain soils. The scientists displayed keen interest in the charts which showed four years of detailed work on the control of this important food element so sough~;
after in other soils over the world. They looked carefully and some\vhat amazed at samples of soils from "Niter Spots" where nitrates had accumulated. unaided by man to an extent that crops were dam-aged. Son:e of these samples showed an accumula-tion of over 1,000 parts per million of soil. Some of the visitors carried away a spark of hope that the tiny organism causing this excess might be har-nessed and put to work back in their native lands.
rkansns Valley Onion wmrelllouse of ndobe walls, built to bold the crop ba proper «!OIIIIdiitlion nhile it is being mnrketed.
lege for their work in soil nitrates, in which he seemed to be greatly in. terested. In speaking of the work of the United States Department of AQ'-riculture and agricultural extension work carried on by the state agricultural colleges in this country, Lord Russell made the significant statement that "Your farmers have a sci-entific service which is the admiration of the whol~
world. It is a great help to the farmer. Its distin-guished service in the United States is the close-ness of science and prac-tice, a happy combina-tion.''
A few observations on
After the banquet at Rocky Ford the members of the pai·ty were driven back to Ordway, where the pec1al train had lieen held. The visiting soil scien-tists are making an e.·tended tour of this country. Following the convention in Washington they had traveled on the special train thru some of the South· ern states and continued on to the Pacific coast. Th return East was by a northern route, a portion be-ii g thru Canada.
wen present were on the program after the banquet, ::II of whom were loud in their praises for the way that their time had been used advantageously during their short stop.
President JLory Greeted Visitors at Banquet.
President Charle A. Lory of Colorado Agricul-tural College welcomed the soil scientists to Colora-do, and told them that an the agriculture they had seen had been developed since 1859. He told them that moisture was the limiting factor in crop produc-tion in arid~ irrigated and high altitude farming. '·A wonderful success./' was the term applied to the .. oil congress by Dr. Os\vald Schreiner, Chief of the Bureau of Soil Fertility, l;nited States Department
of Agriculture, who was in charge of the tour. He
c aimed that the Arkansas Yalley reception was the finest since the deleg-ate;~ left Washington. He questioned their ability to "stand the pace" if the re-ceptions along the way continued to gain momentum.
Dr. A. G. McCall, Chief of the Bureau of Soils, United States DEpartment of Agriculture, lauded the personal contacts with soil woTkers from other countries. He said the advance in soil study would assist in future developments in agriculture and help project it into new areas with fundamental l:nowledge as a background. He emphasized the need for study of soils, cropping· systems, and irrj-gation practices.
Russi.a lLeads in Soil Science.
Speaking in his native tongue, Dr. K. D. Glinka
()f Russia explained that the soil in Russia was very poor, but rich in potential possibilities. Dr. Glinka,
who is president of the Russian Academy of Science,
is one of the most brilliant soil workers. He was made preside~t
of
the International Soil Scientistswhat the soil scientists saw during the tour would interest Colorado people also. A caravan of more than 100 automobiles met the special train at Ordway, and took the delegates to the places of scientific interest.
Party Vi its Sugar Co. Experimental Farm. On tlie farm of the American Beet Sugar Com· pany near Rocky Ford, they aw an Improved Ven. turi flume in operation. It is an accurate
water-he acclaimed success of twater-he tour is a real tribute to the people of the Arkansas Valley, and partic-ularly to the Rocky Ford Science Club, which was in charge. It was a day that will be long remembered by local people and visitors alike.
measuring device perfect-ed by the Colorado Ex· periment Station. The tour proceeded thru the 1,000-acre farm to show large-scale farming under irri· gation. For one thing, the visitors saw a 100-acre field of oats. Another con-vincing demonstration on this farm was the fertil-izer tests with sugar beets. One field with an application of only 150 pounds of acid phosphate to the acre had both beets and tops double in size compared to those on a nearby untreated field·. After the tour of the farm .the visitors went to the Experiment Station of the American Beet Sugar
Company, where they saw sugar-beet breeding work, spraying and dusting of sugar beets for disease
4
THE WESTERN FARM LIFE
July 15, 1927.
Leafiness Chief Mea
e
of
A
falfa
Hay Val
e
Quali~y
and
grade
not determi ed by cuttings of
crop
Heber
J. "R ebb,
Supervising Inspector, U. S. D. A., Salt Lake City.
NITED States standard grades <>f hay as a measuring 1·od in commercial transactions was discussed in the July 1 issue of
The Western Farm Life. \Ve must The alfalfa grades are based on When fed to beef steers uapproxi. have some gauge or standard in all leafiness content, color and foreign mately the same quantity of hay ;vas transactions. The United States stand- material, and not on the cuttingt eaten, but there was more rapid gain ards are the only ones uniform in all whether first, second or third.· Be- on the early cut hay." The relative sections, having the same interpreta- cause of the varying factors, cond1- production of beef to the acre from tions and definitions, and applied by tions and producers in different sec- early, medium and late cut. alfalfa is. uniformly trained inspectors who are tions of the nation, it is impossible 100, 79% and 69%, respEctively. _, interested only in giving a square deal for anyone to 2'rade on the bas1·s of K E ·
t
0 a ll b · Y 1ssumg cer · t'fi 1 cates g1vmg · · th e cuttin£rs or even d€finit.ely detern1ine ~, · 1 B 11 · ansas xpenment Station Tech-N~ ~rue con 1 d·t· wn o f th e pro uct. d the cutting outside his own localit~ .'U', mea u etm · o. 15, report... that 1 f 1 If h
Th ese s an ar s were promu ga e · t~. d d 1 t d Measuring the quality -c alfalfa by ., ana yses o a fa a · d f h ay averaged for
f 1 f I t . 1 d · v.1.. a per10 o t ree years showed crude
f. ter ong, care u, prac 1ca an sc1en- cuttings is always subJ'ect to wide · ·
·fi h d t d f k. d protem vanations in the entire plant,
t1 c l'esearc an s u Y o many m s variations in time of harvesting, d. f
d I f h f t . accor mg to time o cutting, as
fol-an c asses o ay rom every sec 1011 methods of curin2', handlin2'. f=toring 1 B d
f th U 't d St t B 1 d 1 ~ ~- - ows: u stage, 20.2 per cent; tenth o e m e a es. a e · samp es and character of the weather during bl 5
t d d · th oom, 1 .4 per cent; full bloom, 15.9
were separa e to eterm1ne e con1- these processes. d d
l d d d · t f · per cent, an see stage, 13.1 per cent.
