THE OREGON STATESMAN, SALEM. OREGON
THURSDAY MORNING, MAY 21, 1C23
1NDU
GON
1 mm
PRODUCE
LITlf
ORE
QUA
i
I i
1
-jity
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This cut is used by courtesy of th
' Associated Industries, of Oregon.
Dates of Slogans in Daily Statesman
(In TwIce-a-Week Statesman Following Day)
(With a few possible changes)
Loganberries, October 2
Prai.es, October t
Dairying. October 16
Flax, October 23 " ' m
Filberts, October 30 v
Walnuts, November S . .
Strawberries, November 13
Anples, November 20
Raspberries, November 27
Mint, December 4
Great Cows, Etc., December 11
"Blackberries,, December 18
Cherries, December 25
Pears,' January 1, 1925 -.
Gooseberries, January 8
Corn, January 15 .
Celery; January 22
Spinach. Etc., January 29 , ;
. Onions, Etc., February 5
Potatoes, Etc., February 12
Bees, February 19
Poultry and'Pet Stock, Feb. 26
City Beautiful, etc., March 5.
Beans. Etc., March 12
Pared Highways. Mrch 19 J
Head Lettuce, March 26
Silos. EtcMpril 2 -
Legumes, April 9
Asparagus, Etc., April 16 ,
Grapes. Etc.,, April 23
? Drug Garden, April 30
SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATIOn FORTHE
'WiLLAMETTEVALLEi;PRDF. POWEBS
Costf a Small Pumping Plant When and on What Kind
of Land and for What Crops if Will Pay to Pump Water
i Half a Million Acres in the Valley Will Give Large
Returns for Proper Supplemental Irrigation It Is
Needed Where Rains Are Needed and Fail to Come
(Tins following is Station Cir
tular 57 of the Oregon Agricul
tural " college, issued in August,
1924, under the title of "SuDDle-
ymental Irrigation for the Willam,-
J ette Valley." by Prof, W. L.
j Power?, chief of the ; department
of soils;" in full excepting for a
cut of a gasoline pumping plant
" and of a furrow irrigation of po-
J tatoes:) V ." f r., ;
U ; . .. - ' f r :
I Frequent recurrence of periods
f-drouth during the late Rummer
f ha tlcre!opel consfderable in4
teret iir the possibility of supple
meatal irrigation in tlie Willani
Ottp vallev. . In 19flT tho nffico nf
t liirjgaiioii investigations, United
J States department of agriculture,!
' began some irrigation tests at
J , Conrallis and other points, to de
, , terming the ; value of irrigation
"water as a supplemental to ;., the
limited summer' rainfall, as a
means f of -Increasing production
and profit, particularly ;with the
more intensive agriculture that
was beginning to take the place
of grain grdwing. r.: Increases Jn
yield of representative field crops
ran ged from 27 per cent to 186
per" cent, indicating that supple
mentary irrigation wisely ; used
with most late season crops would
prove'proritable on the naturally
drained, free working soils of the
'Xllcy where accessible to water.
In 1910 the experiments were
titeade'l to include soil moisture
investigation; , water variation
j.Jriaia, or duty-of-water experi
rnents to determine how much ir
rigation would be needed; also to
develop practices 'for- securing
highest efficiency and the greatest
nt profit from the pumped water.
