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The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., January 26, 1911, page 1

IRRIGATION AS APPLIED TO THIS VICINITY

The word irrigation implies a condition that far more impressive than is intended. The watering of garden truck and flowers with an ordinary sprinkling pot is irrigation in a simple form. The difference between this form and that generally implied by the word irrigation is that in the arid regions the application of water to crops becomes a business by itself. The farmer and the engineer unite in the employment of methods whereby water may be applied in the easiest, least expensive and most certain manner. This is by aid of the action of gravity, and irrigation by natural flow is the result.
A mistake is commonly made by regarding the work of irrigation as a hard ship, and the necessities for it as a misfortune. In point of fact, the necessity for irrigation and the ability to irrigate makes a fortunate combination of circumstances. They imply a warm, dry climate, and this means that the crops are not liable to destruction by violent storms or by the lack of sufficient sunshine or by the failure of water supply, as sometimes results from dependence upon rainfall alone. All of this fortunate combination is not found where rainfall is plentiful and generally sufficient for the maturing of crops. As a result there is not the ever present sunshine and immunity from the damaging storms, yet here irrigation may fulfill one of the functions - that of helping nature through the drought, or, in other words, that of an insurance on the crops.
As an investment irrigation works are not always successful. There should be a ready market for the products of irrigation, and the value of the land and water must not been so great as materially to reduce the profits derived from the crop.
On broad principles of general government and policy the construction of irrigation works is of benefit to the whole country. They furnish homes and agricultural purposes for many whom must otherwise be idled or find less substantial ways of support. Irrigation adds to the general welfare of the country by increasing the amount of its agricultural products. It furnishes excellent investments for capital where the projects are well designed. One of the great advantages of irrigation is that it becomes practically an insurance on the production of crops.
Where the natural drainage of the country is defective irrigation may become harmful, the ground may become soaked from too much water and the loss of water must be through evaporation. This will bring certain salts to the surface and form alkalies. This may be found in the west where irrigation is improperly done. Where the ground becomes soaked, or naturally has plentiful groundwater all these troubles may be averted by mulching, here the water is not allowed to evaporated and the salts do not rise to the surface and produce ill effects. It is also possible to produce deep rooted plants or such shade the soil, and reduce the amount of evaporation. Where alkali is present lime may be used to neutralize the soil and do great a deal of good, but in this section we are not liable to have such ill effects from irrigation as the drainage is good. We must cultivate a great deal and keep a dust mulch. In this way a small amount of water would do for a great area and at the same time bring water cheaply to the farmer.
Alfalfa is one of the most effective plants, since it is deep rooted, and when once established to bear the action of deep roots and dense shade and thus by repression of surface evaporation tends to restore the soil to its natural condition. When mulching is practiced it is desirable to grow beans, beets, potatoes, corn, and onions. We must prevent the excessive use of water. This is one of the greatest evils at present noticeable in our western irrigation methods. The result is a waste of water and saturation of the soil. As the value of water rises it will be used with less and less extravagance.
The duty of a second foot is variable and it is found that the more a piece of ground is irrigated the less water it will take to produce crops.
In Colorado a second foot had a duty of 50 to 55 acres and now the state engineer of Colorado estimates that one second foot will take care of 100 acres. This is due partly to the increase in value of the water and then the use to better advantages. In Montana a second foot has a duty of 80 acres and in Utah it runs as high as 300 acres.
In certain sections alfalfa is irrigated twice a season and the water is allowed to soak to a depth of six inches. Since watering seems to check the growth of a plant it is preferable to give plants a good soaking and then check the irrigating for a period or give ample irrigating once or twice rather than to give it several small services. The irrigating season would extend over a period of about 120 days in this section.
It will take a minimum amount of water in this section for irrigation as there is a great deal of ground water and then the water used from ditches can be conserved with a proper amount of work. Our soils are not as a general rule underlaid with a sand or gravel bottom but by basalt which does not take water rapidly. As a general rule in a vicinity where the lower status are impervious to water the ground becomes water-logged and alkalies collect rapidly but this may only be applied to flat and level sections as in river bottoms and on level prairie. Here we have good drainage so that there would be little danger from this source. The basalts are full of springs and this aids materially, although the moisture does not in all cases come to the surface and show itself as a running spring, it will be found that by digging a comparatively shallow depth, water will be found. In the forest area by simply removing a layer of pine needles and digging an inch or so moisture is found. This layer protects the ground and does not allow the moisture to escape into the atmosphere. These same conditions of the ground can be maintained with a dust mulch. The mulch preventing the evaporation of the moisture, and conserving it. The moisture rises to the surface by capilarity. This is not done so readily in other soil, but soil conditions are ideal for this in this section.
The care given soils in the west and the east are not to be compared, for instance, who here goes out and hoes a field of corn several times a season and cultivates a number of times before the corn reaches two or three feet, we never think of it. Here in this section we can put out a field of potatoes and never bother them until fall, when it is time to harvest the crop. The writer knows personally of many places near here where the potatoes were not given the slightest care and a good crop was obtained. The same may be true of a garden truck. Several large gardens are grown around here without of the use of any more water than just what we have stored in the ground. This was accomplished by working the soils and keeping a dust mulch on the surface. With water we can have the insurance of crops such as alfalfa, timothy, clover, etc. We do not need water for fruit trees providing the orchard is taken care of and cultivated. It has been proven that the non-irrigated apple keeps longer, and will stand shipping where the irrigated fruit would perish.
The orchardists around here are positive in their assertions that the non irrigated fruit is the best.