Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-01-25
red in irrigation and the artesian

DaSlu.
Twentv.one arsesian wells have been
ompleted in the state during the past
ar. nine are now under contract and
ten are contemplated. In speaking OF
irrigation the past year the report says:
The great precipitation OF snow in
March last, and OF rain.in the months OF
April and May following, was not pro
motive Of irrigation experiments.
Nothing save n showing OF results OBJ
tanned by simple and practical methods
will speedily lead to the general utiliza-
ton of the artesian supply. With the
view of providing the object lesson de-
manded efforts were made to establish
an eype mental station but TIN 'egisla'
ture failed to provide funds for % pur-
pose; u station was provided without
expense to the state and placed in charge
of Mr.. Bartholomew. A letter from Mr..
bartholomew to the state engineer en-
bo,iying his success has been published.
BY the co. operation OF the farmers
and volunteer observers it is hoped that
a number OF experiment stations will
next season be established.
An irrigational statistical crop report
blank is being prepared for use next
season and other methods are being in
stituted for procuring data and present
ing them in convenient formfor reference.
The fact that there is an erroneous
prevailing opinion that irrigation i'm
plies an imperative need practically to
the extent that it means either to
abandon the country or to artifcially
moisten it's soil, leads some OF our citi-
gems to decry ever q discussion OF the
auhIapt on tho ,nnI that N WRONG in
ference nigh drawn from it by the
people CT other states regarding South
Dakota. All concede that no such abso-
lutte necessity exists. Notwithstanding
this all should admit that a little more
water on the surface would be a good
thing and if artesian irrigation cau be
made to pay Lo valid objection can be
urged against its adoption or to a can
did discussion OF the question.
There are two principal water-bcar-
ing strata in the artesian basin OF the
state. From either of them is obtained
q flow OF high pressure and great vol
ume, and Immediately over each is a
hard stratum, denominated shell or cap
rock, composed largely OF silicates, iron
pSrites and shale, found varying in
thickness from 3 1-2 to ID feet. The
supply found by penetrating the upper
cap rock is known as the FIRST true
artesian fow," and that which ome
from beneath the lower cap rock, il
called The second true artesian flow"
he water bearing rock in which the
first OF these flows is found il only "A few
feet in thickness. The strata interven-
lug between this cap rock and the cap
rock OF the second flow, a distance
var yiprr frnvn OK Sx TN f.ne ,r 49,.
posed :mainly of shale and sand rock,
but in SOM districts shale, mud and
loose sand are also found.
The majority OF the wells of our state
hay- been piped only into the first ar
cIOgged by accTmulutions doubtless cut
from the water bearing rock itself or
from the underlying shale and carried
TO the pipe by the strong outflow from
the well. Some wells have been drilled
down through the lower cap rock into
the SECOND fiow." bnt have been pip+d
only into the FIRST flow" These are
also liable to become cIogged.
No well known 10 be cased through
the second flow has been stopped I'D
from any cause.
The Importance Of reservoir storage
49," hhihcsN4 supply VI WATER
flowing to waste from the well il at
tractlng sone attention, but not to the
extent that it will surely receive. TN a
further tst OF the merits OF artesian ir-
rigation. Two months in tn. year the
water can be applied to growing crops
and one month Tor preparing ground
Tor fall blowing, leaving nine months
OF the year in which no irrigation bene-
fit is derived. The most practical
methods Tor storing yet prepared is the
I, utilizing OF dry lake beds and O.. her de-
prrsslons for storing the water. @@ #"
A letter from ID. Z. Harrison. connected
with the United States Geologicai Sur
ye,y shows that more than one-half the
land in the Jim River valley, the part
OF the state winch he has examined, can
be successfully irrigated by artesian
wells. .... ....
The reports Of the strata OF q number
OF the art,siau wells have been secured
from the drillers aud will prov. of much
interest; The following is the report OF
Yin" well at the Indian school near
Pierre.