The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-12
FELLOWS REPORTS
ON CONDITIONS
IN VALLEY
State Engineer Has Completed
Inspection Of Red River
Drainage Districts.

State Engineer Fellows has lust
completed visit of inspection to
several of the drainage districts in the
Red River Valley and in an interview
stated that the crops in general, prom
Use to be remarkably good in the VAL
ley as we'll as in the western part of
the state. but that there are many
thousands of acres there that will
produce no crops this year, owing to
the inability OF the farmers to plough
and seed because of insufficient drain
age facilities. 1t has been estimated
that there are approximately 100000
acres of land of this character, this
year, in North Dakota between Hills
boro and Fargo, and that there are
in the neighborhood of 100000 acres of
this kind in the Red River valley in
this state and in Minnesota, above
Grand Forks. The peculiar feature of
1t is that an expenditure of only one "
two dollars per acre would, for the
most part, relieve the situation and
make every acre worth at least double
its present value in the eyes of both
purchaser and producer. Many ditch
es, however, are either already under
way or are being petitioned for. In
Pembina county, for example, large
ditch is being constructed near Bowes-
mont by means of a machine construc-
ted on the ground by North Dakota in
genuity. MIR. Fellows believes that
this machine will revolutionize the
construction of drainage bitches.
The engineering party under Mr..
Atkinson making drainage survey in
Pembina county for the U. S. DEPART
ment of agriculture, was also visited.
This work Is progressing rapidly and
If the weather remains as good as it
has been for the past week, the survey
should be completed early in August.
The method adopted this year is for
fcur level parties to run on four ad-
pacent parallel section lines running
east and west, recording the levels at
least every quarter of mile. About
eight miles per day are made and at
the close of the days work the parties
correct this work so that any error
may be detected. The next day the
next four section lines to the north are
run and in the same way, thus COM
pleting tract eight miles square. The
camp is then moved to the next tract
and the process is repeated. In re-
suits attained it is doubtful if this
record was ever surpassed for accur-
acy, economy and speed.
Mr.. Fellows also visited Crookston,
Mimi, for the purpose of consulting
with NJ. ]. T. Stewart, U. S. drainage
engineer, who has general charge OF
all the drainage surveys and work car
ried on by the department of agricul-
ture in this region. Mr.. Stewart is
personally engaged in planning an en-
tensive system of surface and tile
drainage for the Crookston experiment
farm. The information that will be
derived from this system will be in
valuable as every effort is being made
to determine for that locality the best
methods of tile drainage with all its
costs. profits, permanent benefits and
increase in value taken in to consider
alton. Full reports of the results at
tanned will be published in due course
Similar work is being done at the
agriculture college farm at Fargo,
also under the direction of President
Worst. The results are awaited with
deep interest by land owners who
contemplate tile drainage