The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1911-09-01
Seventy Acres Irrigated

Hayes Homestead while at Fort
Pierre last Sunday we had the pleas
ure of taking trip over the seventy
acre tract which Millett and Nc
Pherson have had under irrigation
this year. What we saw was revel-
alton and surprise.
We were first shown an alfalfa field
from which two crops had been cut
this year and the third crop is ready
for cutting. The ground will be flood
ed and fourth crop harvested this
fall.
A small patch of green corn, possi-
bly, an acre, was next in the program.
Mr.. Mcpherson informed us that he
had sold $3.50, worth of roasting ears
out of this patch this summer and
that he would put in silo and that
the fodder would be worth 5000. 1t |
was at about this stage of the trip
that we remarked that the irrigation |
plant would pay for itself this year.
Mr.. Mcpherson promptly came back |
with "Yes, five times over" Other
patches of corn were to be seen, some
of them just producing roasting ears,
and others barely two feet high,, and
you can imagine our surprise on be-
ing informed that they would be sell
ing roasting ears from the latter fields
in three weeks. On some of this corn
ground early vegetables had been
grown.
Several acres of musk and water
melons came next, and there will be
several carloads of these vegetables,
the melons being as thick as they can
lay, in many places there are as mary
as dozen touching. Potatoes, such
as we had never dreamed of, came
next. The vines form a solid mat
over the ground. and 500 bushels per
acre is a conservative estimate of
what these potatoes will yield. After
feasting our eyes on the potatoes we
were shown cucumbers, tomatoes,
cabbage and other vegetables imai-
Unable, all doing fine and producing
immense crops. Last, but not least,
was fine young orchard, the trees
loaded with fruit.
The thousands of acres along the
Bad and Missouri rivers which can
easily be irrigated and the possibili-
ties for the growing of sugar beets
and the establishing of factories to
handle this product makes it no idle
dream to say that the twin cities on
the banks of the Missouri are destined
to become cities of no small proper
tons. The 20O0 acres which is now
being placed under irrigation on the
Scotty Philip place will give employ
ment to several hundred men and,
now that it has been demonstrated
what can be done by irrigating the
richest soil on earth it will be only a
few years until all the bottom land
along the two rivers will be under ir-
rigation.
A large portion of the upland can
also be irrigated by the construction
of large dams or reservoirs and Stan
lev county is destined to become the
garden spot of the state. What is
needed is men with capital who are
willing to invest in a sure thing and
these men can be found if the papers
of the county will let it be known
what rich and fertile country lies
within the boundaries of this great
empire. and let it be known what has
been done in the way of irrigation and
what the results have been. A trip to
the irrigated tract near Fort Pierre
will convince any man that the above
is not hot air, but indisputable facts.
1t is possible, by installing &powerful
engine on the banks of the Missouri,
to pump water into reservoirs on the
fat uplands ten miles distant. If the
government could be induced to take
hold of this feature of the work it
would be the making of Stanley coun-
ty. Let's all boost and pull.