Water requirement studies were
added and also observations of the
effects of irrigation on soils and
crop? 1
- Soils best suited to supplemen
tal irrigation in the Willamette
valley are those : that are free
working, without being too heavy
or sticky on the one hand or too
coarse and sieve-like on the other
hand". Thi sandy loam soils oocur
L; ring? along the i Willamette and
other stream bottoms, or soils be
longing to the Newberg and Che
balia series, and the lighter types
of soils on the valley floor, such
as Willamette ; loam or silt loamt
are suitable for. irrigation. Soil
surveys of two-thirds or this valley
indicate that perhaps Jhalf a mil
Honfe acres, or, about one-sixth of
tha improved! land in the valley
will give good response to supple
mental Irrigation. -' f f J
Copa found j. to give best res
ponse to supplemental irrigation
lJier.e.are the truck crops, the crops
J ""grown for intensive dairying, such
ns late , summer pasture and late
I cuttings' of legume crops, or row
crops that ' make their maximum
growth late in the season, such as
roots and corn." Potatoes and
I Mans.nro cash crops. which give
large returns from irrigation and
arc , likely to pay for proper irrigation..-
; ;''";; - :" ' "':':. '
Advantages of supplemental ir
rigation. The chief advantages of
fiurrlcmental irrigation for free
worUas, r.uturally, drained .WU1-
: - v !.
Sugar Beets, Sorghum.. Eti
May 7 j i
Water Powers, May" 14
Irrigation. May 21- j
Mining. May 28 :
Land. Irrigation. Etc., June 4
Floriculture, June 11 ;
Hops, Cabbage, Etc.. June 18
Wholesaling and Jobbing,
June 25
Cucumbers, Etc., July 2 i ,
Hogs, July 9 . -;
Goats) July 16. ; :
Schools, Etc.. July 23
Sheep. July 30 ;
National Advertising. August 6
Seeds. Etc., August 13
Livestock. August 20
Grain and Grain Products, Au
gust 27. - ! .
Manufacturing, September 3.
Automotive Industries, Septem
ber 10, :
Woodworking. Etc.. Sept. 17 !
Papfc." Mills, Etc. Sept. 24..
- (Back ccplej of the Thursday
editions of - The Daily Oregon
Statesman are i. n hand-. They
are for sale at 10 cents each
mailed to any address.' Current
copies 5c.) r f
amette ralleys- ' soils, are '.as
follows: ; (1 ) Irrigation controls
soils moisture, overcomes drouth;
(2) provides' green pasture an!
green feed late in the summer;
(3) saves the 'clover stand and
makes a cutting the 'first season;
(4) makes double cropping possible-
late crops after early crops;
(5) aids the beneficial bacterial
and chemical atiTjti.es in soil ;
f6) aids control of crop pests and
diseases;', (7) increases efficiency
of soil moisture -during the best
growing weather; (S) is an aid
to deep or early plowing and in
tensive cropping: i ( 9 softens
clods and dissolves! plant foods;
(10) proper irrigation pays in' in
creased yields, net profits, and
productive values, j "j.: :; '
For supplemental! Irrigation to
be highly profitable in the Willam
ette valley it must be used on the
naturally f drained, free working
Boils and ' applied ' to crops that
respond to late season irrigation
and that are of good valule. The
greatest profit is secured where
water Is efficiently; : used; The
experiment statfon has sought to
determine the Iminimum amount
of water which, together with the
best- time and manner of use and
cultivation, would vield ci-ods of
t . . , . - . .
nignest vaiues ana greaiesi re
turns upon . the land and water
employed. If the Increase from
irrigation is sufficient to pay for
water when pumped a moderate
lift and applied to staple field
crops It would certainly pay to
use gravlcy irrigation on the more
Intensive crops. The . station ex
periments hare been : conducted
with water pumped, from creek
and discharged at a level 20 feet!
above the creek for, use upon Wil
lamette sllty loam;, with, staple
field crops. -J' -'j "-. '
Water supply. The water avail
able for irrigation ; In this valley
Is of good quality and a suitable
supply will be foupd In. the "un
derflow," which occurs Iff the
gravel substratum nnderthe river
bottom soils, or along the bottoms
of other large streams. Water
can also be pumped for Irrigation
from perennial streams entering
the valley from the foothills. Some
irrigable lands, "are suitable so
that these waters can be 'applied r
by gravity.. In the old valley fill
ing, or valley floor above the first
bottom, it is not probable that
wells of moderate depth will de
velop sufficient T water to giv a
continuous supply tor centrifugal
pumps in volumes sufficient for
field use.- ' ;v ; ' ' : '
of-t of A Small I'ampins I'Ij n t
The cost of installing a small
pumping plant Includes the fol
lowing items of expense;
(ay First cost- engine, pump,
flume, or pipes, aud in some cases
a well and shelter tor machinery.
