Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-06-14
itsms Of ehs irr,aaeIsn Country.

oSsms Of the irrigation Country.
While the present irrigation fund
OF $36.00O.000, would not go very far
distributed throughout the 16 great
western states and territories, in two,
three. or four million dollar amounts'
1t is being made to carry forward 4
quite uniform and comprehensive r..
rigati0n development, by making the
irrigation works nay tor themseivas
In other words II is not the proeram
OF the reclamation service to build
large projects complete immediately.
but to finish small but independent
portion to each project so that the
water rights Of the lands thus fri.
g4ted may be sold to the settlers ana
thus Immediately furnish money With
which to carry the work still farther.
The government Is In each case start
ing the works, and allowing the pro.
Ject itself and the settlers to provide
for It's completion. And In all the
government projects the lands are be.
ing eagerly taken up by settlers. there
Ia NO question Of the success Of the
completion Of the works, of however
great magnitude.
eaeAern Business Men Interested.
That the eastern part of the United
states 10 not Indifferent to the national
beneht OF irrigation and the develop.
ment OF the west is shown by the in.
telltgent resolutions passed at the re.
cent annual meeting Of the National
Association Of Manufacturers held at
Atlanta, Ca, on May 81.
Recognizing that the reclamation OF
western desert acres will furnish the
finest market possible for eastern
manufacturers, the resolutions COM
mended the administration Of Secre.
tary Hitchcock of the Interior Depart-
naent who is charged with the admin.
istration Of the irrigation law, en
dorsed Director Walc0tt and Chief
Engineer Newell of the Reclamation
Service and pledged to them the SUP.
port OF some $500 Of the largest man.
ufacturers In the United States in
their continued efforts to carry out
the national irrigation act for the
creation of the largest possible num-
Der OF prosperous American homes.
The resolutions further set forth
that the profound importance of the
social and philanthropic features of
the irrigation movement and the sub
division Of large land tracts into small
homes should be impressed upon the
American people to the end that
America should become a nation of
rural homes rather than one of large
cities.
The resolutions call attention to the
great public Importance of the nation
al frauds, the weakness of our present
land laws and strongly support the
reclamation of President Roosevelt's
Public Land Commission for a thor
ough reform In our land laws to the
end that the public lands be held
strictly for real settlers and against
spectators.
Dry Land Reclamation.
Coiorado, wyoming and Montana
are apparently waking up to the fact
That several million acres of land in
those states which have been for years
grazed upon by cattle and sheep and
considered worthless for agriculture in
any form, can be made to grow very
printable crops of grains, forage, and
IN some cases even vegetables and
iruit. The rainfall in these sections
IS comparatively slight, but 1t happens
70 come at just the growing season OF
| the crops and the soil is SO wonder
fuliy retentive Of moisture as we'll az
productive that from Is to 30 bushels
| ~ "eAOsSs V0A oVA0 0uU OIuVT CTOU8 IN
proportion can be raised on as little "a
II to is inches Of rainfall, which In
eastern states would not suffice to
half way mature a crop. The "dry
| farm" experts state that there are at
least hundred million acres OF land
distributed throughout the western
states. in some places in very consider
able tracts and in other sections in
small patches. where the climate con-
ditions are such that the lands viii
yield crops as good as the average
farm lands Of the Mississippi Valley.
This class Of development by better
cultivation OF the soil, in connection
with the Introduction by the govern.
ment OF foreign plants specially adapt
ed to American arid land conditions
and further joined by great agricul.
tural development under national If.
rigatton will cause in the next ten
years mighty transformation in the
west.
GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL.