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Show The Duty of Water in Cache Valley, Utah 15 fact that it has no period of maturity but grows throughout the summer season, needs to be irrigated as early and as late as any of the other crops. The small grains mature and cease to require irrigation by the time the demand of sugar- beets, corn, and potatoes is at its highest point. The crops that are listed could, therefore, be arranged into a rotation that had for its main thought an efficient use of irrigation water. Of the 181,348 acres in Cache Valley listed by the 1910 census as improved farm land, 77,330 acres were reported as being irrigated. Of this amount about half was producing hay, the greater part of which was alfalfa. Only a few hundred acres of corn were raised. Wheat was the second largest crop. This was followed by sugar- beets, oats, and potatoes in the order named. The large acreage of alfalfa calls for water throughout the season. The acreage of sugar- beets and potatoes on the one hand as opposed to the small grains on the other will be determined largely by the amount of late water that can be had. Under canals with a poor late water right the relative acreage of wheat and oats will be large. Where the late water right is ample the more profitable crops such as sugar- beets, potatoes, and alfalfa can be raised in larger proportions. SUMMARY . ' 1. This bulletin reports experiments on the duty of water in irrigating sugar- beets, potatoes, alfalfa, corn, wheat, and oats raised on a deep medium soil in Cache Valley, Utah. 2. The results include a total of 991 tests extending over a period of 17 years. 3. In applying these results it must be kept in mind that the figures refer to water that actually soaked into the land. In practice, ditch and runoff losses should be added to the quantities mentioned here. 4. For sugar- beets from 15 to 30 inches of water gave the best results. The use of more than 30 inches would probably never be justified on this type of soil. 5. The yield of potatoes was increased with increased irrigation up to 321/ 4 inches, but it dropped off rapidly when larger quantities were used. 6. Alfalfa was able to use more water advantageously than any of the other crops. Up to 50 inches increased the yield, but the smaller quantities w^. no-" 1" *&-**-* *- inch of water. f |