(bj Operating expense labor,
fuel, and lubricating oil. ; y.
" (c) Malntetrance charges in
terest on the first cost, deprecia
tion, and repairs, j , V,::
(d) Total annual cost "'(bi
operating expense' and "(c) main
tenance charges.-
The coat of pumped water in
'OREGON QUALITY" products are establishing themselves in world markets; they make
our pay rolls they build our cities; they attract new capital and new people; they provide a
market for the products of our farms. Oregon farms produce a wider variety of profitable
crops of "Oregon Quality" food than any other spot on earth. ; t ;!
crease, with the amount; of lift
and is frequently expressed fn cost
per acre foot per foot of lift. The
pumping plant employed jb) the
experiment station Is not operated
to half its capacity, yet maximum
charges have been used In ralcula
tionThe total -annual cost runs
58 cents per acre fool per foot
or lift. This is a total Icost. of
a dollar ner; acre inch delivered
at a 20 foot level. With a well
designed pumping plant and a mo-
aerate art,., operating early to
capacity, the cost should run from
15 to 40 cents per acre foot. The
maximum figure of a dollar pel-
acre inch,; however, has been used
in calculating the profits from Ir
rigation on the experiment station.
The largest single item of ex
pense is usually the motor or en-
gins. The majority of farms are
now equipped; with some- power
machinery, which may be used to
drive the irrigation pump.! Where
water can be pumped "from a
stream a moderate' sized j centri
fugal pump, piping, and valves
should cost from $150 to $300.
The first cost of a pumping plant
Is frequently $25 per acre.
Wells. A dug well Is pot Suit
able for a water j supply for con
tinuous pumping with at centri
fugal pump. In the river-bottom
lands an open pit may be dug to
the water-level and then a driven
cased well put. down, perhaps 30
feet below the 'water plane. The
last 12 or IS feet of this casing
should be thoroughly perforated,
or a strainer dropped in and the
casing lacked, up to expose the
strainer to the water-bearing sand
and gravel. The pump should set
within 10 feet of the water-table,
which is lowered a little In the
vicinlty of thewell casing during
pumping. Where necessary, large
radius bends and suction; and dis
charge pipes should be used. These
pipes , should be about one-third
larger5- in diameter than the pump
itself in order to lessen! friction.
It is necessary! to provide a prim
ing device for removing the air
from a centrifugal pump. A check
valve and straight-way j ground
gate valve should be provided in
the discharge pipe' Immediately
above the pump. ,
Every foot of lift represents ad
ditional cash outlay. v The water
should not be pumped with an
imposing splash or fall above the
necessary level for commanding
tae field to be irrigated. The
water can be conveyed to the high
part of the land by means oi
pipes" directly connected with the
discharge side of the pump. Black
tin or water-tight concrete can be
used for distribution pipe. If built
on a slight grade, wood; flumes
can be used to carry the water by
gravity from the point of dis
charge. '" -' ! . '
. Pumps. The simple, horizontal,
centrifugal pump will be suitable
for most purposes in this valley.
Any good standard make will sup
ply the, water needed. : The num
ber of.a centrifugal pump refers
to the, inside diameter of Inlet
and outlet openings. A number
four; - or four-Inch centrifugal
pumpS will discharge aboout a
cubic foot per second or 450 gal
lons of water per minute. One
cubic foot of-water each second
will amount to one inch deep over
an acre in one hour, and Is called
an acre inch. , ;
; Motive power. An electric
motor with direct connection with
the pump is a most satisfactory
source of ; power as it avoids In
bolting and requires minimum at
tention. Any difference i in cost
between the use of distillate and
electricity "as a" surce of energy
is more tjian made up by 1 the sav
ing in attendance where the elec
tric power can be employed. In
fact, the saving in the labor may
often amount to more than the
total fuel bill' wltfr the electric
Plant. :V . . . - ' : j . . .