mon y pro uce a nux ures o vanous Comparisons of samples of alfalfa I f
~ · d f h 1 t · ..:~, n a eeding test for three years at
KID s o ay; eaves weTe s r1ppeU: from different regions of the. country th K · h f d
f rom s ems o t f alf If a a an separa e d t l Y cut at the same sta2'e, with an equal -;:- t e ansas sta ~ twn t e ee required
I t · d 1 d fi · 1 ~ o prouuce 100 pounds of gain with
( e ermme ; co or was e mte Y meas- amount of leaves and color, show va- beef animals was as follows: Bud: ured by the Munsell color system; riations in total nutrients which are d
f ann me o s o growmg, cunng, th d f . . perhaps best• accounted for by varia- stage, 1,628 poun s; 2 tenth bloom, b
. an mg an mar e mg were s u 1e ; dl. d k t' t d. d tions in soil, amount of sunshine and ,086 ds pounds; d full bloom, 2J163
· tat · t· • th poun ; and see stage, 3,19Q pounds·.
vanous s e assoc1a IOns or o er altitude. Generally alfalfa produced
grades in vogue were studied and in northern regions of high altitude Alfalfa, when cut in1 the bud or not
hearings held in all important hay and continuous bright sunshine are later than the tenth bloom and prop-producing sections of the country with superior in digestible nutrients, espe- erly hand1ed, will have from 40 to 50 interested hay producers and dealers cially protPin. These 1·egional differ- per cent and often more of the total
where criticisms and suggestions were ~mces are of less consequence, how- weight of the hay in leaves, compared received. Studies of literature from ever, than the influence of purity, time
to
20 to .35 per cent of total weight· · t d. h in the leaves when cut in late bloon:1
vanous expenm€n s regar mg e em- of cutting, methods of curing, the
·cal analyses and feeding values at anwunt of leaves retained and pal- and seed p<>d stages. The leaves are various stage·s of maturity and cut- atability. In other words, the quality much more valuable than stems, as ting were made. Finally the United or grade when expressed in terms of shown by the food nutrients of each. tates grades were pr<>mulgat€d on a leanness, color, texture and purity is, In Utah Exper~ment Station Bul-ound scientific and practical basis,, in eality, the only true guide to the letin N.o. 61, it is stated that as com-which give due consideration to the food va1ue. Experiments at various pared with the stems, the leaves and {,'"l'O ;vers, dealers and consumers. These experiment stations have shown that flowers c,ontain almost three times as tatements may be verified by any- the factors of leafiness, color and te}.."t- much protein, mo1·e than four times one who desires to make a careful ure and food nutrients, vary with time as much fat, and a half more ni
rooen-... d f th U S h
ta
da d free. €xtract.., .. ~ Y o e · • ay s n r s. of cutting and method of curing and
Alfalfa Grades Defined. handling. Colorado Experiment Station
Bnl-As hay J.c::! a most valu.,ble cr·op I·n letin No. 110, contain_ the following
~"1 • ~ Grades Based on Careful
Test-the mountain states of Utah, Colora- · statement; "The leaves seld<>m equal do, Wy<>ming, nd second in import- Utah bulletin No. 61 covering three less than 40 per cent of the eight <>f r---~...;;;IDC:e-;u· 1-Idaho. · it- !d-~4::ut;ta· 1gs - -~' •1~;IW~w4E!a,.__.the plan and frequ ntl make GO
'be rvorthy of
c~reful
consideration in the yields "expressed with tbe early per eent of the plant. Four-frfths of all its phases. Under the United States cut as 100, then the proportional the crude protein contained in the al-standards mixtures of va ·ious cured yields are 100, 92, and 85, for the falfa plant is found in the leavEs. The herbage are classified according to early, medium and late cuttings re- leaves also contain considerably o er the amount and kind of forage making spectively." This experiment also one-half of the nitrogen-free extract up the mixture, such as alfalfa, alfalfa showed that hay cut early or just and fat, while the £terns c ntaiu 9/11 light grass mixed, alfalfa grass n ixed·, ahead of bloom contained higher per- of the crude fiber."alfalfa light timothy mixed, etc. Un- centages of valuable feed constituents In
United States
Department faer each c1ass there are three num€r- and that these feed constituents de- Agricultru'e Farmers' Bulletin ~ o. ical grades and a sample grade. A creased as the stage of cutting was 339, it is stated that tw;o-fifths of the few special grades are provided also delayed, but that· the. crude fiber total weight of the alfalfa plant is in for unusually superior or inferior (largely indigestible) increased with the leaves, which contain three-fifths types of hay. the age of the alfalfa at cutting. of all the protein, i. e.1 44 pounds of
a
ket
Outloo for Farm
leaves contain as much protein as 100 pounds of stems.
As the age of the alfalfa advanc 9 before cutting, the green color disap-pears and With it the "aromatic com-pounds, the palatability, the laxative qualities, the vitamins which are re-sponsible for the absorption of the mineral compounds into the bod ," according to J. 0. Tretsven of M<>n-tana Agricultural College.
Late Cutting Lowers Grade. Delayed cutting increases the for-eign material content, often to such an extent that it becomes injurious, especially when cheat, squirrel tail, or other harsh bearded grasses are pres-ent and become matured.
U. S. alfalfa grades, then, are based on leafiness, color and foreign mate-rial, with practical specifications for
each. ,
U. S. No. 1 must grade 40 per cent or more in leafines£, 60 per c nt or more in color, with a maximum
oi
5 per cent of foreign material.U. S. No. 2 has a leafiness of 25 per cent or more, color 35 per cent or more, with a maximum of 10 per cent ()f foreign material.
U. S. No. 3 c"'ntains 1 s than 25 per cent leaves, grades less than 35 per cent in color, with a maximum of
15 per cent of foreign mat rial. Alfalfa containing 50 per cent
or
more of leaves, most of which are clinO'ing. is a superi<>r type of U. S. _ -o. 1 alfalfa and is graded by F deral hay inspectors as U. S. No. 1 alfalfa(ve:ry leafy with clinging foliage). Alfalfa that has been so cured as to
retai a large amount of natural .,reen
co or is somewhat superior also to or-dinary U. S. No. 1 alfalfa, and .is
graded J. Fed-eral inspectors as U.
S. No.1 Alfalfa, High Green Color. These e·vidence of quality exist in
all the var~ous cuttings and producing re2'ions: • ,..10 c>onstitute thf' onlv fac
-tors of universal reHa. a 1 ay
be employed as indexe:s to qual~ty.
