Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-29


rldicule for the surrounding farmers, who
jeered at the Idea OF successful irrigation.
But Mr.. Hunter, although many other men
would long ago have become discouraged,
was more determined than ever that he was
on the right track and that he would even
tually succeed. How we'll his faith has
been rewarded can be seen by the returns
this season from his land. He was also
fortunate in securing the services OF II. w.
Meserve, an irrigation expert from Call
forria. When he came to the state, only
n few months ago, he had little faith In
successful irrigation here, but this seasons
experience has proved to him that there
were prospects and possibilities mere of
which he had never dreamed in California
lie now expresses the opinion that where
in California 1t costs $40 an acre to irrl-
gate here II costs only from 81 to 81 an
acre. and that he had never seen country
where irrigation was so complete and cheap
as here, or witnessed better results He had
intended returning to California this fall, but
has ~now decided to remain in the state
another season, and will have charge OF
several new irrigated farms, which have
been decided on. Mr.. Meserve believes that
by the close of two or three more seasons
that still better results can be expected as
IL will take that length of time, in his
opinion, to learn exactly how to handle the
various fields and make them yield to their
utmost
This season was an unusual one, frosts
| but nevertheless the oats on this farm
! averaged seventy eight and one-half bushels
| to the acre and weighed forty-three POUNDS
| to the bushel; early corn that was not IN
! jured by frost averaged forty bushels; late
| corn was caught by frost and will average
about twenty bushels Had frost held OF
as late as usual this fall the Iowa corn on
| the farm would have averaged at least nifty
| bushels per acre. This, 1t must be remem-
bered, was in a section far removed from
| the famous corn belt, and where very little
| good corn is ever RAISED Two hundred acres
| of potatoes will average 200 bushels per
acre. These at the contract price OF rs
| cents per bushel, brings Hunter revenue
| of $2S per acre. Four thousand dollars,
| cleared this season, is a good return as profit
| upon an investment OF $4,000, the total
| cost of the farm, well, reservoir, ditches
| and other improvements.
EXPECT BETTER RETURNS.
But this is much less than is expected
another year after the experience of this
| season. Irrigation experts anticipate that
| the judicious use of water will result In
| fifty bushels of wheat per acre, l25 bushels
| of oats 100 bushels of barley, $50 bushels
| of potatoes, and other products adapted to
| this climate In like proportion.
One of the interesting features on the
| Hunter farm was the experimental GROUNDS
| Here all sorts of things were grown for the
purpose of determining those best adapted
| to this climate. Among the things tested
! were eighteen kinds OF trees eighteen OF
| clover six of barley, three of rye, five OF
| peas. thirty-nine of grasses, seven OF wheat
| thirteen of oats, fourteen Of vetches, twenty
| one of onions, fifty Of lettuce, fifty-three or
| beans, nineteen varieties Of beets, twenty.
| nine of turnips, seventy-two OF corn anu
| cane, twenty-five of carrots, twenty-seven OF
| cabbage; also all kinds of vegetables in ad-
dltion to those mentioned, vines of various
kinds forage plants, etc. The result OF the
| experiment shows in a practical manner the
| kinds adapted to this section and the In
| ....1l ~ xyn1 oht q
| putting in next seasons crop. The tests
| show that with sufficient moisture South
Dakota can grow anything that an Illinois
| or Iowa farm can.
| farmer owning land adjoining the Hun
| ter farm early in last June, when much
| moisture had fallen, said he would certainly
| beat the yield of wheat on the Hunter place.
| In the middle of June, the weather having
| continued dry for ten days or So the farmer
| said he would at least equal the yield of
| wheat on the irrigated farm. The de-
structive hot winds CT July and practi-
| cally ruined his crop as well as that OF many
| other South Dakota farmers, while those two
| days were the making of the wheat crop on
| the Hunter farm. Result: Wheat on the
| Hunter farm with irrigation yielded thirty
| four bushels per acre, while on the adjoining
| farm without irrigation it yielded but twelve
| bushels per acre.
| OTHERS FOLLOWING THE LEAD.
| 1t Is estimated that during the past sum-
| In
| Hunter farm and all OF them returned home
| with new ideas of the possibilities OF irriga-
! tion. The visits have borne good fruit, as 1t
is known that fully 100 farmers on one line
| of railroad alone have decided to sink artesian
| wells Of their own and depend in the future
| on irrigation. Hundreds of letters are also
being received by Mr.. Hunter asking for in
| formation.
This is certainly an ideal farm. The well
can develop thirty horse power, and the
.; x.,ilI xxt,a ttpal nj thn
| on the farm will be done by electricity, gene
rated by power from the well. The water
can, Of course be used for irrigating after
being used for power, and thus serve two
purposes. As a preliminary to plans looking
| to this end the owner of the land is pre-
| pairing to put in a dynamo, which VIII be
used to furnish electricity for heating and
| lighting the buildings now on the place A
telephone line is also to be put in at once
| between the farm and the town Of Mellette,
| two and one-half miles distant.
Teams are now at work building grade
across one end of a natural lake bed. intend
| Ing to make fine FISH pond of about six
| acres, which will contain five and six feet
| of water. The farm is also being
| fenced with wire The posts are of steel
AS fast as Russian thistles lodge against the
fences they will be burned without injury
to the fence instead of being permitted to
| blow through the country and scatter their
| seeds broadcast
Mr.. Hunter states that a total Of ninety
| two carloads of products will be shipped from
| the farm this fall. During the winter 100
head Of young cattle will range over the
| land.
| The above is an outline of what can be
| accomplished by scientific irrigation by the
| reservoir system. Now let consider the
| crude method by which considerable irrga-
| tion has been done by individuals who have
not yet, for various reasons, adopted the
reservoir, or flooding system. These have
! depended upon bitches to carry the water
| direct from the well to their fields.
| WELL PAID FOR IN ONE SEASON.
| A very successful sample of what this sort
| Of irrigation can do is to be seen on the
| farm of o. Turgeon, located south of this
| city on the Missouri river bottom. Early
| in the present year Mr.. Turgeon sank an
| eight-inch artesian well. 1t is CSC feet deep
with a nineteen-inch flow. The well cost
| exactly $4,000. The owner never previously
| had any experience in irrgating. He put in
| ninety acres Of corn on a field which has
| gradual slope from the point where the well
| is located Two bitches. four feet wide,
| were constructed along one end and one side
| OF the field. When Turgeon was ready to
| apply the water to his growing corn, or
| thought the corn needed it, he tapped the
bitches, letting the water run in small fur
rows between every other row. 1t took but
five days for him. working alone, to irrigate
the entire ninety acres. OF course, the
ground near the bitches became so saturated
with water that IL was feared the corn there