The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-09-22
irrigation in Montana.
Correspondence of The Journal. !

| Correspondence of The Journal
HINsDALE, MONTANA, Sept. II, 1904.
Eastern farmers would have their eyes
opened as to the value of the water
running through their farms if they
could see the irrigation 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-the Rock Greek
canal-which will water sixty l60-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 $1.OO per acre. The
total cost Of the building of the dam.
the main canal and the lateral bitches
and actually getting the water onto the
land, is about $500 per acre. This is an
extremely favorable condition and the
men who have gone into this under
taking are fortunate. They now have
| land with perpetual water-right which
is the safest security for mortgage of
any property in the world. The crops
are assured and the homestead will pro-
| duce 1900 year, above all expenses
| 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 hand
| ling by some of the owners, $4,000 or
81, 800, for agriculture in this entire
northwest is but just emerging from a
state of comparatively crude farming.
What does this little irrigation center
mean in agricultural development -
Hinsdale, but yesterday a railroad flag
station with a business of not S25 a
,, month? Assume the irrigated area
10, 600 acres-to be divided equally and
planted to wheat, barley, oats, potatoes
and alfalfa. What would it produce
next year? The following figures are
on the side of conservatism, yet the
showing is not discOuraging
WHEAT. Yield per acre, IS bushels;
value, $50, 500.
BARLEY. Yield per acre, so bushels;
value, S73,6O0
OATS. Yield per acre, so bushels;
value. $4,000.
POTATOES. Yield per acre, 300 BUSH
els: value, S36o.000.
ALFALFA. Yield per acre, 8 tons:
value, $4,000.
Here is total annual farm produc-
ton of 5000, 100 from land which until
now has produced at the most not to
exceed 250 head of cattle. And this is
a very conservative basis OF what can
be expected during the early years of
the community before the raising OF
such intensive crops as berries, fruit
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 a few cents per acre
! for maintenance, and the results are
made certain by them.
Hinsdale may not rise with the me-
! teor-hke rapidity of some of the boom
/ towns of the Northwest, where great
acreage i'll wheat during few wet
years has brought in large money re-
| turns and where people are falling over
| themselves to move in, deluding them
! selves with the idea that the climate is
changing and that the plowing of the
land and other such puIy human opera
lions are permanently increasing the
rainfall; but Hinsdale will grow. She
will grow steadily; when her citizens
build their houses or erect public build.
ings or school houses, they will build
for the future and with the absolute
knowledge that there will never be d
backward step in the community and
that the growth will be steady, sure and
increasing.
Entirely outside of the arid region
the country has many opportunities fol
just such splendid development as car
be seen today in the little community
at Hinsdale. Some day they will be
seized upon and not only will intermit
tant drouths be prevented but the yield
| will be yery largely aupmented