'Amount of water and power re
quired. The average depth of
water applied per season to field
crops during the past fifteen years
at the experiment station has been
6 inches . per . acre. This is the
net amount applied to Willamette
silty clay loam and it ranges from
4 to 5 Inches for row crops to 8
to 12 inches for meadow, crops.
More water will be required for
sandy soils. The amount will vary
somewhat with the yield of dry
matter and methods of Irrigation
practiced."" The quantityof water
required for alfalfa or clover Is
not likely to be less than 5 or C
acres Inches (equivalent too ii or
& inches rainfall) for each ton or
increase secured by irrigation. In
the station experiments each inch i
of water has made ,a&out 33 1
bushels more potatoes or 5 bushels
more white beans.
The minimum depth that it la ;
feasible to apply to row crops la
PRODUCTS
one Irrigation is usually 2 to 3
inehes. Meadow crops will usual
ly require 4 to 6 inches at each
application. The pump capacity
should be; sufficient to cover the
area served every 3 to 4 weeks.
An irrigating stream of less than
225 gallons per minute, or a half
a cubic foot per second, Is not
economical from a labor stand
point. ' It may be advisable
to provide a small reservoir
with a Ismail pumping plant,
especially j for truck crops,
so that some water- will
be ' available at any hour
without pumping; or to enable
more continuous operation by
storing at night to provide a larger
irrigation: stream by day.
Calculation of power required.
One horse-power will lift, a cubic
foot of water 8.8 feet per second
and is called a water horse-power.
To apparent vertical lift must be
added thet friction head for the
length of pipe used for proposed
discharge; also the friction due
to bends into suction and dis
charge pipes. ; The friction value
for pipes can be obtained "from
tab'es. Suppose the total head is
found to be. 26.4 feet, and 1 cubic
foot per second is to be elevated
continuously; by .dividing 26.4
feet by the factor 8.8 it is found
that three water horsepower would
be reouired to operate this plant.
Therefore, making the ordinary
allowance for efficiency of ma
chinery at ' 50 per cent, 6 horse
power should be provided.
Priming, and . operation.
pitcher pump connected by small
gas : pipe ' to the top -of the cen
trifueal pump -is a suitable means
for removing the air in priming.
This pipe. must be provided with
an air-tight valve to close It up
tightly after priming. All pipe
connections should be flanged and
gapketed so that they fit air
tight,; Centrifugal pumps are de
signed for different lifts and for
every, given lift there is an 'ecoiy
omic speed. When ordering j a
pnmp to go with an engine al
ready, on hand or vice versa, give
diameter of pulley and . revolu
tions per minute, so that the pump
will run to the rated economic'
speed. Flexible couplings should
be provided between the puiop
motor in a direct-connected unit
Where water is secured f rbm an
open ietream a screen should ' be
provided; in the intake cbantwsl
The pump should be set. In. a con
crete base, carefully leveled I by
supporting nuts placed on the an
chor : bolts. When true to 'level,
- - - ' i ;
rich cement should be run in
around these bolts and the pump
bolted down by means of other
nuts run on from above the pump
base. j" ; ' , j i-
Economioal use ' of pumped
water necessary Careful use of
pumped water is necessary If the
greatest profit is too be realized.
Excessive usje of water may in
jure the quality of soil and j crops
to the point of unprofitable ' pro
duction; even In arid climates.
The water, therefore, should be
carefully measured and skillfully.
applied. The land should be level
ed to a uniform slope and laterals
should be as near water-tight as
practicable. Frequently It Is desir
able to use underground cooncrete
or wood pipe for laterals. o dis
tribute water hydants along this
pipe, portable canvas or slip-Joint,
black,' tin pipe may be used. - f
Small furrows or corrugations
for distributing water on the field
will save water as compared o
flooding where the stream is small.
