The Saint Paul globe., 1904-08-26
WILL MAKE NORTH
DAKOTA BLOSSOM
Plans Discussed for Reclaim
ing 100000 Acres of Land
by irrigation

l. - =
When certain irrigation plans for
North Dakota shall have been put in
! operation North Dakotans declare that
the slope" country, now semi-arid
/ region, will ebe made to blossom like
rose, and that the state will be the
richest agricultural state in the Union.
E. A. Williams. United States sur
veyor general for North Dakota, who is
at the Merchants hotel, is an enthusi-
asst on the subject of reclaiming the
i great areas ON each side of the Mis-
souri, and the Cannon Ball rivers by
pumping the waters of the rivers up
! to the table lands and distributing it
| by means of reservoir systems over
great area of lands.
! The state has a fund, of more than
! $S,500,000 for the reclamation of the
dry lands of the slope country and the
expenditure of only part Of this sum,
| it is said, will bring under cultivation
an area of fully 100000 acres of lands
/ only awaiting the Introduction of
comparatively small quantity of water
! in addition to the annual rainfall. Said
I Surveyor General Williams:
: The cost of pumping water from the
/ level Of the rivers to the table lands,
! for subsequent distribution over the
prairies, can be kept at a minimum by
the presence of great beds of Ignite
coal found in, iinaitless5 quantities along
/ the streams and (which, it is asserted,
can be minede for a sum Insignificant
when conlpared With the cost of bring
ing coal from thencoal fields of Illinois
| or Iowa. NatureJ seems. to have pro-
| vided at first shand the means for ir-'
/, rigating the 'great eXpanses of now
/ practically uhproduetive land.
Plenty of Water
There is plenty of water in the Mis-
/ souri,, the Little Missouri and the Can
non Ball, there local available for
/ driving the pumps, and only the pumps
and the SYSTEM EOf irrigating bitches
! remain to be: Installed to convert the
/ great area of now almost waste lands.
! into highly productive farms, capable
| of producing immense crops of every
| grain grown in the latitude of the.
state. Addedsto stale crops expected to
! be raised under the big irrigation
| scheme, a cheaper freight rate to the
seaboard thansis enjoyed by any irri-
/ gated tracts in the entire West and
! North Dakota will almost revolution
ize agricultural. and incidentally the
business conditions in wide areas on
/ each side of the Missouri river several
/ hundred miles along its length across
the great state.
"our state has So, 10000 to it's credit
! in the. national fund for reclamation
| purposes. This money is from the sale
/ of public lands within the borders Of
| the state, and the report of the COM
4 missioner of the general land office,
I just issued,j shows that more patents,
/ were issued to North Dakota lands
! last year than in any state in the
! Union There is healthy demand for
our public area, but it is fast disap-
4 peariIfg. There is am area along the
| Missouri river and sonie@7of its tribu-s
| taries that needs just little more rain
! each season than falls. Crops on this
! land are not a success. The character
of the soil is rich, burt it lacks mois-
ture.
/ aechance for Giant Plant 'ts. { 8
Government engineering experts
who have traversed the section of
/ country that [ describe say that there
is the greatest opportunity for, a giant
| irrigation plant in the country. The
| bed of the Missouri is many feet be-
| low the crest of the slope, and on each
side of the river the lands gently de-
! cline for miles in either direction. r.
rigation is not only possible, but easy
| of accomplishment by reason OF the
| grades on all this land.
"The plan is to provide great pumps
/ at intervals along the Missouri They
| will have immense capacity, and will
be operated by the use of the Ignite
coal found along all the rivers in in
exhaustible quantities, which can be
provided as fuel at minimum cost
to the uSerSar Reservoirs can be built
for the storage of the waters to be
used for irrigating purposes, but since
| the supply is to be replenished by
| pumping, and not by natural means,
| there will not be that necessity Tor
! accommodating such great bodies of wa
ter in the reservoirs as is the case
| where the waters are obtained from
| melting SHOWS at certain seasons OF
the year. This Ignite coal exists on
the Little Missouri, but as there is not
the opportunity for irrigating lands
| along its course, the water can be
| pumped and the grades of the country
| are such that it can be diverted to the
! Cannon Ball region, where big area OF
land can be made arabic and produc-
tive by irrigation, but where there is
no Ignite to shes utilized in furnishing
! power for the pumping
Reclamation Sure to Come
/ Up. Baker a large breeder of cattle,
| with ranches near Bismarck, also IN
\ St. Paul yesterday, is sure THAT liIlSd-
ton plans for North Dakota, when put
into operation, will make that state
doubly productive.
''The reclamation of these big tracts
is sure to come and to come within
few years." Capt. Baker said. North
Dakota will become the greatest ag-
ricultural state in the Union, and its
farmers will realize better prices for
their grain products. They have cheap
er freight rates to the seaboard by
| means of the three railroads that tray
| erse our state, and the great lakes,
| than any state where irrigation Is In
| practical operation. Not only is this
/ true, but their rates compare favor
ably with those. of Iowa, many miles
| nearer the primary wheat markets and
4 the Atlantic ports. Our rate averages
1O1s cents per hundred, as against 40
| cents for that part Off Montana where
irrigation produces its big crops.
1t is expected that some action will
ibe taken at the next session of the
North Dakota legislature looking to the
reclamation Of q half million acres of
Hand on each side of the Missouri river
now producing very little in the way OF
agricultural Mpaucts and presenting
but Indifferent sazing for cattle. horses
and sheep. s..
/ SWEETHEARTS FROM