The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1904-05-21
IRRIGATION SUGGESTIONS.

lkNtuAllON SOUOEol IONS.
On Wednesday night at the Pio-
neer Office, number of citizens of
Mandan met Engineer S. B. Rob-
bins of the U. S. Reclamation Ser
vice. Mr.. Robbins has been sent
to North Dakota by Chief Engi-
neer Newell, for the purpose of
making Investigations as feasible
projects in this state for irrigation.
Mr.Robbins made a preliminary
statement to the meeting, in which
he remarked that there we're diff
culties in the way of the govern
ment doing irrigation work in this
state, which many of the citizens
were not aware of. In the first
place, there are no high mountains
containing melting SHOWS to supply
irrigation works when the water is
needed, as is the case in many of
the states where the government
money is being expended. The con-
figuration Of the land is such, and
the streams are provided with 40
little fall, that it is impracticable to
irrigate large areas of land from
diverted streams. As matter of
fact the most practicable method
Of accomplishing results from irri-
CATION lies in the hands of the small
farmer who can dam coulees, store
flood and snow waters, and in some
cases use steam or gasoline power
to pump water to his land.
Another tact which tends to.hin-
der irrigation works is the fact that
in ordinary years, there is enough
rainfall to mature ordinary crops,
and this state is unlike the arid
states, where crops cannot begrown
except by irrigation. Still, not
withstanding all these drawbacks,
the government was prepared to
undertake any work that would be
feasible so long as the work under
taken in any particular locality
would not cost so much as to make
the land benefited, bear a burden
that .puld .be prohibitive. For, as
Mr. Robbins stated, the govern
ment charges the cost of its works
to the land benefited, and the land
is required in a term of years to
pay this money back. .
A number of inquiries was made
of Mr.. Robbins by the gentlemen
present at the meeting and many in.
teresting facts we're gathered from
his experience in seeing alfalfa
grow In Montana. .@
Mr.. Robbins said that in each To-
cality it was largelya matter of ex-
pertinent with the farmer to know
Just how much water to put on his
land. What this section of North
Dakota needs is an experiment sta
tion where irrigation measures can
be tried, and where it can be dem
onstrated to visitors just how the
work should be done to procure the
best results. He said he had trav-
eled over this and other counties
west of the Missouri some little,
and he was surprised that more
farmers did not utilize the water
they had. Along the Sweet Briar,
for example, there are many places
where for a small amount Of labor,
farmers could dam the river and
have considerable reservoir to
food their land. Such flooding
would ensure a large hay crop, if
nothing else, and they could also
be used for grain growing. In this
section, one good flooding during
the season is enough to secure ex-
cellnnt results. Mr.. Robbins told
how the dams should be constructed
along such a stream as the Sweet
Briar. Brush should be used with
the but end down stream. The
brush should be weighted with
gravel and stone.
Mr.. Robbins urged the necessity