A soil that is of medium texture
is needed. The furrows may be
3 to 4 feetapart, 220 to 240 feet
long, being shorter on sandy, soil.
As soon as possible after Irn'gatloa
or when the soil is dry enough
to crumble, cultivation .df ,,row
crops should be given In-order to
restore tilth,- kill seedling weeds,
and check evaporation. ; '
Fourteen Year Results 011 Sup
plemental Irrigation in the
' Willamette Valley ;
Table I shows result of fourteen
years of irrigation on 'Willamette
silty clay loam at the experiment
station. This does not include
data for the present growing
season or for 1923. although ex
periments are being continued.
The main experiment includes a
rotation of grain, clover, potatoes,
and corn. One-tenth acre of each
crop is dry farmed, one-tenth acre
receives a light irrigation, a third
tenth' receives a medium amount
of water, and a fourth portion a
large amount of irrigation. Where
winter grain is used no water is
supplied to that crop. The amount
of water that has given the maxj-i
mum net profit or best-amount
of Irrigatln for all crops I aver
aged in table I and amounts t4
6 Inches depth per acre. Nearly
a Vu-vuu increase in lue yiciu oi
hay crops has been secured. This
increase n. growth comes in .the
late cuttings. ; It frequently hap-
pens that irrigation saves a stand
of clover or provides green feed
or pasture late in the season. The
average increase from Irrigation
Table I. Summary of Fourteen Year's Experiment1 Showing Best
Ainouut of Irrigation aid f Value of Sllty Clay Ixmuii
- Oregon Agricultural College Experiment Station Depart, of Soil
j Yield per acre Increase from Irrigation
r ": Depth ' - " '1. . , Net
Years of. dollars
in irriga- Irrigation Dry Per acre Per inch per
trial tlon Bu. or T. Bu.orT.- Bu.orT. Bu.orT. acre
' In i ' 1 ' ' I : . - ',
Potatoes 14 4.00 210 bu. 132.00 83.00 21.00 $35.10
Clover 11 7.63 ; 528 T. 3.47 1.81 .24 10.05
Alfalfa 11 10.00 5.05 T. 2 81 2.14 i .21 10.90
Corn 9 , 5.31 j 9.15 T. 6.18 2.97 .56 8.79
Beans 10 3.00 , 17.28 bu. ,; 12,38 4.90 1.63 11.55
Carrots 1 3.00 . 23.42 T. : 13.02 10.40 i 3.46 . 36.00
Beets 8 5.40 ; 18.66 T. 11.84 6.82 ! 1.26 20.18
Kale 3 4.00 15.67 T. ; 13.74 1.93 ! .48 4.18
Garss 7 -9.33 3.97 T. 1" 3.66 1.17 .10- 2.07
Average 6 inches : " j j" - j I $12.09
1 Pastured some. : 1
The net: increase from irriga
tion in dollars per acre has been
obtained by charging a dollar per
acre inch, plus a small charge for
harvesting! the amount, of the in
crease, for crops valued at " a mo
derate, average. price; namely, 50c
per bushel for potatoes, $3,00 per
bushelr for beans,; and $10 ; per
ton for hay. Three cents per
bushel and 25c per ton was charg
ed for harvesting : the Increase,
increase In crop value for all crops
from the average : application of
6 inches has"' been,' slightly more
than $12 per. acre.
Value of Isolation and Manuring
' In Connection with Irrigation
In the early years of this ex
periment ' it , became very evident
that rotation which permitted
plowing down" legume I sod, and
turning under manure in each
Tabic II. A'aluc of Rotation,. Irrigation,
- Ave rage ..
Average yearly
yield
: ' - i Acre
Acre inch
Treatment
.-: f -j. -:- - In.'.. v In- -,
Beans:. " ' i : ! . " ...
