Irrigation in Willamette Valley
By Prof. W.
$
Froper irrigation may be of &
$ groat valuo to farmers in the $
$ Willamette Valley, according to
$ the Oregon Agricultural College. ?
$ In the following article Profea- $
sor W. L. Towers shows how this
$ is truo. 3
(Special to the Farm Magazine.)
FROM experiments and observations
made by the Oregon Agricultural
College it appears that proper irri
gation in the Willamette Valley will
provide a more favorable moisture con
tent of the soil, and will aso aid in the
liberation of plant food and in its solu
tion and conveyance to the plants.
Likewise it will increase the bacterial
etivity of the oil and lead to a great
er root and top development 'of the
plant. Furthermore, extra root develop
ment of the plant will tend to offset
any running together of tho soil duo to
, irrigation.
Irrigation farming tends to remove
larger crops from the land and conse
quently larger amounts of fertilizer iu
the way of refuso must be returned to
the land if its fertility is to be main
tained. It is more important to prac
tice a careful rotation of crops that
will permit the growing of clover or
some other soil building crop on the
land every few years, in irrigation
farming that in other methods. It is
also moro necessary that irrigated
fields bo plowod up deeply at freqnent
intervals to maintain a good state of
tilth.
Crop Rotation.
Crop rotations in irrigation farm
ing should provide for the growing of
a good proportion of cultivated crops
each year, since cultivated crops re
quire less water and use it later in the
season than do the meadow crops. A
rotation of soil-building crops together
with the application of manure main
tains the water holding capacity and
fertility of soils, thereby lowering the
water cost of dry matter.
Larger amounts of manure can also
be used without making the coils too
open where irrigation is practiced. A
free working soil can be built up and
kept in a higher state of productivity
by tho nso of rotation including
legumes- and tho use of manure, in con
nection with proper irrigation.
Irrigation farming finds its highest
dovolopment in connection with in
tensive cultural methods. It will become
of increasing importance in Western
Oregon on all free working soils in
connection with intensive dairying, hop
production and truck farming.
Moisture Points.
Willamette Valley silt loam nnder
field conditions has several important
moisture poii.ts. It will bo recalled in
this connection that water in the soils
has threo distinct aspects free, capil
lary and hygroscopic. The free moisture
appears as water and moves chiefly by
gravity. Tho capillary water moves
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nOME AND FAEM MAGAZINE SECTION
L Powers.
merely by contact of one soil particle
with another, and while iU effect on
the soil is clearly seen, the water itself
is not visible. The hygrscopi3 water
clings to the soil particles and is prae
tically stationary with the soiL Of the
valley silt loams the maximum capillary
water content is about 34 per cent, the
maximum amount proper for cultivation
is 27 per cent, the optimum water con
tent best for cultivation and crop pro
duction is about 23 per cent, the
drought point about 14 per cent, and
the minimum moisture content is about
11 per cent. Irrigation during a seven
years' test gave a higher seasonal mois
ture content, which was associated with
higher yields of nine standard Willam
ette Valley crops.
Interesting and Important
Some of the incidental effects of irri
gation as shown by these tests are not
only interesting but highly important
to the irrigation farmer as well. It
was shown among other things that
irrigation is associated with a tempo
rary loss of moisturo in the sub-soils
due to reversed capillary movement.
The highest seasonal moisture con
tent in irrigated plants was obtained
in connection with early spring plow
ing, manuring, crop rotations including
legumes, and frequent cultivation,
thereby maintaining a crumb soil
mulch 2 to 3 inches in depth over the
surface.
Irrigation likewise caused a lowering
of the temperature to the extent of as
n.ueh as 4 degreeB of soils in cultivated
plats and as much as 10 degrees in
meadow plats.
Aside from these and other inciden
tal features irrigation is shown to have
accomplished its main purpose by pro
ducing an increase in the crop yields.
During the seven years the average in
crease of all crops has been 65 per cent.
It altered the shape and size of the
plants and affected the seed products,
causing better shaped ears and a high
er germination of corn with a lower
germination of beans.
Effect on Market.
Irrigation has likewise altered the
percentage of marketable products,
causing more beans in proportion to
plant, more beet in proportion to top,
but fewer potatoes in proportion to the
top produced. Irrigation has also
caused a slight change in the chemical
composition of the products.
The effect of continued irrigation
upon the soil for several successive
years varies with the character of the
crops grown. The soils show a slight
tendency to decrease in water capacity
and increase in volume weight with
irrigation where rank feeding crops
were grown, but to be improved in
these respects where soil building crops
were grown. Irrigation has caused a
decided increase in organic content
where leguminous crops were grown.
This comparison was made with soils
upon which legumes were grown with
out irrigation.
Profit Possible.
Irrigation had but little appreciable
to PUGET SOUND "
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SPOKANE and
EASTERN CITIES
effect upon the acidity of soils and
on the content of available plant food,
although it assisted in the solution of
available plant food-and in its trans
mission to the proper parts of the grow
ing plant.
Altogether these field experiments
and observations have shown that un
der proper management there is a good
profit in irrigation in all cases where
the water can be supplied by pumping
or otherwise at a cost of not to ex
ceed $1 per acre-inch for all the water
used. Troperly managed irrigation prac
tice taken in connection with the free-
working soils will give the farmers of j
the Willamette Valley such control of j
the moisturo content of their soils as i
will not only increase the volume of i
the crop, but will likewise increase the
profits and improve the tilth and fer
tility of their soils.
Emergency Rate
REQUESTED emergency rate of
10 cents reduction to all points
EaHt, asked for by the North
western Fruit Exchange in behalf of
growers and shippers of the North
west, has brought to tho aurfara an al
most universal plea. All of the rail
roads in the Northwest carrying fruit.
were addressed in a memorial setting
forth the need fir alleviation of mar
keting cost of apples this year.
Business men generally and news
papers have added to tho strong argu
ments as given by the Exchange with
a comprehensive analysis of conditions
as they see them. Growers and ship
pers are endorsing the request on every
hand so that it may well be Said that
the request is unanimous.
It is the belief that the railroad'?
will decide to do everything in their
power to aid the grower in the face
of this year's conditions which are
represented by an immense ero; over
the entire country and the closing of
dependable exports. The railroads are
vitally interested in the marketing of
the crop. It has been pointed out that
aid from this sourco will allow the
grower to place upon the market un
doubtedly a much larger percentage of
his crop than he would otherwise do,
and it is possible to figure out that
the railroads will be able to make
more money this year hauling apples
at a temporary reduced rate than they
could at their regular rates. This cer
tainly will be so in the long run if, as
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tho situation facing the industry thia
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