The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-05-24
taries, as defined above, supplied

irrigated area of the stata
The Missouri is formed by the con-
fuence at different points in the state
of the Jefferson, Madison and Galla-
tin rivers. These streams having their
sources in the mountains flow thr &
broad valleys excellently ADAPTED to
agriculture. The valleys of the main
streams are often from 40 to so niles
long and several miles wide, and ow
ing to the low elevation are very
highly cultivable.
In 1902 this porticnl of The Missouri
and tributaries and the springs and
wells within the basin supplied water
to Sill farms with an irrigated area
of 410,t21 acres. The construction
cost of the 1854 systems, including
1854 miles of main canals and bitches,
was $1,924,096, or $4.68 per irrigated
acre. Seventy-three farms with H.
$50 acres received water from the
Missouri river direct. The 19 sys-
TENS were constructed at a cost OF
$81 ,162 for the 66 miles of main canals
and bitches and other irrigation works,
an average Of $7.13 for each acre irri-
gated.
| Water from springs was utilized to
irrigate 4,410 acres ON SO farms. The
Sc systems, with rs miles of main
canals and bitches, cost $16,437, OF
$373 per irrigated acre. Six systems
supplied from wells irrigated 1OS acres
ON six farms. The we'll systems cost
$1,753-an average of $16.22 per acer.
The largest tributary of the Mis-
souri, in Montana is the Yellowstone
river, which, rising in Yellowstone
lake, in Wyoming, flows north in a
profound canyon, from which it en-
erges at Livingston and then flows
east and northeast and enters the
Missouri at Fort Buford, N. D. This
stream carries a large Volume OF
water, only small part of which
has yet been utilized for irrigation.
owing to the physical obstacles to it's
diversicnL This drainage basin con.
tains much arabic land. and many
thousands of acres will doubtless be
reclaimed by the construction OF irri-
CATION works. The reclamation SER
vice is considering plans for diverting
the Yellowstone in THE lower valley
upon large tract of land lying partly
in Montana and partly in North Da-
kota.
In 1902 the 843 systems supplied
with water from all sources Within
the drainage basin irrigated 2O9.137
! acres belonging to 2,308 farms. The
irrigation works, including 1890 miles
of main canals and bitches. represent
ed construction cost of $1,306,S3S,
an average of $6.25 per irrigated acre.
There were 389 farms, with an irrigat-
ed area of 40,015 acres, supplied with
water from the main stream direct.
Forty-four systems, with I'll miles OF
main, canals and bitches, cost $3O3,88S,
or $3.50 per irrigated acre. Clarke
Fork and tributaries supplied water
to us farms. One hundred and fifty
eight systems, including SOB miles of
main canals and bitches, were ccm-
structed at cost of 1902, an av-
erage of $457 for each of the 64,628
acres irrigated.
Increasing States Wealth.
The portions omitted deal with ir-
rigation in the other sections of the
state and while interesting to the
general reader possess little that is
OF interest locally. With the applica-
tion of irrigation and the resultant
intensive farming and it's vastly in
creased crop yield land values in the
state have appreciated until it is es-
timated that farm property in Mon
tana is worth fully 20 per cent more
than all the livestock in the state,
reversal of the conditions that OBJ.
tained up to within a very few years
ago. The total value of the state s