Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1891-02-06
> u. .oJaNtss5es
What An Artcsian Well Should Do.

Rev. Ira d. Clark, in the Dakota
Farmer, says: Much has been said
about irrigation in the Dakotas and
elsewhere during the past year; much
more remains to be said and too
much cannot be said. The United
States leads the world in almost
every thing but irrigation. Ii you
tell the average American that more
than half the products OF the world
are raised by irrigation he will hardly
believe you. Many will tell you that
it does not pay or that you cannot
irrigate our lands. There are but
two difficulties in the way OF lrriga.
tion in this country. One is the
want OF frstclass, cheap machinery
which should be laid down to the
farmer by the government without
further embarrassing our impov.
erished condition. The other
difficulty is the want OF know,
ledge requisite to properly and
cheaply apply the water to the land
when obtained. The first difficulty
can be obviated by the general govern
ment. A small part of the money
paid the government by our settlers
would supply the willing workers with
the means in every county. The Sec
ond difficulty will vanish before dis
cussion and practice. l have prac-
ticed irrigation elsewhere and know
that 1T is neither difficult or expensive,
when water is once obtained. This is
not political question OF any party,
but one which directly interests all
the people OF all the states lying along
the slopes Of the Rocky mountains,
one which must sooner or later be
met. Indeed there is not an acre of
land anywhere in the states, unless it
is marsh OF lies under an annually
ol erAowing river, that will not pay,
take ten years together, for irriga-
ton. We come then to the question,
what our artesian wells will d6. They
should be placed on thehighest ground
to be reached by water. If the well is
in town it may be used to run amill
as at Hitchcock and for the power
used in the town. 1t should be run
along all the streets near the sidewalks
to make sure the growth OF trees in all
streets and parks. A very small run
q foot or SO from the trees in a little
depression is all that is required. In
this way the beautiful trees in Denver
were first made to grow in an almost
rainless country. OF course it furnish
es all the water needed for the stock
and horses OF the city. From the
town the spare water of the we'll or
wells is carried by a ditch to the ecoun-
try for irrigation of farms.
Ii the well is in the country, first de-
termine what land is to be covered by
it. Place the well on the highest
ground and dig a ditch three or four
feet wide and a foot and half or two
feet deep according to the amount OF
water to becarrried. This ditch should
run along the highest ground. From
this shallow bitches may be made to
all parts of the field, all the time keep.
ing the water on the highest land and
gradually reaching lower levels. Great
care should be used not to run the
water into the depresssions. Keep it
when possible on the highest land by
crooking the ditch. The depressions
will usually get all and more water
than you want in them. A good well
should irrigate from 800 to 62O acres
according to the character of the land
and the skill OF the operator.
Irrigation will make the crop cer-
tain every year, and with skillfu1 using
will increase the crop three fold at
least. The field bitches should be
shallow and small as deep bitches are
inconvenient in use, hard to pass over
and conflict with next years planting.
A large ditch may be run at right an
giles from one to two rods apart. A
small plow or old fashioned single corn
plow will make the bitches large
enough. / am aware OF the difficulties
of making oneself understood without
a diagram and I will not pursue this
matter further. This we'll should fur
nish all the water for pasture and
barn, house and garden. This
would make sure abundance OF
trees and fruit OF all kinds common in
our climate. Rain produces trees and
trees produce rain. When once these
vast prairies are covered with trees
rain will be common and billiards un.
common; trees would form wind breaks
and fire breaks, and cloud breaks. A
row OF these trees might grow all the
,,NI E,1, IL -
the section road. The timber claims
could be fenced up and become wood
lot. Water will do all this and more
for us and west OF us, and under US is
the water waiting our invitation to
come to our help and make "the win,
ter OF our discomfort glorious sum.
mer," remove our mortgages, beautify
our homes and cover our vast plains
with verdure. i