Agricultural Science Commons^™

Bulletin No. 169 - The Use Of Alkali Water For Irrigation, F. S. Harris, N. I. Butt

UAES Bulletins

Because of the scanty rainfall of arid regions, the soluble materials in the rocks and soil are not leached out as they are where the rainfall is high. As a result, the accumulation of excessive quantities of soluble salts is likely to be a menace to arid soils. Farm practices must be directed toward preventing this condition.

Bulletin No. 168 - Relative Resistance Of Various Crops Ot Alkali, F. S. Harris, D. W. Pittman

UAES Bulletins

Plants show considerable variation in their resistance to soil alkali. Some varieties of native vegetation grow only where the salt content of the soil is high. Most of the cultivated plants, on the other hand, are injured very decidedly by the presence of large quantities of soluble salts. To this rule there are a few exceptions such as the date palm.

In most of the arid parts of the world there are sections where the presence of alkali is the chief limiting factor in crop growth. Millions of acres of land are in the border zone between complete freedom from …

Bulletin No. 166 - The Climate Of Utah, Frank L. West, N. E. Edlefsen

UAES Bulletins

Climate is of interest and importance to the scientist in general. It is particularly important to the investigator in the field of agriculture because growing crops are affected quite as much by sunlight, heat, rain, and frost as by the fertility of the soil. In field investigations these factors must be determined and reckoned with.

Bulletin No. 167 - The Irrigation Of Oats, F. S. Harris, D. W. Pittman

UAES Bulletins

It is well known to farmers that the oat plant is more sensitive to the moisture condition of the soil than are many of the other farm crops. For this reason oats find favor as an irrigated crop, since under irrigation the supply of water can be so easily controlled.

In order to secure the best results, it becomes necessary to know as much as possible about the moisture requirements of the various crops that are to be irrigated. This is particularly true of oats on account of their sensitiveness. The farmer should know at which period in the life …

Bulletin No. 165 - Labor Costs And Seasonal Distribution Of Labor On Irrigated Crops In Utah Valley, L. G. Connor

UAES Bulletins

This bulletin presents in tabular form the results of a detailed study of the labor cost of crop production, made in 1915. Principally in Utah Lake Valley, Utah, in connection with a study of farm management and farm profits in the Provo area, Utah Lake Valley. It is designed to bring out the weak as well as the strong points in the systems of farming followed. The seasonal distribution of labor is shown for each important crop and the times at which the different crops compete for labor are indicated. The bulletin is intended primarily for the use of farm …

Bulletin No. 164 - Factors Affecting The Depth Of Sowing Various Crops, F. S. Harris, H. J. Maughan

UAES Bulletins

Probably no agricultural practice varies more than the depth to which seeds are sown. Some farmers pay very little attention to depth, but simply allow the seed to be placed where the drill happens to penetrate. The percentage germination of the seed as well as the vigor of the young plants is without doubt influenced by the depth of sowing, and certainly these factors are very important in determining the yield of crops.

Bulletin No. 163 - Composition Of The Irrigation Waters Of Utah, J. E. Greaves, C. T. Hirst

UAES Bulletins

Analytical work which has so far been published on the composition of the irrigation waters of the Intermountain Region indicates a wide variation in their composition. Some are exceptionally pure, being nearly free from alkali, and may be used without fear of injury to soils; others contain larger quantities of alkali and must be used with care; still others are so heavily charged with soluble salts that they must be used with extreme caution, otherwise the growing crop will be injured and in time the soil rendered unfit for agricultural purposes. The land then must be either reclaimed or abandoned, …

Bulletin No. 162 - A Quick Method Of Obtaining Accurate Individual Egg Records Without The Trap Nest, Byron Alder, A. D. Egbert

UAES Bulletins

The power or ability of a hen to lay a large number of eggs or the lack of that power or ability resulting in few or no eggs is not confined to the individuals of anyone breed or flock. Feeding, housing, and general care of the fowls are not the only causes of low production in certain individuals. It is often in the makeup of the hen herself; she could not be a heavy layer under any condition. High and low producers are found in every flock.

