WSP08285 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

~ <.. on quality and workability of soil, and on plant growth and crop yields. These problems will be very difficult to remedy while continuing the use of high sodium water. 00 c.' ... Land Classification c 30. As a part of a semidetailed land classification of the Little Colorado River drainage basin made by the Bureau between 1939 and 1942 to determine the extent and suitability of lands for irrigation, lands in the vicinity of Joseph City were classified. The classification indicated that 988 acres of crop land were irrigated in the project area at that time. A survey of the area was made in February 1948 dis- closed that 683 acres of crop land were irrigated in 1947 and that an additional 94 acres had been irrigated so recently that it was designated as idle irrigated crop land. Because of the practice of abandoning irrigated fields and using the water elsewhere the acreages of irrigated crop land from the two surveys probably are not strictly comparable. It appears probable, however, that the irrigated acreage has been decreasing during recent years. Of 8,792 acres of nonirrigated land in the vicinity of Joseph City classified in the earlier survey, 6,805 acres or 77 percent were classified as Class 6. Slightly less than half of this land was down-graded because of salt concentration and high pH (alkalinity), and the remainder for other reasons such as rough topography, undesirable soil texture or inadequate soil depth. Of the arable nonirrigated land, 13 percent was classified as Class 1 and 87 percent as Class 2. Nearly half of the Class 2 lands were placed in this class because of high pH and concentration of salt in the soil. Some of the Class 6 lands are being used for crop production under irrigation. Agricultural Economy 31. Nearly all of the farmers as well as the nonfarmers of the community live in the town of Joseph City. Most of the families have gardens at or near their residences and some have other small plots of pasture or alfalfa used to maintain domestic livestock to augment the family food supply. There were 125 landowners in the project area in 1947 of which over half owned less than 5 acres. Nearly all of these small acreages are in the town of Joseph City. The shares of water stock in the Joseph City Irrigation Company are widely held but nearly half of the share owners do not own or operate irrigated land. Like- wise most of the owners of irrigated land do not depend on farming for a livelihood. Many use their land only for their residence and for family food production while a few rent land to others. Some irrigated land remained idle in 1947. Of the 59 owners of irrigated land, 46 percent were not farmers as they derived all or the major part of their income from nonagricultural sources; while only 19 or about one-third were full-time farmers. The 19 full-time farmers owned 519 acres of irri- gated land, but because of additional land rented, operated 570 acres of irrigated land. Allowing for six poultry men who operated only eight acres between them, the remaining 13 crop and livestock farmers operated 562 acres of irrigated land or an average of 43 ,acres per operating unit. ,; , :.( ;.~ .... ::' 11