Continuous .... ! 9.24 11.53 .... -',.... 2,909
' Rotated :.: .1.1 J0.13 ..... 20.37 8.82 .... 2,349
Rotated and r 1 ' ..
manured 12.91- 21.26 9.71 1,900
Irrigat. continuous 9.85 ; 3.82 15.37- .... 5.12 2,622
Irrigated A rotat. 15.74 6.10 29.46. 14.09 9.82 1,794
Irrigated,' rotated
and manured .; 18.29 7.14 38.39 23.02 12.80 1,423
At the beginning of this experi
ment the average , . yield of all
plots was about 12 bushels Of
beans per acre sThe plots cropped
continuously were 'on slightly bet
ter soil than those of the rotation.
The land i3 "halfrwhlte land" of
Amity silty clay loam. At the end
Of this experiment . we found the
continuously cropped plots pro
duced about 6 bushels per acre,
and the plots which received Irri
gation rotation and manure yield
ed about 20 bushels per acre. As
a nine-year average the yields
were practically doubled, due to
Irrigation, rotation, and . manure
once each crop rotation. As j a
result of these treatments, the
yield per acre inch was more than
doubled and the average net pro
fit was greatly Increased by rota
IRRIGATION! HEST 5M0N
If
D
I SEGTIQ
After Serious Experiences and Many Discouragements, the
Project of the Willamette Irrigation Land Company Is
Getting Under Headway So as to Give Real Service,
and Did Much Good Last Year 15,000 Acres to Come
Under. Irrigation There
Editor Statesman:
Your letter 'of, the 14th .-was
received. As I have been out of
the elty for three days, I was not
able to give you the information
until today. ' i
The Willamette Valley Irriga
tion Land company has passed
through a very serious experlnce.
When the company was organized.
about thirteen years ago, the pro
jects were extremely favorable
for the successful development of
the district between West Stay-
ton, Turner, and Marion. A group
of citizens of Portland invested
about $125,000 in good faith and
pOrchased lands after a careful
investigation made by ono of the
best irrigation engineers available.4
of potatoes is 83 bushels per acre,
or ,21 bushels per acre inch, or
per dollar total annual irrigation
cost. Beans have received, an
average depth of 3 inches supplied
in a single Irrigation, and iave
given an Increase of practically 5
bushels per acre. '
crop rotation, was of great-value
In increasing efficiency of the
water provided. An experiment
was therefore arranged ! to meas
ure the value of crop rotation and
manure for increasing the return
per unit of .water employed. Four
plots each of grain," lAlsike clover,
and white beans were grown each
year, and; the crops rotated in the
order named. One plot of each
crop' was dry farmed, the second
was dry farmed and manured, the
third was irrigated, and the fourth
was Irrigated and manured. Two
additional plots, one irrigated and
one dry; farmed, were provided
adjacent to these rotations, and
were cropped to beans continuous
ly. One of these was, dry farmed
and the "other irrigated.
The results secured' from the
nine years of this' experiment cov
ering 3 rotations are given in
Table II. !
Manured Xlnc-Year
Average net profit Water re
Gain from rotation quirement
of Acre ( lbs. per lb.
Acre manure .Inch dry matter)
tion and by the use of manure in
each rotation- The ' profit per
acre inch of water employed also
showed a marked increase from
these treatments. The last column
in Table II shows the water re
quirement as to pounds of dry
matter produced, which - is the
ration of the number of pounds
of dry matter, produced to the
pounds of soil, rain, and irrigation
water consumed. '-'tf - '
It was found that the Water re
quirement had been cut in two, or
that the water efficiency had been
doubled by irrigation, rotation,
and manure. Rotation Is especial
ly Important on our rather heavy
soils, and Is likewise Important in
building up sandy land under Ir
rigation. ', .
11
The state's engineer approved the
plan. The Oregon Agricultural
college lent their support and In
dorsement, r
A canal was constructed from
West Stayton on toward Turner.