Keeping in mind tben the above facts 1·egarding food va ue of alfalfa cut at different stages, containing
dif-ferent amounts of leafiness c nt nt and food constituents, <>ne can I1£adil~
s e and understand that th pricEs on the Kansas City market of fr 1 $24 t.o
$28 er ton for U. S. No. 1 Alfalfa (Y ry Leafy), and $13 per ton for U.
, • 1. o. 3 Alfalfa reflect the actual
yaJues of these g:rades.
No
excess
in world' wheat
supply---Price trend
rep
nd
ew
HOICE and prime grades of beef steers have advanced
to
a new high level for the season. The Chicago top for mature steersreached $14.35. and fat yearlings ad-vanced to $13.15. On grassy offerings, the tendency is downward, steers finally joining in the procession start-ed two weeks ago by grass cows, heif-ers and bulls.
T~tal receipts of cattle: have been moderate thus far, but th€ time is at hand for the seasonal increase in sup-plies because of the harvest of grass beef from the pasture regions of the outhwest and from the Western :ranges. In the past, arrivals at lead-ing markets at the end of July have been about 20 per cent greater than
~t the end of .Tune, and another in-crease of 20 to 25 per cent has oc-<·urred iby the end of August. P~rt
of the gain in receipts consists of stockers and eeders, but there will be a substantial increase in the sup-ply oi ehea.p beef and prices of l~wer
grades will work downward. This: year, the demand fo · fleshy feeders as well as steers suitable f<>r longer feed-ing will be held in check by the poor corn crop outlook. This is a
depress-ing factor at the present time on st.eers sel1ing under '$1Q.50, Chicago basis, and may become more pro-nounced later on as· supplies of such cattle increase.
Prices of she st<>ek and buns have shown a little stability on the 1ower
Gilber Gusler.
level reached in the last week. Ral-lies are to be expected from time to time, but a further downward drift is probable during the next four or five months. Usually, these classes do not reach their seasonal low points before November. Part of the price decline is due to the fact that the intrinsic value of the she ·stock arriving during the fa11 is lower than during the spring, when virtually all of the ar-rivals are grain fed. Veal calves have been bobbing up and down rather vio-lently in the past few weeks, but the main trend is likely to remain upward until September.
In the four
wee
~s ending June 17, shipments of stocker and feeder eat-tie from seven leading marketsto-ta.Hed 103,000 head. This was the smallest number for any corr€spond:.. ing period since 1921, when fat cattle prices were greatly depressed. This
sh<> s the effect of the recent rise in corn priees on the demand for feeders. Prices are nearly a dollar lower than a month ag<>. By the €nd of July, prices usually get down close to their summer low points.
Spring Pig Crop Sbo n ..,fooe:rate Gain.
The .June pig survey made by the Department of Agriculture shows, for the United States as a whole,
in-creases of 3 per cent in sows farrowed and 3.5 per cent in pigs saved over the spring of 1926. In the elevm corn-belt statest there were increases of about 2 per cent both in ~ows far-rowed and in pigs saved.
The rally in the hog market
!s
be-hind schedule, but it seems to b€ get-ting started at last. Price fluctuations held within a very narrow ran.,.e thnl June. The fact that they have ad-vanced out of this rut in the last few days indicates that a good upward move probably is starting. Receipts. remain larger than a year back, but the extent of the gain in supply is not as marked as it was in l\Iay and early June. Packers still balk on small ad-vances, but th€ season for mErchan-dising cellar stocks will start soon andl tllis may bring a change of attitude. The ri e in prices may be confined al-most exclusively to choice butcher and bacon grades, with packing smvs and grassy h<>gs holding near presEnt levels.Lamb
1\ arket Breaks Sharply. Lamb prices have declined over $4 since the brief bare spot caused asharp run-up in prices in mid-June. At
present, the Chicago top is $14. '75, which is about a dollar above the level prevailing during the summer of last year. It is probable that the market
'ill go lower during temporar_y ,vcak periods. June receipts at eading markets were considerably lightei"
than last year, but from this time on arrivals are likely to be about as heaYy as in 1926.
·heat Tra e Av.raits Crop De•e-1 p-n ep-nts.
Vheat prices averag€d lo\vcr in t 1e past ·week, but rallied sharply at the close. Crop news was undecisive, :o.rith unfavorable de\·elopments in
some <l.irections neutralized by favor-able conditions in others. The closiBg strength was due chiefly to .specula-tive buying in anticipation of the usual rust scare in the spring wheat territory.
The un<>fficial f<>recasts of the win-ter wheat crop average of 563 million bushels compared with 537 million bush€ls a month ago. The fo1·ecasts on spring wheat average 257 million bushels, indicating a total crop of 820 million bushels, com pared with S32 million bushels. Counting the carry-over, there would be a t<>tal supply of about 900 million bushels, against 893 million bushels last year.
Receipts of new wheat are increas-ing rapidly, and the volume will in-crease to the season's peak in the next four -or five weeks. In the last few days, primary arrivals were about d.ouble those of a week earlier and double those of the same time last year. Milling and (Turn to Page 14)
FIVE HUNDRED
ATTEND
WORLD SOIL CONGRESS
Delegates Welcomed by PresidentCool-idge-Secretary and Mrs. Jardine Give Reception
More than 500 delegates and others were registered at the opening of the First International Congress of Soil Sci-ence when it convened in Washington 1\Iouday, June 13, in the building of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. Approximately 125 of the dele-gates were from abroad, representing 30 countries of the world. The congress adjourns to-day. ....
The colleges of agriculture and the e:A---periment stations of the United States and this department, were all repre: sented by large delegations. President Coolidge welcomed the delegates in an address on the opening day. On the evening of the 14th Secretary and Mrs. Jardine received the delegates at a re-ception at the Pan American ·union. On the 15th Dr. A. F. Woods, director of scientific work of the Department of Agriculture, addressed the con~·ess on the origin and objects of the Bureau of Soils.
Doctor Woods prefaced his address with remarks in which he expressed the
re~ret of many that Dr. Milton Whitney, ch1ef of the Bureau of Soils, and hono-rary chairman of the American organiz-ing committee of the congress, could not be present in person to present the work of the Bureau of Soils, a bureau which he has guided from its beginning to the present. Doctor ·whitney was seriously ill at his home in Washington. "Al-though it is impossible for him to be here in person," said Doctor Woods, "he is here with you in spirit and keeps a lively interest in all matters pertaining to the progress of soil science."
Doctor Woods, in his address, sounded a warning against the washing away by erosion of the fertile soils. of the world. He said that experts believe that this movement of the soil in erosion has as much to do with the floods of rivers as aU other factors combined. .. 'J:ms proowm
of controlling erosion, both the slow and rapid types, is, I believe, the most vital soil problem we have and the one upon which we are doing the least work," be said.