An accurate method of obtaining the daily individual records of each bird is …

Bulletin No. 161 - Orchard Heating, Frank L. West, N. E. Edlefsen

UAES Bulletins

In the state of Utah scarcely a year passes without some damage being done to farm crops, either in the spring or the fall, because of the occurrence of killing frosts. For example, in the spring of 1916 the tops of the young beets were frozen, about one-fourth of the grain of the northern part of the state was frozen, the yield of the first crop of alfalfa was about half normal and 90 per cent of the fruit of the state was destroyed. During the month when fruit buds are in bloom, the report of the U. S. Weather …

Bulletin No. 160 - Important Factors In The Operation Of Irrigated Utah Farms, E. B. Brossard

UAES Bulletins

Two agricultural problems that are fundamental and of prime importance to the people of Utah are:

1. The development to maximum economic agricultural production of those farms now operated.

2. The agricultural development of the many thousands of acres of new land in the state.

A realization of the importance of these problems caused this investigation to be made. The purpose of it is as follows :

1. To determine what has been the experience of practical farmers, relative to the most profitable systems of farm management on irrigated Utah farms, and to suggest profitable future development of the existing …

Bulletin No. 158 - Soil Moisture Studies Under Dry-Farming, F. S. Harris, J. W. Jones

UAES Bulletins

Profitable cultivation of land under dry-farm conditions is dependent on the efficient use of precipitation. Soil fertility is not at present the limiting factor in crop production on most arid lands, but insufficient moisture to make available the fertility of these dry-lands is not only a limiting factor, but in most cases the controlling factor in crop production. The rainfall in the principal dry-farming areas of Utah varies from 12 to 15 inches a year. During different years it may range from 10 to 22 inches; therefore the best use must be made of the water that falls.

Bulletin No. 159 - Soil Moisture Studies Under Irrigation, F. S. Harris, A. F. Brakcen

UAES Bulletins

Under normal precipitation the variety of crops which can be successfully grown in the West is limited. Of necessity, irrigation was practised and with it came many complex problems. The water requirements of different crops, the water-holding capacity of soils, the movement of soil moisture, and numerous other related problems have given themselves up for investigational work.

Bulletin No. 157 - The Irrigation Of Potatoes, F. S. Harris

UAES Bulletins

Very few field crops yield as large returns to the acre as do potatoes during favorable years, and but few crops are as greatly affected in quality and yield by soil and seasonal conditions. The potato is particularly sensitive to soil moisture. For this reason yields under irrigation, where the moisture can be controlled, are usually much higher than where the moisture supply is irregular.

Bulletin No. 155 - The Beet Leafhopper And The Curly-Leaf Disease That It Transmits, E. D. Ball

UAES Bulletins

The beet leafhopper (Eutettix tenella Baker), is the most serious pest of the western sugar beet. It has through the disease it tranmits caused periodic losses to the western sugarbeet industry, amounting in the aggregate to many millions of dollars. Curly-leaf, the disease which this insect transmits, has in some of its worst outbreaks caused the abandonment of thousands of acres of beets in certain districts and a serious reduction in tonnage of the remainder, so that the total loss in a single area has several times passed the million-dollar mark. Besides these striking and widespread outbreaks which fortunately have …

Bulletin No. 156 - The Irrigation Of Sugar Beets, F. S. Harris

UAES Bulletins

The sugar beet crop during the last few years has come to be one of the most important sources of income for farmers in many sections of the country. The fact that the sale for the crop is certain at a price that is known in advance, in addition to the high type of farming that usually accompanies sugar beet raising, makes it probable that the sugar beet area will be considerably extended during the next few years.

