Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-11-06
Irrigation.

The recent visit of the committee oil
United States senators for the purpose OF
investigating the subject of irrigation, has
brought this question prominently before
the public, and caused it to become oil
very gener | interest. d
No one who has investigated the subject
carefully can fail to be impressed with the
universal feeling among those who rely
upon irrigation for raising crops, that it is
by far the most certain and satisfactory
method of agriculture. This arises princi.
pally from two important causes: First,
that the average yield from irrigated far
exceeds that from non-irrigated lands; sec.
ond, the certainty OF a return for the sea-
sons labor.
Irrigation serves as on insurance. The
ability to apply water when needed and
certain immunity from drouth or flood
render the certainty of a. crop within the
almost absolute control of the individual.
To those not familiar with the practice
ofirrigation, an idea prevails that it ls an
expensive adjunct of farming. While this
may be true in some isolated cases, as a
rule it is the opposite, especially when con-
sidered in connection with climatic ad-
vantages, incident to irrigable lands,
which include immunity from the expense
Of costly buildings in which to protect the
coarser and bulkier products OF the farm;
conditions under which the crop can be
readily and cheaply harvested, and the
great fertiliziug qualities OF our Montana
streams,
TIE highest priced agricultural lands in
the world are in irrigated districts. The
irrigated lands of Color do and Utah pro,
duce larger average crops n we a greater
value per acre than any farming lands east
of the Missouri river. Tn history OF irri.
CATION development in the United States
,nly embraces a period OF twenty-five
years; and the pioneers, as in all other in
dustries, gained their knowledge by the
costly road OF experience; but to-day We
find Indian and Chinese wheat raised by ir.
rigation, underselling the productions OF
rainy districts.
The most prosperous agric 9ltural dis.
tricts of Europe to-day are those whore ir.
r~igation is practioed. No agent of agricul-
tural production is SO effective as irriga.
ton,
In Montana, as in all other territories,
within the irrigable area, the quantity OF
land susceptible OF reclamation exceeds the
water supply. The water, therefore, pos
sesses a greater value than the land, and
upon it's proper economical distribution
rests the limit of our future agricultural
wealth.
It is therefore OF the utmost Importance
that no wasteful or improper diversion be
permitted, and that the state should Con
troll it's appropriation, as we'll as it's subse-
quent diversion among the various claim
ants. The expense of this work will be
heavy, and cannot reasona hly be pro-
vided for by taxation, as other expenses,
but should be- paid for out OF the
proceeds OF the sales OF these
lands. It is impossible for con
gress to pass general laws which
would operate with equal Justice
in the arid belt as whole. Conditions differ
in the different sections. The people OF
each section are best calculated to de-
termine upon the system most suited to
their needs, and should be allowed to regu-
late the matter in connection with the SUBJ
iect, and be given the means of carrying
them into effect.
Entertaining these views, I conclude the
best and only way OF accomplishing the
end desired is, that congress grant to each
state in the arid belt, or to each territory,
upon it's becoming a state, all the irrigable
lands within it's borders held by the gen.
eral government, such state shall be charged
with the supervision OF their reclamation
and with their disposal to actual settlers,
the proceeds to be used in providing stor-
age reservoirs and in constructing canals
and other facilities for conducting the water
to the proper points for distribution.