In his address of welcome President Coolidge said that the interchange of ideas and personal association in inter-national gatherings could not but be productive of a better understanding among peoples and ultimately lead to a more universal desire for peace among nations. Stating that the United States has not yet been forced to intensive study of land utilization, he saw the time coming when, with nearly all our fertile land under cultivation, increased production must come from larger acre-age yields rather than from greater acreage.
"The p("rsonnel of the State experi-ment stations, together with the re-search staff of the Federal Department of Agriculture, constitutes the largest organized body of research workers in agriculture in the world," said the Presi-dent. " This does not mean that we of the United States can not learn much from the scientists of other lands. A large proportion .of the scientific work done in this country bas consisted in the application of discoveries in pure sci-ence that hav·e been made elsewhere. The scientists of Europe in particular have an enviable record of fundamental research.
* * *
Research in pure science is particularly significant in the study of soils. Fundamental investiga-tions in physics, chemistry, and biology are essential.* * *
The scientists of the Department of Agriculture have not only identified individual soils and classified and mapped them, but ha-,e carried on researcll in the economical use of low-grade phosphate for ferti-lizer manufacture, in nitrogen fixation, and in other problems connected withthe soil. You \Villlearn in this congress of the accomplishments·, the plans, and the hopes of our scientists in this field, and they in turn will obtain from you fresh information and stimulation.
* *
*"
Dr. J. G. Lipman, director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and president of the executive committee of the International Society of Soil Sci-ence, delivered the presidential address of the congress to the delegates at the second session, June 14. He said: "There is a more or less definite relations be-tween man in his physical and men tal makeup and his soil environment. Sys-tematic studies are still lacking on the part that soils have played in the past and are now playing in determining the peculiarities of races and of individuals. We do know that there is a very con-siderable range in the composition of plants. Soils which supply readily avail-able and abundant quantities of nitrogen and of ash ingredients usually produce plants containing a relatively high pro-portion of these constituents. Further-more, the nitrogen and ash content of animal and human foods have a direct effect on the growth and development of both animals and men. It would not be improper, the1·efore, to assert that food in its quantity and quality finus expres-sion in terms of human quantity and quality. The supply and quality of food have made themselves felt in the cur-rents of human histo.ry. They have in-fluenced race and national land legisla-tion and policies. Because of this the student of soils is often tempted to ana-lyze, if not to determine, the significance of soils as a factor of human history. 1'be time may come when our knowledge on this score will ~ ample enough and accurate enough to give us a proper perspective."
'l'he foreign delegates and others leave Washington to-da,v on a 30-day tour of the United States and Canada, which will take them through the principal soil regions and cropping sections of this country and the dominion. On the tour the foreign delegates will be the guests of the American organizing cominittee of the congress.
The congress on June 14 adopted a resolution introduced by Sir John Rus-sell, director of the Rothnmsted Experi-mental Station, Harpenden, England, ex-pressing the sympathy of the congress to Doctor Whitney, in his illness. Sir John referred to Doctor Whitney as one of the outstanding figures in the world in the field of soil science.
The delegations of Russia and Brazil were making efforts at the c1ose of the congress to have the 1929 congress held in Moscow or Rio de Janeiro.
Five Daily Psssenger Trains Each Way on the
Santa Fe
Two Hours to Pueblo
Six Hours to Denver Twelve Hours to Kansas City State Highways Open Year 'Round
coLORADo
Transcontinental Railroad and Highway!~ San Isabel National Forest Is Our Playground IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHearst's
$1,500 Trophy Cup
Onf' of the-largest in the world-50 inches in height;
«>Ontains 540 ozs. of sil ''er; is gold lined and bf'autii'ul engravt:'d. \\'on by Rocky Fonl exhibit ovf'r all counties
in the world at the National Jrrig·ation ~XJ>Osition at
l'neblo, Colot·ado, September 19, 1910.
IIIIIUIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
ROCKY FORD
Otero County, Colorado "THE PANTRY OF COLORADO"
25.000 ~It:'lons Given Away Evt:'ry Year on Watermelon Oa,\·-Alwa.\"S the First Thursday of September.
After thf' Feast
Fll<'TY F.\:.\IOUS FACTS,
IF ALL THE WORLD SHOULD KNOW, THEIR KNAPSACKS THEY SURE WOULD PACK,
SAYING: "TO ROCKY FORD, RIGHT NO\\' \VE'LI.- GO."
CIVIC
1.-POPULATION-City and additions, 5,000. 2.-LOCATION-In Otero County, Colorado, on main line of Santa Fe Railroad, Santa F'e Trail, Old Trails Road, Albert Pike Highway; 55 miles east of Pueblo; 75 miles from San Isabel National Forest.
3.-ALTITUDE-4,177 feet above sea level. 4.-CLIMATE-Have the four seasons but none •of them extreme.-N ever too hot or too cold.
5.-WATER SUPPLY-Two million gallons daily, furnished by a modern filtration plant ap-proved by State Board of Health.
6.-FIRE DEPARTMIENT-Finest fire depart-ment for its size in State, affm:ding ample pro-tection to property ovnners. This department holds the record on minimum losses in propor-tion to valuapropor-tions.
7.-PA VING-Twenty-one blocks of Warrenite Bitul.ithic pavement.
8.-SEWER SYSTEM-Ten miles sanitary sewer and 4 miles storm sewer.
9.-LIGHT'ING-Gomplete White Way on Main Street.
10.-POWER-Unlimit.ed electric power avail-able at cheap rates, furnished by Southern Colo-rado Power Company.
11-GAS-Bountiful supply of artificial gas at reasonable rates.
12.-P ARKS-5 Municipal Parks with a total of ~5 acres. Beautiful drives, shrubs, trees and fl.owers. Fine picnic grounds.
13.~CAMP GROUNDS-Modern camp grounds on main highway.
14.-LIBRARY-Carnegie Library located in center of a beautiful two and one-half acre Park.
15.-SCHOOLS-Rank A-1 in the state.
Strict-ly modern in their supervision of health, Physical Education, Art, Tests and Measurements; a clo!:le supervision is maintained in other subjects. In addition to regular subjects the Junior and Senior High offers manual train:ng, agricultural and commercial courses. A summer session f·or all who attend. District consolidated, having 6 large busses to transport students from rural districts. New High School Building, three Grade buildings conveniently located in different sections of the city.
16.-CHURCHES-11 churches. of different denomination well supported by large member-ship; also other denominations that do not have ohnrch buildines.
