The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-05-24
WONDERS IRRIGATION is WORK.
ING FOR MONTANA.
SHOWN BY CENSUS BUREAU
Fiuures Taken from Forthcominq Re.
port Possessing Much Of Lo-
cal Interest.

Advance sheets have been given out
of report to be issued shortly by the
census bureau concerning irrigation in
Montana. Some excerpts of local in
tere,sit follow:
Montana has for many years occu-
pied a prominent position among the
grazing states and immense herds ON
the plains have fed on the nutritious
bunch grass for which the state is
famous. 1t is probably the best wa
tered of the arid states, and it's agri-
cultural resources are being rapidly
developed by the construction OF ex-
tensive irrigation works.
In both area and acreage irrigated
Montana ranks third among the states,
being exceeded in! the first by Texas
and California, and in the second by
Colorado and California. OF the 93,-
S81, ,184 acres Within it's borders only
1,14O,694 acres, or IL per cent, were
irrigated in 1902.
immigration has set in strongly in
the last few years and large areas are
being devoted to intensive farming.
A marked change has taken place in
the great plains area, especially near
the border of the state. For the last
few years the rainfall there has been
above the average, and farming with
out irrigation has proven successful IN
many sections which heretofore have
been regarded as valuable only for
grazing.
The state may be described ais ccn-
isisting of two divisions, eastern and
western Montana, with the Rocky
mountains as the dividing line, the
main range extending through the
state in the form of a bow, with the
arc in the east. More than three
fifths of the state is ON the eastern
side of the mountains and consists
of high plains into which the rivers
have cut long, narrow valleys. The
plains slope toward the northeast,
their lowest elevation being ON the
northeastern border OF the state.
Western Montana is more rugged.
The slope from the mountains IS
abrupt and the valleys are numerous
and among the most fertile and pro-
ductive in the state.
Montana's agricultural lands are OF
three classes: The bottom lands ad-
jacent Ito streams, the bench lands
, and the mecas, whose elevation pre-
cludes irrigation and renders them
fit only for grazing purposes.
The progress made in Montana's ag-
riculturaa development during the
decade 1889-99 has been maintained
in the years 19OO-O2. Since 1889 al
most 100000 acres have been added
to the irrigated area which in 1902
aggregated 1,14O,694 acres, an increase
of 189,540 acres, of 1873 per cent. lrri-
/ cation was reported ON g, 9,496 farms
and 1886 irrigating systems were
used. The total construction cost OF
dams, head gates, reservoirs, etc., and
the 8,765 miles of main canals and
bitches was $5,576,975, an average OF
$489 for each acre irrigated. The
increase since 1899 in number OF
farms lis 1871 per cent, in total cost OF
construction 1871 per cent.
| OF the three sources of water sup
ply, streams irrigated 1,131, Alb acres
belonging to 9,2S3 farms; springs, 81
$50 acres ON 100 farms, and wells,
231 acres ON % farms. The 4,1S6
stream systems were constructed at
a cost of $5,530,096 for 1854 miles OF
main canals and bitches and other
irrigation works, an average OF $4.96
per irrigated acre; the 1T spring
systems, including 131 miles OF main
canals and bitches, represented a
construction outlay of S41,623, an av-
erage of $3.50 per irrigated acre, while
the % well systems cost $5,255, or
$22.75 for each acre irrigated.
| While more than three-fifths of Mem
tana is drained by the Missouri and
tributaries, this portion of the state
is treated as four sub-drainage basins,
namely, the Missouri river and trib-
utaries, except the Jefferson, Yellow
stone and Milk rivers; Jefferson river
and tributaries, Yellowstone river and
tributaries and Milk river and trib-
utaries. The territory drained by trib-
utaries of the Columbia is divided
into two sub-drainage basins, first,
Missoula river and tributaries; sec.
ond, Clarke Fork and other tributar-
les, and Kootenai river and tributar.
les. OF these six drainage basins
| the basin of the Missouri and tribu'