St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-11
WATER, WATER. WATER!
The Dakotas Must Have More
Aqua Pura.

To the Editor of the Globe.
Having been settled nearly nine years
in Dakota, and feeling as do that that
territory has been steadily becoming
arid since 1888, | wish to call the atten-
ton of your business people to the fact
that due pressure must be brought to
bear on congress to aid us in adding to
the area of water surface in the Da-
kotas, or wheat farming can never be-
come reliable and remuneratiye re-
source.
nrr harvests have never yet been
generally good. unless the rivers.
sloughs, ponds and swabS, are left full
of water from the melting of the winter
SHOWS or heavy spring rains, and L be-
lieve that these are the source of sup
ply of the local showers and
heavy dews which in favorable years
give our splendid soil a fair
chance to develop its value
always local, and confined to narrow
belts of country. but they are suffi-
GENTLY numerous to do the work when
the requisite water area exists to feed
them. When they do not exist, hot
southerly gales, growing more and more
blighting each successive day. sweep
over our fields and blight all out the
lowest and most humid localities.
| believe that irrigation will yet do
wonders for Dakota, but the artesian
basin of the James river valley should
be at once utilized to keep the river
and low grounds full of water the
year round. These wells can be
depended upon to supply from
100000 to 100000 gallons each
per day, and they can be put at the
highest points, SO that their waters can
be used for direct irrigation before they
finally discharge into the sloughS, lakes
and river beds. Along the eastern face
of the cOteauS Of the Missouri are some
hundreds of thousands of acres which
can be irrigated from reservoirs placed
ir the defileS of the cOteaus, to receive
their drainage, and possibly artesian
wells could be sunk there to add to their
contents by continuous flow. Our hot
winds would then gather moisture to
be condensed in dew during our cool
nights, or to fall i'm summer showers
and winter SHOWS, and as the
average temperature of the sub
terranean streams is about 671S deg.
Fahrenheit, large water surface
throughout the valley would greatly
lessen the danger OF early and late
frosts, and give US milder tempera-
ture at all seasons. Under our laws.
the several townships can sink wells
and tax the cost thereof. but the pres
ent population is in no condition to face
this expense. The United States gov
eminent in North Dakota has received
millions of dollars from the settlers
for land given to the Northern Pa
clfic, and collected of the adjoining set
tiers, on hat were euphoniously called
''double minimum lands" A million dol
lars spent in that section would develop
the finest farming region in America
for there is no doubt of the richness of
Dakota soil. | believe the best plan
would be for the government
TO appropriate s1,0OO,O00 to be paid in
bonuses to each township which sinks
well under the state law. Such well to
have steady pressure of at least 100
pounds to the square inch, and an in
side diameter of AZ inches. Such wells
can be sunk in great numbers for 81 to
50 per foot, and ought to flow about
100000 gallons per day. Every river
would be full, every lake bed become
beautiful sheet of water, and the effect
on the temperature. weather and fertil-
ity of the Dakota valley would be bene-
fetal beyond expression. This must be
done or else the people must resign the
hope of making themselves independent
by cereal farming. Yours truly,
COBB G. w. HALL.
Minneapolis. Maya.