Approximately 4.000 acres were
either purchased or taken under
option, and withal approximately
a quarter of a million dollars was
invested within the first two years.
Then came the World war. - Sales
had - been made to people who
were not experienced In irrigation.
The very neighborhood . seemed
antagonistic, and one thing after
another developed and caused the
company to go -Into the hands of
a receiver. Finally the greater of L
the stock company lost interest, in
S GOES FORWARD
-wj" " "
1 Thii cut Is used by courtesy of Ihe
Associated Industries, of Oregon.-
THIS WEEK'S SLOGAN
DID YOU KNOW That the fanners of the Salem district
are rapidly learning the uses of irrigation, especially in
exceptionallyfdry years; that pumps for irrigation (the
best for the purpose known and the longest lived and
cheapest) are being made in large numbers in Salem;
that irrigation districts are coming to life here, with
many more to follow; that every farmer who has running
water on his land where it can be made available or
irrigation purposes has begun to realize that he has
; something better than a small gold mine; that, with
some crops, water available for irrigation represents the
difference between total loss and 100 per cent crops,
in unusually dry summers; that the Oregon Agricul
tural college people are ready to give all help possible in
the matter, of irrigation information, and that prepar
ation for irrigation must be made 100 per cent efficient
here in due course, and that this ought to be soon?
LIFE INSURANCE
F
George W. Shand of the Salem
Iron works was too busy to give
the Slogan editor much time yes
terday . ; . j " '
Too Jbusy making Irrigation
pumps, : .'i ..
On the point of the benefits of
irrigation for the Salem district,
he said that the whole subject
may be covered by the statement
that, in dry years, on some lands,
with some crops; irrigation will
make the difference ; between a
good crop and nQ crop at all.. Ir
rigation here is 14fe insurance for
crops. - , - r
Mr. Shand proceeded to Illus
trate the point by a concrete ex
ample of his own. He had a six
acre potato patch In 1922. That
as a dry year, in the summer
season. His potatoes were getting
thirgty, so he "turned the water
addition to losing their original in
vestment. ' 1 " " -- l." ; -f.'. . .
Liook More Favorable
After thirteen years of strug
gles, conditions now seem to be
more favorable The last few
years there has been a growing
sentiment in favor' of irrigation.
In 1924 the land was so dry that
it fairly cried out for water. -The
late T. B. Wilcox had been
one of the strongest advocates of
Irrigation, and before his death
had urged the writer to join with
hm and save the property and the
project, if: possible, and recom
mended that the underlying mort
gages, delinquent taxes, and' the
old judgments against the, project
be bought in to avoid the entire
remaining assets from going into
the hands of outside parties. .
u Since purchasing these mart
gage, we have endevored to re
organize the. project and have en
gaged Mr. Peter Thomasson to
look, after the physical properties,
and have associated with us Mr.
Percy Cupper of Salem, who aids
us in the engineering matters. .
; ( " Of Ileal Service , f
This year,weJiope,to be of real
service to J the -community and
provide Irrigation fors those that
are in position to make good use
of It. . The flax grown in that
locality last year under irrigation,
showed the great value of irriga
tion. The soil seems to be-especially
suited to irrigation. . A
growth of flax on the same land
under dry farming methods and
under irrigation proves the great
value of water property applied.
We are now going, forward with
our work vigorously, developing
and extending our laterals, and
cleaning out'the canals, and we
feel that bur original faith is soon
to be justified. There' has beeh
a wonderful change in the senti
ment of the community. The farm
ers no longer feel : antagonistic,
but rather are encouraging . our
efforts, and giving us their sup
port. "" . ... i . - - " :
This season a considerable in
crease of acreage will be under
irrigation, and we believe-there
will follow an era of increased
prosperity and largely increased
crops in the district near West
Stayton and toward Turner, J and
as these demonstrations prove for
themselves the value-' of water, it
is only a question of time , until
practically the entire acreage, ap
proximating; over ; 13.000 i acres,
will be. under irrigation, handled
by farmers who" will become ex
perienced In the proper use
water. We look forward to a time
when the. district will become a
garden of flowers, as well ' as
producing profitable crops. While
some years irrigation may not be
as necessary, irrigation on - the
land will act as a crop life In
surance to be used when most
needed. Youis truly.
