Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-07-17
pIGATION IN
SOUTH
-. ;med and Value Of Crope Is Very Larse
Number Of Irrigators Increasing and
Systems Extended.

- Irrigated
area i confined largely to the
p, ls"r,a as the Black Hills coun,
" -'.steru parts Of the state ana
ihe ALLOWING counties: Butte,
Il Fail al River, Lawrence Meade
sauington. ,,h,v shaped
'e = the MISUNDERSTANDING
y no base and the north and
ins = the Cheyenne rives as the
c,.,.,ne, like all the rivers of the
Inject to sudden rises during
aal cloudbursts, and at such
! great volumes of water lit
IA can be utilized. 1t receives
vain drainage in Wyoming and
'' !. i,rpcular and uncertain. SO
y. rttle land is irrigated from it.
Wy midsummer flow OF the
svsi ",bare il enters South Dakota
~. :, 70 fifteen feet. Two large
- been constructed near Edge
! h1 r',, river county, appropriating
= To- in the river and also that
s tbe tributary streams. These
y ! y ~ere ouite expensive, but the
! ;rripated by them in 1899 was
'rstively small.
|, su.piied From Cheyenne.
.,..u, al the area irrigated from
!. 4 South Dakota is supplied
r. tributaries of the Cheyenne
Ss.d among the slopes Of the
nils and afford IA small but GER
,,ter supply because OF the tim
character Of the country which
rain.
among these are the follow
hrtsr,es Of the south fork: Rapid,
ana Boxelder creeks in Custer
bennington counties. and Beaver
and Fall river in Fall River
three mentioned furnish water
. than one-half OF the area irri-
hy canals and bitches in the state.
supply is not sufficient for the
uder ditch, but the shortage could
,pdied by the construction Of res
IN which 10 store the floods. This
hermit the extension Of bitches
4 reclamation Of "A much larger
I land.
first important tributary Of the
fork is Bear Butte creek, which
: the water for nearly all the irri-
lrea in Meade county, its full flow
Lawrence county the principal
Of water supply is Spearfish
which is fully appropriated. al
By he practice Of economy in the
water a larger area could be
I under cultivation.
most valuable irrigated land in the
located on this stream, the prices
from S25 to $50 per acre, with
f.fa land worth as high as $50
Basin Well Developed.
great artesian basin of the eastern
Of the state has been extensively
Preliminary Investigations
by the geological survey indicate
the entire state Is under
! the Dakota sandstone, which,
bout its extent, is more or less
saturated with water.
al Of these wells flow from 1900
' gallons a minute, with pressures
E instances over $50 pounds per
inch.
pressure Of the large wells is
used directly for power to run
curing mills, electric light plants,
pumps and other machinery.
principal use Of the water. how.
Tor irrigation and domestic pur,
ana the acreage irrigated has in.
largely in ten years.
llnatlon Of the numerous reports
= nom irrigators from wells indi,
great difference of opinion as to
iu'e value Of artesian water fol-
On.
may be accounted for partly by
! . ? all these waters do not pos.
: same qualities. some being quite
! very strongly impregRated with
AAneral matter injurious to plant
VI knowledge as to the proper use
on growing crops and the best
apply 1t is responsible for many
generally, however, irrigation
= Weiis has resulted In augment,
.ieids OF vegetables and garden
ana in insuring large crops OF
cereals,
were operated in 1899 in South
iop irrigation systems receiving
- vn streams by gravity diversion.
:. 9 ; OF construction Of these
was S231 ,740, or an average of
: acre irrigated.
number of irrigators increased
Ten years ending with the
.elsus year from 1S9 to 500, OF
VENT and the number of acres
run 1911 to 43,676, or 177.9
.otal number of acres irrigated
!, ere watered from streams by
=. sfaylty diversion bitches and
res from wells.
{ o. irrigated area in crops in
Z. VOL acres, and the value of
~ products was sos, G65. or
" So.S9 per acre. The acre
tai ana forage was TAB per cent
District Fair.
'ict fair, to be held on the
y The Central South Dakota
ation, adjoining Huron, will
n e Immediately following the
at Yankton. Arrangements
nue way for much of the fins