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

The old sy2fem OF farming, which makes
but a poor she- beside the irrigated crops.
On the farm proper 600 acres are put down
In wheat. oats and potatoes. Those who
have seen the crops In shock conclude that
the wheat will give forty susheis TO the
acre: oats. saghty-nve bushels, and potatoes
200 bushels to the acre. In the village of
Aellette there Is q fo1r-and one half-inc
artesian well which works q f~fty-barrel
roller mill. At night the power Is turned
on to dynamos and furnishes light for the
town. The town besides has the use Of the
water fer domestic purposes and IRE pro-
lection. The rent that 10 paid by the mill
Ing company pays the annual interest en-
the bonds and pays int the sinking fund .
sum sufHoent to iiquidate the debt in seven
years. But II the water were being utilized
for irrigation purposes slse the Mellette
people would receive from IL q rent revenue
Of from $500 TO $500 q year at least on the
thousands Of acres that could be watered
by 1t. This years irrigation results and
the stir In the country consequent on this
will, in all likelihood, bring about the fur
Their result. that before another three
months go round all the acres that lie
around Mellette will be irrigated from the
villa &c well. II the railroad companies
could see their way to carry the well sup
plies free OF freight, II Is believed that In
one year they would get all their money
back. The freight Of coal and material for
each well comes to about 500, but every
farmer that puts In q well would In one
year, from the irrigated farm, pay more
than sum TO the railway for carrying on
the produce which would be the result OF
irrigation. The railway companies who
have sunksn their plant here are likely to
q common understanding that 1t will be for
their own best interests, as well as a great
boon TO the farmers Of Dakota, that they
should offsr this fall TO bring In as much
well supplies free as the people are pre-
pared TO make use OF. There 10 word mean-
time from Huron Of forming a mortgage
company from which farmers can borrow
money ON the security OF a crop mortgage.
This Is a most promising project. Mort
cages OH crop under the dry system OF
IA rming In past years have rot turned out
favorably fer the MORTGAGE sometimes;
but under the irrigation system 1t has been
clearly demonstrated now that money
loaned on such security cannot possibly be
lost, except by hail or similar calamity.
Perhaps the most interesting In many ways
of all the instances OF what Irrigation can
do on Dakota land is TO be seen just now ten
miles south Of Huron. Two years ago a
Eix-inch woll was sunken theirs on the
township principle OF the Melville law.
After the well was dug and the fow rush
Ing out at a great rate, there arose a dis
pute between the township and the well
contractor about payment.
Three Bright Farmers.
The contractor refused to allow the town
ship to make use of the water until he was
paid, SO that nothing was done with the
water that year. The dispute was settled
by and by, but the litigation, which was
costly to the farmers, Disguised them with
Irrigation, and they failed to take he fur
Their steps necessary OF putting in a reser-
yoir and bitches. LAST fall, however, three
farmers, determined 10 make some use Of
the water for their land, and accordingly
set to work making bitches to the parts Of
their farms which could he most easily
reached without troubling with q reservoir.
The bitches were made by the farmers
themselves on the cheapest scale and are
not more than three feet wide and two feet
deep. The flow was turned into these
bitches and let Off irregularly at certain
points. with little attempt, by pillow ruts,
TO scatter II over the parts even which lay
In close contigulty 10 the bitches. The
result on the water0d spots Is q marvel.
The ordinary crops around there are poor
and tbs contrast is the rore conspicuous.
When the wheat and oats were growing
It could be told at q glance a quarter Of a
ulls away where the water covered.
The irrigated grain stood fully a foot and
a half above the grain that got no water
from irrigation. One farmer, BesqrUd, who
was the most active among them In irri-
eating last fall, has fifty or sixty stacks
Of fine grain standing In bis nelds now.
and the others have at least three or four
times as much grain as those who are with
In easy reach OF the well but did not take
advantage OF turning the water on their
farms. 1t Is estimated that Besorud will
have from IS 10 40 bushels an acre Of
wheat and from sc to 100 bushels Of oats.
The Inhabitants OF Huron and many
strangers have been making numerous Wis.
Its to this well. The well is enclosed In
a wooden box ten or twelve feet square.
and through a pipe standing six feet sbovs
the ground Is pouring out Its limpid waters
at the rate OF 1000 gallons q minute into
the three ~troushs provided by the farmers
to carry 1t into the mouths Of the bitches.
That well has been put down In the high.
est ground within a radius Of several miles
and Is said TO be capable OF irrigstlng ef.
fectuaily six thousand seres. Instead Of
that being done only a thousand acres have
been partially irrigated ana the water run.
Mig to waste all the time. If the farmers
In that vicinity and in other vic,nitie.
where wells have already been put In ex.
srt themselves this fall and sxpend on
ditchipg their whole energy they now know
the sure outcome next harvest. Aad II
farmers generally over the state make up
their minds that irrigation must be done by
hook or by crook and keep ngitst.ng and
working until II Is done there cannot but
be . great history for South Dakota in the
near future. John Sinclair.