Bulletin No. 150 - Further Studies Of The Nitric Nitrogen Content Of The Country Rock, Robert Stewart, William Peterson

UAES Bulletins

The progress of the work upon the general problem of the origin of the nitre spots in certain western soils has presented several different points of view. The fact that certain spots in western cultivated soils were rich in nitrates was first observed by Hilgard who attributed their accumulation to the more rapid nitrification of the organic matter of the soil in the warm arid climate of the west when the moisture limit was removed by irrigation.

Bulletin No. 153 - Selecting Dairy Bulls By Performance, W. E. Carroll

UAES Bulletins

Success in any system of breeding requires that each generation approach more nearly the object in view than has all preceding generations. Such progress is possible only when proper judgment is exercised and the best methods employed. In cattle breeding, for economic reasons, the bull is usually expected to contribute more to this general improvement than is the cow. To make this possible, the bull must therefore have been subjected to more rigid selection than the cow in order to eliminate more of his undesirable characters. If he contains few undesirable characters, from the breeding standpoint, he must of necessity …

Bulletin No. 154 - Irrigation And Manuring Studies Ii: The Effect Of Varying Quantities Of Irrigation Water And Manure On The Growth And Yield Of Corn, F. S. Harris, D. W. Pittman

UAES Bulletins

The present bulletin describes the results of an experiment on the irrigation and manuring of corn for the six years from 1911 to 1916, inclusive. The first three years' results of this experiment have already been published as Bulletin No. 133 of this Station. Besides the material discussed in that publication the present bulletin contains data on the composition of corn here presented for the first time.

Bulletin No. 151 - The Freezing Of Fruit Buds, F. L. West, N. E. Edlefsen

UAES Bulletins

There are many orchards in this country, so located that every few years a frost almost completely destroys the crop, either by killing the buds in the spring of the year, or by freezing the fruit in the fall, just before it is picked. Utah is no exception. A report made by the county agricultural agents of the state, shows that in the spring of 1916, 85 percent of the apples, 90 percent of the peaches, and 65 percent of the mall fruit were killed by frost with a corresponding amount of damage to field crops.

Bulletin No. 152 - The Effects Of Soil Moisture Content On Certain Factors In Wheat Production, F. S. Harris, Howard J. Maughan

UAES Bulletins

A knowledge of the intimate relations between the crop and the moisture of the soil is important to every farmer, and particularly to those in the arid parts of the world. While wheat is not an intensive crop and probably will not give as great returns to the acre for extra care as some other crops, it is well worth while to know how this crop responds to various treatments. The effect of high and low soil moisture during various stages in the growth of the crop is of particular interest. The work of other experimenters on this subject has …

Bulletin No. 149 - Breeding For Egg Production, Part Ii: Seasonal Distribution Of Egg Production With Especial Reference To "Winter" Egg Production, E. D. Ball, Byron Alder

UAES Bulletins

In this bulletin will be found a discussion of the seasonal distribution of egg production during first, second, and third, and later years of egg-laying of the same flocks of hens and a comparison of the distribution of production of high-laying and low-laying flocks in the same season, and different seasons as well as high-laying and low-laying individuals of the same flocks. These studies are based on six flocks of White Leghorn hens ranging from nine years to three years old and all descendants of a common flock. The methods of handling, feeding, and other details are discussed in previous …

Bulletin No. 148 - Breeding For Egg Production: Part 1, A Study Of Annual And Total Production, E. D. Ball, Byron Alder, A. D. Egbert

UAES Bulletins

The average annual egg production of different breeds of fowls, the production that may be expected under different environmental conditions, the average length of life, the total probable production of an individual and the distribution of this production through the life cycle, are all subjects of vital importance to every poultryman. They are also subjects upon which there must be reliable information before accurate breeding work can be carried on. A search through the literature shows that information on all these subjects is extremely meagre.