17.-HOS,PITAL---The· Physicians Hospital, eq-ual to any in its appointments.
18.-SCOUT LODGIE;-A $4000.00 Scout Lodge provides a home for Girl and Boy Scouts, both of which are active organizations.
19-LODGES--All Fraternal orders have lodgEs in our city, four own:ng their own homes.
INDUSTRIAL
20.-CANTALOUPE~Rocky Ford, where the cantaloupe industry originated, is s.till the center of the industry in the Arkansas Valley. Last season over 3,500 car loads were shipped out.
21.-0THER MELONS-Rocky Ford is also noted for her Honey Dews, Watermelons, Casabas, etc.
22.-SEEDS-We head the world in vine seed production which has developed into an enormous industry. Over 90% of all commercial canta-loupe and cucumber seed planted are grown at Rocky F:o.rd. Last season production was. over two and a quarter million pounds cantaloupe seed. A recent and most promising seed crop is• flowe:r
seed, especially zinnias, ·of which one dealer alone handled 103 acres of selected varieties.
23.-SUGAR BEETS-W,ith proper crop rota-tion high yields ·cf beets. are secured; also high sugar content. It is a "Gash" crop with guaran-teed market. Annual payment to farmers of over $1,500,000.00.
24-SUGAR BEET BY-PRODUCTS-Beet tops, pulp and molasses extensively used for stock feed often furni~:h mere feed value per acre than is produced in most places where exclusive feed crops are grovnn.
25.-CORN-This import:mt crop extensively grown often yields over 100 bushels of grain per acre and over 20 tons of ensilage.
26.-GRAIN-Although ours is a valley of in-tensive farming, substantial acreages of grain are planted, wheat yielding approximately 60 bushels per acre and many fields of oats exceeding 100 bushels.
27.-BEIANS-Bush Lima bean.s last season produced as hig~h as 3,000 pounds per acre. Garden beans grown for the canning factory also do ex-ceptionally well.
28.-'l'O~IATOES--Rocky Ford tomatoes are of su-perior quality. Our canning factory handled 300 acres 11ast season which averaged 11 tons ver acre, at $12.00 per ton.
29.-0NIONS- G!ant Gibrallter, Bermuda and
Valen-cia onions are extensively grown. averaging a car
load J)er acre. One field produced 1000 bushel per arre last season.
30.-'l'RT'CK FARMING-Owing to early priorities of
water rig-hts of some of our oitcbes we bave practically perpetual water supply. affording a most !avorabl'e
eondition for raising all kinds of truck g·ardening.
31.- FRUI'l'S- All kinds of hardy fruits and berries may be grown. Apples heavy producing, witb delici-ous flavor, c-lH'rric>s, plums. gooseberries. strawberriPs :md raspberric>~ <lo exceedingly well. These crops will' average $200.00 per acre and an oc·casional grower gets as much as $1000.00 per acre
32.-RED CLOVER-A sure money crop. The first
crop from a field recently threshed brought tbe
grow-N" $17u.OO per acre and there is still anotber crop to harvest this season.
3:::\.- C'FJLERY-A new industry that is here to sta:v
Wb.v not. with returns last year of from $1,500 to *2000 per acre.
3,1.-ALFALFA-Tbe wonder crop, four cuttings:.
Yields of 7% tons per acre are not un<'ommon.
i'•5i-STOCK FEEDlNG-Tbousands of ·cattle and
~beep are fed here annually on ailfalfa, corn and suga.r
beet by-products. We have direct main line railroa(i
eounections with Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City
anrl all Eastc>rn an<l Routhern markt>ts.
:1G.- JIOGR- Numerous pc>ns of pnre bretl hog-s foun1l
hN<': llPa1·y fl'C'Il prorludion mak<'s this locality
espe<.:ialily favorable for hog raising.
37.-POULTRY-Rocky Ford has some of the best, as well as largest poultry plants in the west. Our
mod-erate climatc> ancl almoRt continuous sunshine afford
idea·t1 conditions for poultry raising. Over 300.000 baby
chicks of highly pedigreed stock, 155,000 pounds dress
-ed poultry :mel 3,000 eases of egg-s are sbippd out
annnall.L
3R-Bl~ER--Clear whit<' and heavy alfalfa comb an(l
c>xtracte<l honey, shipped in car load lots.
!'\!).-DAIRY-Over $100,000.00 paid annuan:y by our
lora] creamery to cream producers.
MANUFACTURING
-W.- RrGAH. FACTORIES-American Beet Sugar
Cornvauy 2000 ton beet sugar factory. 56 million pounds
sue:ar produced last year. Annual ex])enditure ovf>r
~~.000.000.00. The Holly Sugar Corporation 1800 ton Beet Sugar Factory at Swink, Colorado five mil'es east of Ro("];:y Forrl.
H.-CANNERY-Owned by Libby, McNeil & Libby,
c·anniug apvles. cherrie:, gooseberries, tomatoes, beans
anll peas.
~.-CUCUMBER SEED THRESITERS AND PUMP
l~AC"l'ORY-:\Jannfaduriug tbre!:ihers ancl pumps unde1· their own patents.
43.--CREA-;"\IERY-The Cooperative Creamery, owne<l
\J1· fnrmers of the c·ommunity, equipped with the mo;.,t
niodern and scientific machinery, with an annual
out-]Jll t of 2:10,000 pounds bighest grade butter and 8,500
g-allons delicious ice cream.
-!4-.- P ACKING HOUSE-Providing borne market for 3000 hogs and 1000 cattle annuali!y, in addition to the veal and mutton eonsnmed; furnishing delicious home
euretl barns, bacon, :sausage, l'ard and various other
m0at product!!.
-loi:i.- FLOUR MJLL.-One of the best flour mills in the
'Yc>st. eonsuming home grown wheat.
-16.-BROOM FACTORIES-Brooms made here are
1mexell<>d with a large area for marketing
47.- PICKLE PACTORY-Severall pickle factories are in the <'ity. inclu cling the largest manufacturers of these products.
-IR.- APHICIDE FACTORY-The Aphicide Spray
~lanufactnring Company manufactures insecticides.
49.- COLORADO COCA COLA BOTTLING CO.-Has a
large plant modernily equipped for making all kind of bottled soft drinks.
rlO.- POLAR ICE AND STORAGE CO.- Has a modern an1l well! e(Juipped plant, manufacturing a bountiful :-<uppl,,~ of if-<' nn<l also furnishing cold ~torage.
