Life Sciences Commons^™

Bulletin No. 118 - Methods For Increasing The Crop Producing Power Of Irrigation Water, John A. Widtsoe, L. A. Merrill

UAES Bulletins

The studies of the Utah Station on the effect of water on the yields of crops have shown, first, that as the water applied increases, the total weight of dry matter also increases; and second, that the increase is not in proportion to the amount of water applied, since the less water applied, the larger the yield of dry matter for each inch of water used. These experiments, as reported in bulletins No. 116 and No. 117 indicate with much certainty the best quantities of water to use for various crops. When, however, each farmer has been allotted this best …

Bulletin No. 116 - The Production Of Dry Matter With Different Quantities Of Irrigation Water, John A. Widtsoe

UAES Bulletins

The second period of the irrigation investigations of the Utah Experiment Station began in 1901, when plans were formulated for accurate and extensive studies of the relations to each other of soils, crops and water. Preliminary work was done on the College Farm during the summer of 1901. During the winter of 1901-02, the Greenville Farm was secured, and on it was constructed a system of weirs, flumes and laterals, whereby accurately measured quantities of water could be placed at will upon any plat. With this apparatus a great number of vital questions concerning the practice of irrigation was submitted …

Bulletin No. 117 - The Yields Of Crops With Different Quantities Of Irrigation Water, John A. Widtsoe, L. A. Merrill

UAES Bulletins

The value of an irrigated farm rests In the land and in the water available for irrigation. Usually the water right for an acre is worth considerably more than the land itself. Under irrigation it is just as important to secure the largest yield per unit of water as it is to obtain the largest yield per acre. Owing to the high cost of water, the production per unit of water is frequently more important than the yield per acre. In Utah and the other irrigated states, the water available for irrigation, or that which may be made available, is …

Bulletin No. 120 - The Chemical Composition Of Crops As Affected By Different Quantities Of Irrigation Water, John A. Widtsoe, Robert Stewart

UAES Bulletins

In earlier bulletins it has been shown that when the quantity of irrigation water applied to crops is varied, the yields of the total crop as well as of the several plant parts vary quite definitely. The readiness with which plants respond to differences in irrigation is really remarkable and undoubtedly lies at the foundation of the future science of irrigation.

Variations in the quantities of irrigation water not only affect the total yield of dry matter, but also the composition of the plant itself. This fact was brought out many years ago in the investigations of this Station.