Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-05-23

go to swell the great river in its all.
nual carnival of destruction. Here,
with intelligent utilization, is the
foundation of an empire. This section
has already been developed to it's nat
ural capacity. Rich in native grasses
and well watered, this Is prominently
a live stock country, but the end of
successful ranching on a big scale las
been reached. The farmer settler has
distributed himself throughout most
Of this district, cutting the free range
to Improbable limits.
The problem Of the future of our
live stock interests Is before us. With
the assured growth of fodder. crops,
under irrigation, this chief industry of
importance can not only be
maintained, but, under new conditions
and with improved methods, be made
Of even greater value. This is no new
it has been repeatedly
tested successfully. To illustrate: It
requires fifteen acres of average graz
ing land to feed one COW, while one
acre Of irrigated alfalfa will easily sus-
tain two cows. This, applied to the
one industry of stock growing in the
draining district of the Missouri in
North Dakota, would, allowing one
fourth of the area available. for par
tial irrigation, give 81 $50 homesteads
of 100 acres each. Say only 40 acres
could be irrigated, which would be only
one-sixteenth of the entire area (sure-
ly low estimate) and it &ould make
sure provision for eighty head of cattle
to each homestead, or a grand total of
2,400, 000-more than three times as
many as heretofore maintained in the
whole district, besides leaving 10000
900 acres Of undeveloped grazing land
not included in these homesteads.
Our stockmen need the stimulus of
an object lesson, and irrigation fur
nishes that lesson. AS George II.
Maxwell has said, "The sight of herd
of fat cattle up to their bellies in u
field of irrigated alfalfa, will chisel an
impression that will stay" When we
can finish our beef and mutton in such
fields, then we shall have reached the
climax in production, not yet attained
On this country. To do this requires
the storage of flood waters at such
available points as will distribute their
application throughout the district.
The even distribution of these water
courses makes a complete network and
furnishes many feasible reservoir sites.
What though the flow of these streams
during the dry season be not sufficient
for practical use? The food waters
the sufficient for even more than we
have estimated. Our soil and condi-
lions do not require continued surface
application of water. Personal ex-
perience has proved to me that the
ground, once we'll flooded-soaked to
soil depth-will carry a crop through
bhe dryest of seasons late fall flooding
proving to be best. T..
And where 1t would not be practical
bic to conduct the water in gravity
sditches. IL would be perfectly feasible,
with our, cheap fuel Of ignite coal, to
pump the stored water to arabic land.
It is no new thing for governments
to store food waters. The Russian
government has built dams across dry
valleys and gullies to collect the foods.
We have q great number $of living
creeks and small rivers, which at per
ziods Of melting snow and heavy rains
are torrents Of no mean proportions.
BY diversifying production and varied
industries, I bespeak their application
to far greater results than herein
mentioned. This plan Of developme
however, ID but 4 small part Of what
can be done for the state. 53s5
We now come to the consideration
OF the great river Of the west the
Missouri whose wealth Of water flows
70 waste and destruction through 300
miles of diversified, fertile and largely
Iundeveloped North Dakota land. The
utilization 81 these waters for extens-
I've irrigation is not new idea but