Jro_gram
Tour and Banquet
In Honor of
Delegates to International Soil
Congress
Arkansas Valley of Colorado
June 30,
Jlgricultural Science Club
of
Rockq Ford, Colorado
ln Charge
of
I
TOUR PROGRAM
Stop 1.- Examination of profile, virgin soil, Otero Series. This soil has been derived from sandy soil material under an average annual precipitation of 10-13 inches. Short grass vegetation, altitude 4275 feet and a latitude of approximately 38° north.
Location: 3 miles south of Crowley. 1:30-2:00 P. M. Drive: Proceed to the Demonstration Farm of the
Ameri-can Beet Sugar Co.
Stop 2. -Examination of profile of the Rocky Ford Series. This soil has been derived from old alluvial de-posits. Inspection of (1) Device for measuring ir-rigation water, (2) Pumping plant, (3) Co-operative experimental work conducted with the Federal and State Departments, ( 4) and general field crop work. Location: 2% miles west of Rocky Ford. 2: 30-3:15. Drive: Travel through the West Farm of the American Beet Sugar Co. to get an idea of large scale far m-ing under irrigation. (1) Beet seed culture. (2) Spring wheat production. (3) Fertilizer applica-tions to sugar beets. (4) Farm headquarters. (5) 100-Acre field of oats. 3:15-3:30 P. M.
BANQUET PROGRAl\1
TOASTMASTER- G. A. Blotz
President, Rocky Ford Agricultural Science Club
lnvQcation __________________________ Dr. V. E. Shirley
Address __________________________ Dr. Charles A. Lory President, Colo. Agricultural College
Address __________________ :_ ___ Honorable Wm. Jardine Secretary, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture
Address---Sir John Russell Director of Rothamsted Exp. Sta.
Harpenden, England
Music by the La Junta Rotary Club
1
J
1
BANQUET MENU Combination Salad Chicken a la MarylandNew Potatoes String Beans
Pickled Beet!
Preserves Rolls
J
Cantaloupe a la Mode CoffeeTOUR PROGRAM (Continued)
Stop 3.- Visit to the Experiment Station of the American Beet Sugar Co. Refreshments.
Inspection of (1) Beet breeding work, (2) Spraying and dusting of beets, conducted with the co-opera-tion of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, (3) and other experimental work.
Location: Rocky Ford, Colo. 3:30-4:30 P. M. Drive: Travel through Rocky Ford to the Colorado
Sub-Experimental Station. Note small scale irrigation farming.
Stop 4. -Inspection of excessive soil nitrate control test. Charts showing four years nitrate work. Different practices of irrigation and allied experimental work.
Examination of soil taken from a typical "niter spot" in the Patterson Valley 5 miles west of Rocky Ford, Colo.
Location: 2 miles east of Rocky Ford. 4:40-5:20
·Drive: Return to Rocky Ford and note cantaloupe and onion fields along the way. Arriving at Rocky Ford by 5:30 P. M. to permit delegates to get ready for the banquet.
~pcrial ~cntion
The business organizations and certain individuals of the following communities have contributed money and personal service to the entertain-ment of the Delegates to the Inter-national Soil Congress:
CROWLEY FOWLER LA JUNTA LAMAR LAS ANIMAS MANZANOLA ORDWAY PUEBLO ROCKY FORD SUGAR CITY SWINK
This reception given the Delegates to the International Soil Congress was made possible through the united.
effort of the people of Arkansas Valley of Colorado.
The civic organizations of the following communities deserve spec-ial mention: FOWLER LA JUNTA ORDWAY PUEBLO ROCKY FORD
Soil Scientists Receive
Information On Irrigation
Members of the International Con-gress of So i 1 -Scientists, on their transcontinental tour, made a stop at Rocky ·Ford, June 30, where they were formally greeted by representa-tives of the Colorado .State Experi-ment Station and entertained by the Rocky Ford Science Club. A pamphlet en tit 1 e d ''Irrigation in Colorado," prepared by Ralph L. Parshall, Irri-gation Engineer on the staff of the experiment station, was issued f o r the benefit of the visitors, who came from all parts of the world. T h i s pamphlet, ctmtaiuing s o· m e twenty illustraticms, told the story of irri-gation briefly in word and picture. The introductory greeting, signed by President Charles A. Lory of the Col-lege and Director C. P. Gillette of the State Experiment Station, made clear the importance of irrigation in the following statement :
"When you realize that the geo-graphic division known as Colorado,
embraces the highest average eleva-tion of any agricultur.al area on the North American continent and that the average annual precipitation in· this area is but 15 inches, you will gain some idea of the importance of our mountain snows and summer rains in their relation to crop production. Furthermore, when it is made clear to you that this State leads all the states of the Union in the produc-tion of sugar beets, that its farms send out each year thousands of car-loads of potatoes, head lettuce, mel-ons, cabbages, apples, peaches, pears and other special crops, all produced with the aid of irrigation water, you will understand why we have select-ed irrigation as the subject m P s t typical of o u r agriculture for this presentation . .''
IRRIGATION IN COLORADO
B y
-RALPH L. PARSHALL
Irrigation Engineer, Division of Agricultural Engineering
Bureau of Public Roads,
U.
S. Dept. of Agriculture
Snow on Continental Divide in J un&-One of the sources of irrigation water.
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
Delegates to the International
Congre~sof Soil Science,
Greeting:
We extend to you in behalf of the State Agricultural
College and the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station,
a cordial welcome to the State of Colorado, one of the newer
of our commonwealths, where the problems of agriculture
present many interesting phases for the scientist.
While
crop production is carried on both under the natural
rain-fall and under artificial watering
condition~,the latter
sys-tem is of greater importance economically and perhaps of
most interest to our present visitors, who come from many
nations and climes. As your stay is brief, it was thought
ex-pedient to prepare for you in printed form this brochure,
illustrating by word and picture, the important phases of
irrigation. When you realize that the geographic division
known as Colorado, embraces the highest average elevation
of any agricultural area on the North American continent,
and that the average annual precipitation in this area is but
15 inches, you will gain some idea of the importance of our
mountain snows and summer rains in their relation to crop
production. Furthermore, when it is made clear to you that
this State leads all the states of the Union in the production
of sugar beets, that its farms send out each year thousands
of carloads of potatoes, head lettuce, melons, cabbages, apples,
peaches, pears and other special crops
,
all produced with the
aid of irrigation water, you will understand why we have
selected irrigation as the subject most typical of our
agricul-ture for this presentation.
CHARLES A. LORY, President
COLORADO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE C. P. GILLETTE, Director
IRRIGATION IN COLORADO
By RALPH L. PARSHALL
Irrigation in Colorado is very largely confined to the valley
lands along the main streams on both the east and west slopes of the
Rocky Mountains. The Census of 1920 reported a total of 3,350,000
acres irrigated in Colorado of which 1,500,000 were added in the
previous ten years.
