network has shown 3 storms on the watershed in the last 2 years that exceeded this and 10 storms which exceeded 30 minutes in duration with rainfall of 0.50 to 0.75 inch. Intensities reached values up to 7 inches per hour for short bursts of time up to 10 to 20 minutes. Storm cells are commonly 2 to 5 square miles in area. Information on rainfall characteristics, such as cited here, is of great value to the design engineer as an index to the probable occurrence of flood events in small watersheds which are, as yet, but poorly documented in the region. The findings will be used by the Soil Conservation Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Corps of Engineers, irrigation districts, highway departments, and others. 56. Wind erosion prediction equation developed. At Manhattan, Kans., an important milestone in research on wind erosion has been reached with completion of a simplified wind erosion equation which, when applied to any field anywhere, will tell whether or not the field is sufficiently protected from wind erosion. Moreover, the equation can be used as a tool to estimate what field conditions a farmer should establish to reduce wind erosion to an insignificant amount. The equation's usefulness lies in its simplicity. First, the condition of each of the five major factors that influence wind erosion is determined for the field by specified procedures. These factors are: Percent soil fractions larger than 0.84 millimeters in diameter as determined by standard dry sieving; local climatic factor based on average wind velocity and moisture of soil surface; soil surface roughness based on surface clods and ridges; equivalent field width along prevailing wind direction; and equivalent quantity and orientation of vegetation. With numerical values of these factors the potential amount of wind erosion of the field is read from accompanying charts and tables. The equation is a potent new tool that is expected to aid technicians and agricultural leaders in field application of soil conservation principles and in education work. The area of application is primarily the vast dryland farming areas of the High Plains. Other areas of application are the dryland and irrigation farms of the West and some intensively cropped sandy soils of the humid region. 57. Precise measurement of silt density accomplished.-An instrument that gives a precise measurement of the density of silt in a reservoir has been perfected at the Sedimentation Laboratory, Oxford, Miss. This has been previously reported as an instrument that was under development-it is now a fully operative piece of equipment ready for widespread field use. Measurements of depths or thicknesses of silt are relatively simple with traditional methods, but the necessary measurements of densities, or weights per cubic foot, have long been a laborious problem, sometimes almost impossible of solution. Measurements of silt density are necessary both to forecast the useful life of reservoir storage and to relate the silting problem back to the source of the silt in the watershed. The new instrument, assembled from an assortment of standard component parts plus some new ideas of research workers, operates on the principle of radiation from a radium isotope. It will be especially useful in making precise and rapid assessments of the silting problems of small reservoirs, such as are constructed under the authority of Public Law 566. 58. Sod-based rotations essential for erosion control on Piedmont farms.-Runoff and soil loss data at Watkinsville, Ga., show there is little hazard from erosion on sloping land, even under very severe rainfall conditions, when row crops follow sod crops on the land. Rainfall in 1961 was 33 percent above normal and the rainfall erosion index was 200 percent of the 22-year average. Actual rainfall runoff and soil losses on contour-farmed Cecil sandy loam soil of 7-percent slope 70 feet long were: Soil losses for the 3-year rotation with corn 1 year in 3 were only 2 percent of that with cotton grown continuously, and for the 4-year rotation with 2 years of row crops in 4 were only 15 percent. With the 3-year rotation only 4 percent of the annual rainfall left the field as surface runoff, but with continuously grown cotton 33 percent of the rainfall left the fields loaded with soil to muddy the streams of the area. Yields of the row crops were much higher in the rotations than when grown continuously. These findings indicate sod-based rotations are essential for row crop production on the sloping Piedmont soils that extend from Maryland through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and into Alabama. 59. Ground water recharge aided by reservoirs.—Instrumentation has been partially established on the Lowrey Draw watershed in the vicinity of Sonora, Tex., to provide information on the effects of floodwater retarding reservoirs upon ground water recharge in the Edwards Plateau area. Data are available from only a few runoff events; but, in these cases, there has been a marked increase in the level of some ground water observation wells associated with impoundments in the surface reservoirs. Much more data will be necessary to define relationships between surface and ground waters in this cavernous limestone region. However, it is anticipated that the studies will provide information on the sources of ground water in the area and guidelines for ground water recharge in limestone regions by means of watershed protection measures. 60. Relative leaf turgidity of cotton used to determine when to irrigate.—The rapid rise in the use of supplemental irrigation in recent years has increased the need for criteria for determining when water should be applied to plants. At Weslaco, Tex., in studies with cotton the use of moisture stress within the plant as an irrigation criteria indicates that the method can very readily be used for determining when to irrigate. Excellent control of timing of irrigation applications was obtained, based on relative turgidity measurements made on cotton leaves. The time of wilting of the cotton plant was strongly influenced by the amount of moisture in the first foot of soil. However, for any given soil moisture condition, the time of wilting was also associated with the temperature and vapor pressure around the plant. Although this method offers considerable possibilities in determining when to irrigate, additional studies will be required before the principle can be applied to farmers' fields. 