Water

My friend, J, here in Idaho works for the irrigation canal company. I asked him what the current water share was. He said that it was 3/4 inch per acre but because of demand and draught the allocation or share is now 5/8 inch per acre. For you nonmathematical geniuses, that is a reduction of 1/8 inch per acre or about 17%.

I think this means that a farmer who normally waters 10 times in a certain time period will only be able to water about 8 times. In a dry year, that could be a big reduction in production.

The farmer goes out into the field and squeezes the soil in his hand. He knows that the water content is low and that the plants will not have the ability to suck the water out of the soil because the lower the water content of the soil, the tighter it is held.

In other words, the soil and the plants try to obtain and retain water. Clay soils hold water tightly. Sandy soils do not. Plants can suck the water out of sandy soil easier than they can from clay soils. Knowing all this, the farmer can not water his fields until his irrigation schedule permits.

Weather extremes are a concern to many. Hot, dry weather means draught. In the 1500s many people had to flee large areas of the Southwest because of draught. Draught has caused more than one large population migration.

If you think that the government can stop a migration, think again. Starving people could care less about government when they see that the government is powerless to help them. Katrina victims still appear on television weeks after the hurricanes asking for help which they are slow to receive.

I thought it was ridiculous to fuss about people (who would never loot if they could buy) were criticized for going into a store that was not operating to pick up diapers and formula for their babies. What would you do?

If you had no drinking water, you would move to a place where there was some. If you couldn