Bulletin No. 146 - The Irrigation Of Wheat, F. S. Harris

UAES Bulletins

The economical use of irrigation water is one of the chief problem of agriculture in arid region. Much more land is available than can be irrigated by the supply of water even then methods of greatest economy are employed. The total crop of arid regions is therefore limited not by land but by water and the welfare of the regions demand that the irrigation water be used as efficiently as possible.

Bulletin No. 145 - Soil Alkali Studies: Quantities Of Alkali Salts Which Prohibit The Growth Of Crops In Certain Utah Soils, F. S. Harris

UAES Bulletins

One of the most important questions connected with the alkali problem in arid soils is the determination of the limits of toxicity of the various alkali salts. The author has already presented considerable data on this subject; but most of these results were obtained under laboratory conditions and with the use of pure salts. The combinations of salts used were not necessarily the combinations found in actual field conditions. It seemed desirable, therefore, to extend these studies to the field in order to determine the exact concentration of the various alkalis that prohibits growth in crops. A study of this …

Bulletin No. 147 - The Alkali Content Of Irrigation Water, Robert Stewart, C. T. Hirst

UAES Bulletins

In certain irrigated districts the alkali problem is a menace. Any controllable factor which tends to increase the alkali content of the soil should be carefully considered in a successful system of soil management. In this connection the quality of the irrigation water is of great importance; the saline content of water has a marked influence upon the method and quantity to be used for irrigation. The factors which will contribute to an increase or decrease of the alkali content of the water must be clearly understood. The amount of the several kinds of alkali salts added to the soil …

Bulletin No. 144 - Water Table Variations: Causes And Effects, A. B. Ballantyne

UAES Bulletins

No abstract provided.

Bulletin No. 143 - Fruit Tree Root Systems: Spread And Depth, A. B. Ballantyne

UAES Bulletins

As mentioned in Utah Station Bulletin No. 124, seepage conditions on the Southern Utah Experiment Farm were responsible for the removal of about 5 acres of vineyard in 1908, and 7 acres of mixed peach orchard in 1910, all of which were on the lower or western half of the farm.

These orchards and vineyards had always received good care, clean culture being practiced in fact as well as name. The results for a number of years were all that could be desired, when the trees and vines began to die questions arose as to the cause: since in spite …

Bulletin No. 142 - Irrigation Of Peaches, L. D. Batchelor

UAES Bulletins

The writer took up the study of the irrigation of peaches in the spring of 1913 after being connected in a co-operative way with a similar problem during the years 1911 and 1912. The results which follow are primarily from notes taken during 1913 and 1914. Free access has been made, however, to notes taken on the similar problem noted above, when the author was associated with Prof. Walter McLaughlin in connection with a co-operative irrigation problem. Some of the results of 1913 were materially influenced by the treatment of the orchard in 1912.

Bulletin No. 141 - Variation In Minimum Temperatures Due To The Topography Of A Mountain Valley In Its Relation To Fruit Growing, L. D. Batchelor, F. L. West

UAES Bulletins

The most destructive weather enemy in all fruit growing sections is the late spring frost which frequently occurs after warm weather has caused the fruit blossoms to become fully developed. The variation in severity of such frosts in mountain valleys is a phenomenon well known to the practical orchardist. The actual extent of this variation and the contributing causes have claimed only a very little attention from scientific workers in the mountainous regions. The present publcation is a preliminary report of investigations which were planned to measure the extent of such temperature variations, and acertain if possible some of the …

Bulletin No. 129 - Codling Moth Studies In 1911: The Driving Spray Under Excessively Wormy Conditions, E. D. Ball, W. M. Ball

UAES Bulletins

Spraying experiments against the codling moth were carried on upon the Smart orchard until the number of worms per tree was reduced to such an extent that no accurate comparisons could be made between different treatments. As a result of the work on this and other orchards, practically every commercial orchard in the valley was by this time well sprayed and the worms reduced to a point where one driving spray per season would keep them under control.

In the meantime a number of questions arose which required very wormy conditions to adequately investigate. Search was therefore made for orchards …