61. Method developed for forecasting water supply from snowmelt.-In the western mountains, the most important source of irrigation water is from the melting snowpack. An electronic analog has been developed at Moscow, Idaho, for calculating estimates of streamflow from snowmelt on source areas of the Pacific Northwest. The following are involved in the computations: Snow storage and melting related to climatic, topographic, and vegetational character; losses from evapotranspiration varying with climatic factors; rainfall contribution; soil moisture storage; ground water storage and discharge; and observed streamflow. The analog is being used primarly as a research tool for the refinement of forecasting techniques to greatly speed up calculation processes. However, it may have great potential for handling large volumes of snow survey data in connection with water supply forecasts. Agricultural engineering research 62. Sugarcane harvester developed for upright cane.-An improved self-propelled sugarcane harvester which can be used on upright cane was operated successfully last season under semicommercial conditions. The harvester cuts the cane, strips the leaves, and loads it in a wagon attached to the rear of the harvester. The machine has a satisfactory capacity and will furnish fresh, clean cane to the mill thus eliminating some of the sugar loss caused by delays in conventional field operations. 63. Improved injector developed for pneumatic feed conveyor.-In cooperative research at the Illinois Experiment Station, a simpler, less expensive feed injector has been developed for the medium pressure feed conveying system previously developed cooperatively. This injector forces feed into an airstream that carries it through a 1-inch pipe to feeding locations around the farmstead, eliminating the need for labor to move or haul feed from storage to feed bunks or automatic feeders. 64. Engineering research developments in cotton production.—At Stoneville, Miss., an automatic multipath seed cotton drier has been developed and tested. It controls the exposure time in the drying air stream. This device is actuated by sensitive controls, that automatically expose the damp seed cotton to sufficient drying to obtain good cleaning and ginning results without loss of quality from overdrying. Mechanical topping has greatly reduced or eliminated lodging of irrigated cotton without reducing yield when not more than 6 inches of the main stalk were removed. In experiments conducted at Shafter, Calif., topping to a height of 48 inches gave the best results in these tests considering lodging, yield, and picking efficiency. 65. Mechanical thinning of peaches reduces costs.-Preliminary studies of thinning by mechanical shaking indicated a labor cost reduction of $60 to $90 per acre over methods now in use. It resulted in satisfactory size and quality fruit. However, inasmuch as there was some reduction in yield, further studies are contemplated in an effort to more accurately control the thinning. It may be possible to extend this practice to other kinds of fruit. 66. Low cost high-utility wall panel for farm building. In cooperative research at Blacksburg, Va., a low-cost, high-utility wall panel for farm building use has been developed. Structural tests show it to have ample strength, and erection of a test building shows it to be easily handled, attractive in appearance, easily cleaned and disinfected. The panel is 2 feet by 8 feet by 3 inches and is of sandwich construction, consisting of a 2 inch thick expanded polystyrene core with one-half inch thick cement grout skin surfaces. The grout skins are reinforced with prestressed steel mesh, which imparts unusual strength and flexibility characteristics. Joints between panels are sealed with a commercial caulking compound. The inplace cost of these wall panels approximates that of concrete block, but the resulting wall is much stronger, more attractive, has a smooth interior finish and about 4 times the insulating value. 67. Farm building research developments.-At Beltsville, Md., field trials have been made with roofs fabricated of aluminum, plywood, hardboard, insulation board, and thin shell plaster with weather coating surfaces of polyester and fiberglass reinforced asphalt. It has been shown that such sheet materials can be used without rafters to span roof areas by taking advantage of their shear strength when used in a shape approximating a hyperbolic paraboloid. Loading tests have checked computed stresses with attendant deflections. This development opens the way for appreciable economies in building costs as it permits lighter weight roofs which result in lower material costs for equal strength. 68. Equation developed for predicting transformer and electric service requirements for farmsteads.-New farm electric uses, when adopted, frequently require electric wiring and transformers of greater capacity. Considerable progress has been made in the development of a method for estimating the maximum electric demands of farms for purposes of sizing transformers. In this method the demand of a consumer is expressed in equation form using monthly energy use and installed electric equipment as predictors. Data to develop the method have been derived from cooperative studies. MAJOR RESEARCH FACILITIES Mr. WHITTEN. I think since you will touch on those laboratories where you expect to be proceeding with the staffing, it might be well to include a list of the major research facilities which we have had our staff bring together with your help. That gives a kind of comprehensive picture of research facilities we have throughout the United States. Those you will discuss are a portion of these facilities. We have also had our staff, with your cooperation, bring together information concerning all of these research facilities. Prior to finishing our hearing, we hope to put this in one volume. At that time we will again ask your cooperation, so we will be sure to present the whole story. Each year we get into discussions about what facilities are available, and where they are, and what we need to do. Often many people come to me as chairman of the subcommittee and ask for something when we already have facilities available that could be used for the purpose they have in mind. Frequently they have no knowledge of these facilities. I can understand the difficulty. They don't work with it as we do. There is more to this research establishment than I have ever been able to grasp. (The list of facilities follows:) |