Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-08-03
National irrigation Work Will Quad.
ripple the Amount Of TiIlabIe
Land in Montana.
ADD TO MINERAL PRODUCTION
Within the Next Ten Years Montana
Will Take the Lead in Area Of
irrigated Land.

AAAAt4 NhN AA'd9hA' RAHA'F VI Wv AAA
ion, potent as has been their inlu
in her development, and while
they are yet far from their maximum
output and value, must soon take a
second place in the states resources,
1t is Montana's destiny to be one OF
the richest agricultural states in the
union. As the agriculture Of Colora-
do. now the foremost state in the
production of precious metals, has al
ready outstripped her mines. so in
a few years will Montana's farming
lead her mines.
With lands of surprising fertility.
in which agricultural plant food has
lain stored for centuries, with no
drenching rains to leach them away,
and with a magnificent water supply
from the rain and SHOWS which fall
upon the high peaks and water sheds
of the continental divide, Montana's
fat cattle and sheep, splendid fruit,
heavy grains and varied agricultural
products will become widely famous.
The next ten years" said a promi-
nent official of the government recla.
nation service. in speaking Of the
great present and coming develop
ment of the far northwest. will see
Montana lead all the western states
in the area of her irrigated land. Her
agricultural future is assured and
brilliant. She has the land and she
has the waterfall that are needed in
the arid region to produce fabulous
wealth.
Montana has an area equal TO that
of France. She has, it has often been
stated by various authorities, with all
her great water supply conserved and
made to irrigate her rich lands, room
for as dense a population as that of
France.
Over three-fifths of this great state
is drained by the Missouri river and
its big tributaries, such as the Vel
lowstone, the Jefferson. the MIX river
and other branches. Strong rivers
these are, rushing down out of their
mountain fastnesses-the Absaroka,
the Snowy. the Big Horn and the
Wind river ranges-where at eleva'
lions of 5000 and 10000 and l. 1000
feet the SHOWS are perpetual, melting
under the summer suns and furnish
ing a constant water supply, especial
ly in the late summer when 1t Is most
needed for irrigation.
Although Montana's agricultural
greatness lies in the future, no small
development has already been accom-
plished by cooperative effort in irri'
CATION among farmers. In the last
few years the tide of immigration has
set in strongly and large areas are
being diverted to extensive farming.
The irrigated area, according to cen
sus figures, has increased during the
past two years at the rate OF about
100000 acres a year and now aggre-
gates 1,140,000 acres. This has been
accomplished by the cooperation OF
small communities and some of the
most successful examples are seen at
such places as Hinsdale and Chinook
in the great Milk River valley where
farmers have combined, taking up land
under the five year homestead law
and constructing their W irrigation
works. thus owning the land and the
water and paying no rent or tribute
to water companies or water bond
holders.
Most of these works have been
simple diversion propositions without
expensive dams and the cost has been
very light, land reclamation averag-
ing according to the 1900 census, but
S4.92 per acre. The opportunities are
legion where bands of 20 or 40 or 100
enterprising farmers with a little
money and with their strong arms
and good teams may build diversion
or storage dams and lead the water
out upon 160-acre homestead claims.
building up homes on the desert which
will make each and everyone of them
prosperous and wealthy. The great
productivity of Montana's lands is
shown by the census figures. The to-
tai amount invested in bitches in
Montana up to June /. 1900, was 81,
6S3, 073. while the total value of irri.
CATION products for the one year
1899, was s~7.230,042.
Considerable of the land of north
ern and western Montana does not
require extensive irrigation. The
Flathead Indian reservation attract
ing attention at present. comprises
over a million acres, lying near the
Rockies and includes much fertile
land which will grow magnificent
crops under its natural rainfall. This
reservation will be open TO settlement
sometime during the summer.
At the rate of increase in farming
and irrigation in the state during tn,
last census decade the mex ten year
will see Montana's cultivated arei
trebled If not quadrupled, even leav
ing out of consideration the vast rec
lamation works proposed by the fed
eral government under the natlona
irrigation law.
Changing the Course OF Nature.
The project for storing the foo
waters of the Milk River in northern
Montana under the direction of Eng
neer Cyrus c. Babb Of the govern
ment survey, is one OF the first grea
works investigated by the govern
ment engineers, even before the pass
age Of the national irrigation acI
This involves huge dams and canals
and will reclaim, when carried to fu.
completion a very Urge area-prol
ably half a million acres-of exceed
ingly rich land in the already famou
Milk River vallc".. 1t will be a (;
nous engineering exploit, by whic
the water now flowing into the SaI
k%atchewan. and thence into Hudso
bay will be carried into the MissouI
basin and ultimately reach the Gu
of Mexico. The government eng
neers are now working upon this pr
ject on the lower reaches OF the Nil
river. The government has also tai