Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1904-09-23
COOPERATIVE IRRIGATION.
Showing What Intelligent Labor Has Ac
complished-And Can do.

Showing What Intelligent Labor Has Ac
complished-And Can do.
H1NsDALE, Mont, Sept. 10, 1904
Special correspondence. Eastern farm
ers would have their eyes opened as to
the value of the water running through
their farms if they could see the irri-
CATION development in the Milk River
valley, and how easy it is to construct
small irrigation systems.
An irrigation canal has just been
completed at Hinsdale e-the Rock Greek
canal-which will water sixty 16O acre
farms. Every particle of the work has
been done by the owners of these farms.
Each mans work and team has been
credited against the cost of the con-
struction, and the actual cash outlay
has been less than 81 per acre. The
total tost of the building of the dam,
the main canal and the lateral bitches
and actually getting the water onto the
land, is about So per acre. This is an
extremely favorable condition and the
men who have gone into this ander-
taking are fortunate. They now have
land with Il perpetual water right which
is the safest security for mortgage of
any property in the world. The crops
are assured and the homestead will
produce $1,000 year, above all ex-
penses and living, as surely as though
it were sub station of the government
with that salary attached. Better than
that, it will produce, with intelligent
handling by some of the owners, $4,000
or $4,000, for agriculture in this entire
northwest is but just emerging from a
state of comparatively crude farming
What does this little irrigating center
mean, in agricultural Development
Hlnsdale, but yesterday railroad flag
station with a business of not s25 a
month? Assume the irrigated area
10000 acres-to be divided equally and
planted to wheat, barley, oats, potatoes
and alfalfa. What would it produce
next year? The following figures err
on the side of conservatism, yet the
showing is not discouraging:
Wheat, yield per acre. 30 bushels;
value, s52,5OO.
Barley, yield per acre, 80 bushels;
value, sT73,G0O
Oats, yield per acre, 60 bushels; val
ue, s63GOO
Potatoes, yield per acre, 300 bushels;
value, s3GO,OO0.
Alfalfa, yield per acre, s toms: value
$4,000.
Here is a total annual farm produc
tion OF s629,I0O from land which until
now has produced at the most not to
exceed 200 head of cattle. And this is
Il very conservative basis of what can
be expected during the early years of
the community before the raising of
such intensive crops as berries. frnit
orchards, melons. sugar beets, etc, are
engaged in. when the income will be
far greater.
The solid and substantial editice
upon which this Irrigation colony is
planted is crop Insurance. The bitches
are the insurance. The premium which
they cost is slight only few cents
per acre for maintenance and the re.
suits are made certain 10y them.
Hinsdale may not rise with the
meteor-like rapidity of some of the
boom towns OF the northwest where
great acreages in wheat, during few
wet years have brought in large money
returns and where people are falling
over themselves to move in, deluding
themselves with the idea that the eli
mate is changing and that the blowing
OF the land and other such puny human
operations are permanently increasing
the rainfall; but Hinsdale will grow.
She will grow steadily; when her citi-
zens build their houses or erect public
buildings or school houses they will
build for the future and with the ab-
solute knowledge that there will never
be backward step in the community
and that the growth will be steady,
sure and increasing
Entirely ontside of the arid region
the country has many opportunities
for just such splendid development
as can be seen today in the little COM
munity of Hinsdale. Some day they
will be seized upon and not only will
intermittant drouths be prevented but
the yield of the average year will be
very largely augmented.
Opening of Fall River House.