The annual precipitation in Colorado is generally insufficient
to give maximum results in crop production except by irrigation,
hence from the earliest days of settlement this deficiency has been
met by the construction of irrigation systems; sometimes as a small
private enterprise serving an individual farm; again as cooperative
or mutual companies,
·
which are most common and which provide
water for a considerable number of users, while in some instances
bonded districts are
establi~hedto serve extensive areas.
The snow in the high mountains accumulates in massive drifts
·which melt in the spring and early summer and furnish the principal
source of the water supply for irrigation. The water from the
melt-ing snows and natural sprmelt-ings in the mountains form the brooks and
creeks which combine to make the larger streams from which water is
diverted by means of dams into channels leading out upon the fertile
soil of the valley.
The appropriator's right to water from a natural stream is based
upon the principle of beneficial use.
The administration of the
waters of the state is according to the order of prioritieH in \vhich
the first appropriation on any particular stream is senior to all other
rights to the• use of this water. When the supply is abundant, all
rights may be satisfied. The State Engineer, through his Division
Engineers and Water Commissioners, controls the diversions from
streams according to decreed rights of the water user. This decreed
priority specifies a stated amount that may be withdrawn from the
stream, and this quantity, reckoned in cubic feet per second, is
regu-lated by means of gates placed in the ditch or canal at or near the
point of diversion
.
The rate of flow in the canal is determined by
means of the rating flume, improved Venturi flume, or standard
overpour weirs. Of these measuring devices the rating flume is the
most commonly used.
This consists of a structure built in the
channel, having a level floor and provided with either parallel
verti-cal walls or with walls inclined outward. This defined section of
4 COLORADO EXPERIMENT STAT ION
the channel is calibrated by means of current meter gagings or
other-wise, where the quantity of flow is a function of the depth of the
water, as determined by a staff gage set vertically on the face of the
side wall; or where the v;ralls are sloping the gage
is
inclined to
thi~surface. The rating flume is often unsuited to the conditions, due to
deposit of sediment and other causes.
To
meet these more adverse
Headwaten; of the Cadu• La Poudr·e River. Thjs sh·t'am. i.rdgates a large area in
::\Torther·n Colorado.
conditions, in the hydraulic laboratories of the Colorado Agricultural
Experiment Station a device has been developed known as the
im-proved Venturi flume.
This consists of three parts, assembied
as
follows : First, where the floor is level and there are converging side
walls; second, a throat with the floor inclined downward and with
vertical parallel walls; and,
lastly,
the downstream section with the
floor sloping up gently and the side walls diverging. In this device
the side walls are all vertical. Because of the diverging section,
up-stream from the throat, the flowing water is accelerated
as it
ap-proaches the throat and this increasing velocity sweeps
the
floor clean
of all deposit thus keeping the device
in
proper condition.
The
relatively
high velocity of the water through the throat section
per-IRRIGATION IN COLORADO 5
J>rewil t llivendon Drun, flash.boa1·d tyi)e, with. angle iron posts. The disdtarge passing ove1· the dam is a11 return seepage.
mits a high degree of submergence of the discharge before a
reduc-tion in the rate of flow occurs.
Field installations of this measuring flume fully verify the
laboratory experiments, and it is found, under practical application,
to be dependable and accurate enough to meet general irrigation
re-quirements. The weir is not generally used on the main canal but is
better suited to the smaller flows.
LtHge hea<lgates on tlw Rio Gran<le Canal, San Luis VaHey, used to re·gulate the am.ount of diversion from the Rio Grande del Norte.
6 COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION
The Rio Gt·ande Irrigation Canal in the San Luis Valley, Colorado.
The main canal leading from the source of supply is usually of
slight grade to prevent erosion and also to reach the higher bench
lands. Topography of the country often requires special conduits to
avoid expensive construction, and in other places the conditions
re-Concrete rating flume on \\·eldon Valley Canal on the South Platte River, ~c~howing
IRRIGATION IN COLORADO
Ten-foot im.proved Venturi flume for meusuring <lischat·ge of the Las Animas Consolidated Canal at ])Oint of dh-ersion.
7
quire special structures to hold the water level in the channel at a
high elevation, or to permit a drop in the grade. The length of the
canals varies according to size or capacity.
Fifteen-foot standard :F'rancis weir used in calibrating measuring de,•ices at the hydraulic laboratory at Bellvue. Colorado.
8 COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION
Large metal flume on the Gnrland Canal in the San LuiH Valley for the put·polile
of avoifiing exp('nsh·e <"anal construction.
One of the largest Hystems in Colorado is the Fort
Lyon
Canal,
in the Arkansas Valley, having a
length
of more than
100 miles,
a
capacity of 1,000 to 1,200 second-feet, and watering about
90,000
acres of diversified crops. Large irrigation systems are also
to be
found in the South Platte Valley, Poudre Valley, San
Luis
Valley,
and also near l\iontroHe and Grand
'(Juncbon on the western slope
of
the mountains.
Check and d•·op for controlling depth of water in the main canal of the Larimer and
Weld system at Eaton, Colorado.
1
·
J
l
J
)
IRRIGATION IN COLORADO
Te•·ry Lake near Fort Collins. This lat·ge reset·voir is used fot· storage of water di-vert.ell from the Cache La Poufll'~ RiYel' a.nd plays an important role in
the excha.nge systen1 in this YaUey.
Nature has so arranged that large areas of arable lands are
lo-cated on the eastern slope, but it is found that this area very greatly
exceeds the available water supply. The Pacific drainage affords more
water and at places along the crest of the Divide, ditches have been
constructed to divert the western !:ilope waters to the lands to the
east. The water supply on the Atlantic drainage has become so
val-uable that large storage reservoirs have been constructed to
con-serve it.
'rhese lakes, which are largely created by an earthern
dam across the narrow portion of a side stream, are filled by large
canals leading from the river, or in some cases depend upon flood
waters in the drainage upstream from the dam. The filling of these
10 COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION
Lateral No. 4 of the Americ!an Beet Sugar Company at Rocky Ford, Colorado. Three-foot improved Venturi flume for measuring the flow is shown in the lateral.
