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Widtsoe, John Andreas, 1872-1952

"Dry-Farming : a System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low Rainfall"

In other words,
the water stored in the soil by the natural precipitation and the
water that falls during the spring and summer can either mature a
small crop or bring a crop near maturity. A small amount of water
added in the form of irrigation water at the right time will usually
complete the work and produce a well-matured crop of large yield.
Irrigation should only be supplemented to the natural precipitation.
As more irrigation water is added, the increase in yield becomes
smaller in proportion to the amount of water employed. This is
clearly shown by the following table, which is taken from some of
the irrigation experiments carried on at the Utah Station:--

Effect of Varying Irrigations on Crop Yields Per Acre
Depth of Water Wheat Corn Alfalfa Potatoes Sugar Beets
Applied (Inches) (Bushels) (Bushels) (Pounds) (Bushels) (Tons)
5.0 40 194 25
7.5 41 65
10.0 41 80 213 26
15.0 46 78 253 27
25.0 49 77 10,056 258
35.


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