E. L.. TIIOMPEON
Portland, May 18r 1323
D
onto them, ana he harvested 1100
sacks of potatoes from his six
acres. :' ' ' ' !; : .
Prunes,' Walnuts, Filberts, Etc.
Mr. Shand, while his main occu
pation Is with his foundry and
machine shops, the Salem Iron
Works, isisomething of a farmer.
He has a 170-acre farm about
five miles south of Salem, out on
the Jefferson road. He raises
sheep and other things; has 60
acres of bearing prune trees', 15
acres in walnuts, and six acres in
filberts, the filberts being young
trees.
. He J will have a good crop of
prunes this year, comparatively.
It will be about a 50 per cent
crop from present indications. He
is also growing eight acres of flax
this year.
While he makes pumps, he does
not need to use a pump on h la
own farm. -He irrigates ; from a
creek, by gravity. He just runs
the creek down hill and I spreads
the water over the land where
and when It is needed.
Makes Good Pumps
Mr. Shand makes good pumps.
His pump is the Shand centrifugal
pump, and he thinks It Is the best
pump made;- that It-will deliver,
more water in a given time at less
cost than any other pump ever
made; that' it is the cheapest of
all pumps? and will wear longer
than any other that there is very
little about the pump to wear.
Mr. Shand has been selling a
lot of his pumps; many of thenx
in the Salem district for irrigation
purposes. He thinks there should
be more of these used by our
farmers.
Crop Life Insurance -
The present season is such,
with abundant rainfall, that per
haps not much irrigation will be
needed in the Salem district. T.
A.,.Livesley & Co., Salem, who
have the best equipped hop yards
in the whole world, and are. pre
pared - at one of . -their largest
yards for irrigation, are planning
to get along this year -without
even starting their pumps. They
are cultivating in such a way as
to conserve the present moist con
ditions. But they' needed Irriga
tion in that yard badly last year,
and used It, and Increased their
yield there by at least 25 percent.
That Is- what "Irrigation . here
means.' as stated above. ; It means
life Insurance, for crops. T If ,It is
needed at all. It Is needed badly.
It will pay most farmers in the
Willamette "valley, with any of the
crops needing Intense cultivation,
to be prepared to irrigate; to sup
ply the. moisture that a long dry
time, in the summer season makes
Impossible to secure otherwise, or
to conserve from earlier rains.
- -Keeping' Them Jumping
The making of pumps for irri
gation, and for all other purposes
is keeping the Salem Iron Works
forces jumping. They ) have to
work far Into the night, some
nights."" 'Last year they made for
the Llvesley people for irrigating
their hops two pumps with a ca
pacity of 4000 gallons an hour
each, and made pumps for, many
irrigation projects, and for tho
canneries and others.
They supplied some of the
pumps to the state highway de:
partment last year, and they .
worked so economically that this
department rdeed 18 new ones
this year, for road work in differ
ent parts of the state. These are
all 2 inch pumps," giving a ca
pacity of SO 00 gallons a minute
each.
They have just sent two pumps
i mis size to a cannery-at Puyal-
lup, Vash two to the cannery at
Hillsboro,: one for Pearcy Bros.,
nurserymen and nrrharrt .-mnrts.
Salem, and many others. The
making of pumps, in addition to
all thefr nthpf a.-n-rlr l-nna (Itnm
more than busy.
Cut Mr. Shand thinks this irri
gation movement for the Salem
district is not being pushed as
hard ss it should be pushed, for
the cood cf the individual grow
ers, and for the good of all our
people. -
V
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