Two-foot ilnproved Venturi fhnne discluwging 5.7 ,;;ecorul-feet. Submergence at about 50 percent. Free-flow discharge, not reduced until £legree of submergence
IRRIGATION IN COLORADO 11
One-foot reinforced «:onct·ete imt)l"OYed Venturi flume measuring the amount of
water deliYe1·ed to user under the Lake Canal near Fort Collins.
storage
re
servoirs
is accomplished during that period of the year
when the water is not required for direct irrigation or immediate use
of the crop. The storage reservoir plays a very important part in the
efficient use of the water
supply
in the trading or
exchange
of water.
Two-foot reeta.ngular weir with full contractions for measuring discharge of sm.all lateral. A gage-height recording instrument is shown at the left of the weir notch.
12 COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION
Adjustable divisor in s1nall lttteraJ dividing the water to four use1·s in a.mounts prOIH}l'tionate to their rights.
Under many of the larger irrigatjon systems in Colorado, it will
be found that the reservojrs are lower in elevation than the
lands,
and to utilize this water to advantage a definjte amount is turned
out from the lake or reservoir, either to another canal or back to the
river, and then an equal amount diverted into the canal from the
river at a higher elevation. This system of exchange water in the
Poudre Valley has been developed to a high degree of perfection.
A
number of irrigation companies are involved, as well as several
reser-voirs, located both in the mountains and out in the irrigated area.
The scheme of exchange is not unlike that practiced in banking, and
before an exchange is possible certain credit in storage must
be
as-sured. From the standpoint of the best use of the water, it
is not
required
that the exchange be simultaneous, and here a credit
is
established which is later balanced. In certain other localities,
condi-tions are not so favorable, and it sometimes happens that a certain
company may have water stored but the river supply is so deficient
that an exchange cannot be perfected.
The water from the main canal is turned to the water user
through small headgates set in the
lower
bank, or from
larger
streams
into secondary ditches or
laterals. The
amount of water given to each
individual user depends upon the number of shares, or rights, he owns,
as well as the amount available in the main canal. Each user is
en-titled to
such
proportion as his number of
shares
bears to the total
number of
shares
outstanding. As the
supply
of water available
de-creases in the latter part of the
season,
the amount
each share
can
draw decreases proportionately. When the amount reaches
such
a
minimum that
the
head represented by the user's rights is
insuffi-cient to be effective, then only a limited number of farmers are
served in a
section
of the canal where aU receive their full quota for
a definite number of hours. When this time limit expires, all gates
are closed, and the gates in
·
the next
section
below opened for a like
14 COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION
Flooding method of it'l'igating gr·ain. Portable canYas dam used to raise water over the ditch bank.
period of time. 'J.lhe full length of the canal is served in this manner.
'
.
Phe superintendent determines each morning the amount of
\Yater to be deliYered per share or right, based on the supply at the
head of the canal. All
user~:;are charged a slight amount of water to
cover
los~:;in transit, such as leakage, seepage loss and evaporation.
The net amount is m
e
asured to the farmer by means of suitable devices
located immediately below his head gate.
The smaller
·
sized
im-proved Venturi flumes or standard overpour weirs are used for this
purpose. Where two or three users are served from the same small
lateral, a device knmvn as a divisor is installed. The stream is divided
proportionately according to the rights of each farmer.
The methods of applying water to the fields in Colorado fall very
largely into two classes, namely, furrow irrigation and flooding
jrri-gation. In the former method it is confined to cultivated row crops,
such as potatoes, sugar beets, peas, beans, corn, vine crops, vegetables
and orchards. In
s
ome districts where the soil is heavy and has a
tendency to bake or crust, grain crops are successfully watered by
the corrugation m
e
thod. Here shallow furrows are made
·
by drag""
ging an implement consisting o£ 6 by 6-inch pieces o:fl timber about
·
imple-IRRIGATION IN COLORADO 15
Power-driven pumps delivering water from shallow wells on the Great Plains iu Eastern Colorado.
ment is sometimes attached to the grain drill at the time of planting.
The length of run or
di~tancethe \Vater is carried in the furrow
de-pends upon the character of the soil and slope of the surface. Usually
this distance is from 400 to 600 feet. Objection to long runs is over
irrigation at the upper end of furrow. To meet this condition eros
ditche. are laid at the proper grade transversely across the field,
these head ditches then serve as supply for the furrows belmv.
Pota-toes are irrigated by shallow furrows when the plants are small, the
depth of furrow increasing as the crop develops. It i:.:; common
prac-tice to irrigate every other row, alternating with each succeeding
irrigation. In the irrigation of sugar beet:.:;, each
rov,
r
is sometimes
"·atered
and, a:.:; with potatoes, the
row
is cultivated
·
when working
conditions permit. Other crops, such as tomatoes, corn, cabbage, and
young vines are cultivated after irrigation, as a mean of breaking
the crust and mulching the soil.
To distribute the
:
water in the furrow. more eYenly, small tube:-;
are .
·
ometimes set in the head ditch where a constant head is
main-tained on the tubes, o·iving equal flow to each furrow. In the
flood-ing method, the water is turned out from the head ditch in a large
stream by means of a portable canvas clam and permitted to spread
over the ground surface in a thin sheet. Alfalfa, clover and grain
crops are irrigated by
thi~method.
The
amount of water required to produce a profitable crop
un-der average conditions varies between rather wide limits.
This
varia-tion in water requirement is dependent largely upon the
kind
of crop
16 COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION
An irrigated farm in the ,\,·kansas Valley nem· Rocky Ford. The crop being grown
is the famous Rocky Ford Cantaloupe.
and nature of the soil. The unit of meaf:;urement in expressing the
duty of water is acre- feet per acre, and the following are for average
conditions in Colorado :
Crop
Acre-feet
Yield
Alfalfa
1.5 to 2.5
21,4-4 tons
Sugar beets
1.5 to 2.0
10 to 15 tons
Grain
1.0 to 1.5
30 to 40 bu.
Potatoes
1.0 to 2.0
200 to 250 bu.
Beans
0.5 to 1.0
20 to 25 bu.
The great plains in the eastern part of Colorado constitute an
ex-tensive area of fertile lands but with scanty water supply. In some
localities, wells have been sunk to shallow water-bearing sands and
''
r
ater lifted by pumping to provide irrigation for a very limited
acreage. This pumping is done by gas or oil engines, while in some
instances windmills are successfully used for this purpose.
It
is not
uncommon to find pumping plants scattered throughout the irrigated
sections of the state, where water is being raised from wells, canals,
reservoirs, or natural streams. Usually such installations are to
pro-vide water for the lands that cannot be reached by gravity flow.
This circular is based on work done under c·ooperative agreement between the Division of Agricultural Engineering, Bureau of Public Roads,
U. S. Department of Agriculture, and the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station.
