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<br />" <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The farms where irrigation has been developed range in size from <br />about 160 acres to a large ranch. The irrieated acreage constitutes only <br />a part of the total cropland on the farms concerned~ With the possible <br />exception of one or two farms with irrir,ation wells, the farms 011 which <br />irrigation IW.6 been developed are owner-operated. <br /> <br />Only one of the wells in the western part of the area has been <br />used to date. Water from this well was used on wheat. The other wells <br />l0/8re developed in 1949 pr:iJnarily for cotton and grain sorghum irrigation, <br />but they have not been used. <br /> <br />Area lleeds: <br /> <br />Generally.the needs of irrigated enterprises in this area may be <br />s=ed lip as follows: <br /> <br />1. More land preparation. <br /> <br />2. Improvement in well construction methods. <br /> <br />3. Control and conservation of natural moisture supplies. <br /> <br />In Hardeman and lIilbarger C01ll1ties the principal crops irrigated <br />are alfalfa and cotton. Some oats wore irrigated as a nurse crop in estab- <br />lishing alfalfa, but almost all the acreage is no,) planted to alfalfa or <br />cotton. <br /> <br />Most of the alfalfa was seeded in late 1949 or early 1950; conse- <br />quently, sufficient yield data are not avaj.lable to determine an average <br />yield. <br /> <br />Cotton yield data indicate that an average yield of 1.25 bales <br />per irrigated acre can reasonably be expected. <br /> <br />II. Red River Basin Below Head of Lake Texoma <br /> <br />This portion of the Red River drainage basin includes the Texas <br />portions of the Cypress Creek and Sulphur River drainage basins along with <br />that portion of the state drained by the n~in stem of the Red River below <br />the head of La1~e Texoroa. <br /> <br />Average annual precipitation in this portion of the Red River <br />Basin ranges from 35 inches in the extreme west to 45 inches in the east. <br />The need for and the interest in irrigation r~s been less than that of <br />areas to the west where moisture supplies are less ample. <br /> <br />Possibly there are R few sr,Jall irrigation developments in the <br />portion of the Red River drainage basin, but, if so, there is no record of <br />their existence. <br /> <br />21 <br />