The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-07-18
H WEEKLY TRIBUNE:
ABOUT IRRIGATION.
JULY Is, 1891.

That old aphorism: "In time Of peac'
prepare for war;" holds quite as good il
domestic as in military economy. No irri
cation in this portion of Montana is need
cdthis year. 1t is not known that it vii
be needed next year in the cultivation O
the soil, but it is well enough for those
who are Interested and that means
about every man in Northern Montana
to study the question of irrigation anC
to encourage every feasible project look.
ing to the bringing of water upon the
magnificent bench lands of this section
of the state. A convention will be held
at Salt Lake city on the 10Th of next
September for the purpose of consider
ing the matter of irrigating the arid lands
of the west. Montana will be represent
ed by an excellent delegation composed
of prominent and public spirited men.
Whatever the convention may suggest
in the line of the matter will doubtless
have an important bearing upon con-
gress and may determine that body's
disposition of the question.
The prevailing sentiment at the pres
ent time seems to run in favor of con-
gress turning over to the states the arid
lands within them with the provision
that each state shall Immediately take
steps to inauguratc Il system Of irriga-
ton. This matter will doubtless be con
sidcrcd 10y the convention and its decis-
ion be embodied in appropriate resolu-
tions. The question of artcsian wells as
a means Of irrigation will also probably
be discussed. But whatever may be the
means best adapted to irrigate arid lands
the fact will be recognized that the
most barren plains, plateaus, and valleys
American desert can be made to bloom
and blossom as the rose by a practical
system of irrigation.
Irrigation is nearly as old as man him
self. 1t is not known just how Cain
titled the ground, but the supposition is
a reasonable one that the arid lands
around the garden Of Eden wouldn't
yield as much as Great Falls bench lands
without artificial waterings. 1t was
probably during a season of unusual
drOuth. when the streams had dried up
and he saw his crops parching and with
ering away, that he became desperate
and killed his brother Abel. The same
thing has happened in these latter days
over want of water for irrigation pur-
poses- that is some one else's brother
has been killed. These may be regarded
as proofs of the high C timation in which
an abundant supply Of irrigating water
is held by ancient and modern cult
vators of the soil. But this is a digres-
sion.
The Seattle Post Intelligencer, in a re-
cent issue. gives some valuable data o n
corning the irrigation of arid lands
which may move the people of northern
Montana to more active efforts in behalf
of the matter. 1t says:
In 1870 Greeley, Colorado, was a bar
rem plain, but irrigation bitches have
made it so productive that from LOO to
to 1900 car loads of potatoes a year are
shipped from Greeley. Systematic irri-
cation was begun in the same year at
Riverside, California, where shipments
of oranges last year amounted to nearly
two million dollars. In 1871 irrigation
was begun at Fresno, California, which
last year produced 100000 lbs. of
raisins. The introduction of irrigation
is causing cattle ranchmen on the Great
Plains to give way to grain raising. and
grain raising in California to give place
to fruit farming. The great ranches
of the last generation are now subdivid-
ing into small farms of from 10 to 100
acres. The most barren valleys of the
Great American Desert when irrigated
produce an enormous yield Of grain, root
and vegetable crops, and in some parts
Of California. Arizona, New Mexico and
Texas a large yield of olives. oranges.
grapes, figs, prunes, hemp and tobacco.
In California in the last decade the
eleven counties practicing systematic ir-
rigation show an increase of 1I3 per cent
in population compared with 30 per cent
for the state at large. In Gallatin
county. Montana, 10 bushels of oats to
the acre have been raised on land irri-
gated by bitches from mountain streams.
and in the Mojave desert of California
the finest wheat in the state was raised
in 1880 upon irrigated lands. In the
Great plains region there are nov 1,iOO
flowing artcsian wells: in the Antelope
are fifty wells and near Death valley
thirty wells. The Great American des-
ert still covers 10000 square miles, Of
which lO0,OnO.0OO acres are believed re-
claimable by irrigation. The reclaim
able area in San Bernardino county
alone is larger than the states of Della
ware and Maryland.