Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-08-29

mat tns strata or south Dakota, according
to his theory. was perpendicular Instead OF
lateral. which was the case In many of tho
states. The water when poured on went
straight down TO the clay subsoil. which
formed q vast reservoir that held the water
Tor future use.
Independent Of Jupiter Pluv!zs.
When the hot weather came II was drawn
to the surface as the crops required 1t.
and rendered the crops independent Of
water from above. In states where the
strata was lateral the capillary action was
lateral also. and any quantity Of water
Put on would percslats toward rivers.
creeks or lower ground. That way irrigation
would enable q man to make his own sea
sons for putting In his crops. IL q farmer
In ordinary dry farming would secure
respectable results be must have every
thing put In by a certain day. The sdvan-
tsge would be that he can take his Tins
and cultivate properly. Another advantage
which had been demonstrated on the Frank
fort farm was that In relation to destruc-
tion BY early frosts Irrigation made q
climatic change In Dakota equivalent to the
removal of q farm 40 or 800 miles fur
Their south. 1t had been shown that irri-
cation would check frost from doing dam
age Till the Thermometer reached twenty
four degrees. In 1891, on the 6rst Of Sep
TENDER. the fields around the Frankfort
Irrigation farm were completely destroyed
W iEUeL I'm u Irrigated ground EelOk
or mllet, lax and corn were not hurt In
the slightest degree. Mr.. Riggs explains
this on the theory that the soil abserbs a
great deal of heat In summer. BY capil-
larry action the moisture from irrigation is
brought TO the surface. When the cold
wave passes over the surface this moisture
Is warmer than the atmosphere and conse-
Quently condenses Into q fog. The fog
forms a blanket which prevents the irri-
gated crop from freezing. Another farm
near Reddeld has been irrigated by Mr..
Riggs for the last two Year,. hessrs. Has
sell and Myers, who owned this farm, hsv-
Ing seen the irrigation results of Mr.. Riggs
at Frankfort, got him to take hold with
them two yeRrc ago. A drive to t.s Has
Of the house Of representatives, who is
enthusiastic over irrigation, amply repaid
the trouble. The shocks lie thickly to-
gether and the ears give the appearance
OF an extraordinary crop. Tie pasture 10
as green as Irish pasture and a second crop
OF red clover and timothy on one field
stands over a foot high. Buck wheat was
seen growing luxuriously and uncut fax
looked better than any grown in Mime
sofa. The estimate is that over that whole
s0o-acre farm oats will give 100 bushels
to the acre; wheat, 40 bushels; barley, 70
bushels; fax. % bushels; corn, so bushels;
potatoes, 200 bushels TO the acre. All
@NNAA ~ AhN AAhA a "
The Average OF Wheat
VIII not be more than seven or eight bush
els and oats and barley not more than ten
bushelG to the acre. A four and a half inch
well irrigates the farm and performs two
other pieces OF work. The motive power
for a feed mill is secured from II and the
motive power also which lights nedEeld
by electricity. 1t may be mentioned in
passing that Redheld has another ~artssian
well in town which is used for FIRE protee-
ton and domestic purposes, and the citi-
xens having no ban put on them against
ORA wing OF water, keep the pipes going
night and day. with the result that the
laws and trees OF their pretty town are
as green now as might be looked for in
the end of May. The people generally
take q pride In their lawns and Keep them
as smooth as a carpet.
what would the hrst expenses Of irri-
eating that farm cost1" Mr.. Riggs was
asked.
at could be done now for about 81. 700
or 81, sO0." The four and a half inch well
could be put in for 81, 500. The reservoir
OF Ave acres might cost $500 and the
bitches not much more than 500. II the
farmer and his men gave a good deal Of
their spare time to the work 1t could be
done for less. There is only one main ditch
eight feet wide and two feet deep. which
runs diagonally through the farm. Gates
are put In about forty rods apart which can
bs opened at will and the water let cut on
the fields. II II Is seen that there are parts
Of a field which the water is not touching.
Checks are made by a pillow, SO that any
field or ordinary level prairie can be wholly
covered. The best time to irTtgate 1t has
been found Is Immediately after the crop
Is taken of, and though 1t should not get
any more water from that source, a good
crop is assured. 1t has been found, how
49, - - - Efa
the seed has beer rut in will make a great
crop more certain.
Tho difficulty hitherto In the case OF men
who have attempted to irrigate small
patches has been that they did not know
how TO spread the water properly. and soon
gave II up In despair. Within . radius Of
q few miles Of Redield this fail a dozen
wells at least will be put la, and a great
many more would have been sunk II the
farmers only had the money. There are
hundreds OF farmers in central South Da-
kots holding a section of land each who
would willing give half a section to any
man who would sink a well to water the
whole section. And about this there can
be no reasonable doubt that any man who
sexpended his money IN that way would get
Ut all back again In one crop.
. As a Motive Power.
Several villages In this vicinity have util-
lied the artesian weu power for milling
purposes. At Hitchcock, for example, an
artesian well 3s inches in diameter has
run 4 forty-barrel roller mill fer four years,
and has been used at the same time for
domestic purposes and tire protsction- A
loan company began irrigation with the
water, but they only meant TO develop the
arrig ton idea among the farmers. The
FARMERS were slow to take held OF IL, and
the loan company let it 20. dir. Riggs
says that II took forty years OF chastise-
nent to open the eyes OF the children or
Israel, and the South Dakota farmers OF
to-day are getting their eyes slowly opened
10 irrigation In the same way. He be-
iisves that II will only be a question OF a
few years, though. when every farmer In
the greater part OF the state who owns
even a quarter section will have an arte-
sian well on IL, and the state thes, with Its
two feet Of fat loan all over, must neces-
sariiy be the garden Of America. A ss-
Inch well Ii more than ample to irrigats q
quarter section. A well Of that size viii
throw 400 gallons q minute, and II kept
going all the year round Will cover 1Co
acres with four feet Of water. The average
rainfall necessary to produce a good crop
ts about three feet In lie year. There are
men at the present time advertising tnem-
selves as willing to put down q 3hruch
well for 81 POO. The only lack 10 the lack
OF money to secure the wellmaksr. But
with the results procured and the general
enthusiasm which has been stirred up In
this region In the last few veelT In favor
OF Irrigation, there is certain tol s money
found coninr from unexpected quarters.