Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1903-05-14
VALUABLE IRRIGATION TEST TO Re MADE
IN MONTANA TINS YEAR.
DEPARTMENTAL COOPERATE
with State Experiment Station. el>vood.
Mead Speaks Of Work Planned.

Helena Independent: Elwood Mead,
one of the foremost irrigation experts,
of the United States, spent yesterday
in Helena on business connected with
his department., leaving in the after
noon for Washington, his headquarters.
Mr.. Mead fills the position of chief of
irrigation Investigations, branch of
the department of agriculture, and has
been on a tour Of the arid states for the
purpose of arranging for field work to.
be done this year by his department.
While in Helena Mr.. Mead held a
conference with Professor Samuel For
tier, director of the agricultural ex-
pertinent station at Bozeman, who,
came over to meet him Thursday night.
Yesterday afternoon was spent at the
state capitol by Mr.. Mead, where he
conferred with Governor Joseph X.
Toole and Assistant State Examiner
F. H. Ray.
Cooperative Work.
'This branch of the department of
agriculture" Mr.. Mead said to The
Independent, in speaking of the work
OF his department. 'co-opera ates largely
with the state agricultural experiment
stations and enables them to extend
their studies beyond what their means
alone would permit. So that the work
we are doing and propose to do in Mon
tana is entirely in cooperation with
the station at Bozeman.
Zone of the things our branch of the
department proposes to do this year is
to measure the amount of water used
in irrigation and the effect of different
methods of applying water in the guam
tity needed. In this manner we will
measure the water used on I8, 600 acres
of land in the Bitter Root valley. We
will also make measurements to deter
mine the losses to canals by seepage
and losses to canals and reservoirs by
evaporation.
Facts for Ditch Builders.
"These results will be published in
bulletin form and distributed among
the farmers. The object is to show
what can be done with the water sup
ply and furnish facts that ditch build
ers will need in planning new works,
and assist farmers who come into the
west from the eastern states by giving
them the facts as already proven by
experience in their new homes. If we
can help to increase the area irrigated
by an inch of water, then we have done
that which justifies the establishment
of the department, and we feel sure
that we can do this.
Winter Irrigatio
''Another thing we are arranging to
do this year is to study what can be
done with winter irrigation and the use
of the flood waters of the little streams
that come down out of the hills. There
are comparatively large areas in Mon
tana where crops can be grown with
out irrigation. We believe there are
other areas where, if we can fill the
soil in winter or save the water that
goes to waste in the spring, crops can
be grown regardless of whether there
is water for late irrigation. We are
going to arrange with farmers to win
ter-irrigate tracts in those sections
where we believe such irrigation will
grow profitable crops. The location
of these trails has not yet been deter
mined, but they will probably be made
in the Gallatin and Prickly Pear VAL
leys and in the vicinity of Great Falls.
Statistics of Dry Farming.
''We are going to gather statistics of
dry farming and make reports on the
methods and yields. Work similar to
this will be carried on in Oregon and
California, and this Will give us an op-
portunity to compare results.
zone of the branches OF our work is
the preparation Of plans for the re-
moval of surplus and seepage water
in irrigation. have just come from
the Yakima valley, where some of the
older irrigated lands will have to be
drained, and where our drainage ex-
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