The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-02-17

voirs which ten years ago couio
not be considered
This was spoken in the FAN OF
1907 and since that tine seVeral
million acres additional of arid iand
have been provided with water.
Let US now consider what irrlga-
ton has done for the Arkansas Val
ley, Southeastern Colorado. MI.
Swink, prominent irrigator OF
that valley made the following
statement at the National Irrigation
Congress of 1907, at Albuquerque,
New Mexico
up TO 1880 the valley was very
sparsely settled, only along the
river bottoms and streams. The
settlers then were mostly stockmen.
1t was thought by the most OF the
| settlers that agriculture could not
be made profitable. We did not
make much Roadway at settling and
improving the valley until 1884,
when we commenced to build large
canals. When We got our large can
al built, settling and improvements
! went on in the valley at very rap
id rate, and today we are second to
none in what it takes to make
| homelike and prosperous country. IT.
rigated land in the Arkansas Valley
is selling from $25 to 500 per
acre and some orchard land still
| higher, but to be conservative, the
average price may be stated at SS5
per acre. 1t is a we'll established
fact that small farms, intense Guilt
walton and practical irrigation give
the best results"
If irrigation has done so much for
lands in the arid localities just de-
scribed, We may reasonably expect
favorable results in our sub-arid
and the duty of water is more. By
wise conservation of our water re-
sources and an intelligent applica-
ton Of irrigated methods, we may
+, reasonably expect wonderful trans
formation of large portion of our
arabic areas.
Small Farms Under Irrigation.
!. Farming in an irrigated district
, is different in many ways from
{ farming in a humid region. In two
important particulars the irrigation
| r,, I, l.;
: porary, and they are that he gets
the right amount of water for his
, crops at the right time. This beins
so, he is Independent of weather il
a great measure, and there is no loss
on account of dry seasons to be eX
: ipected; he should harvest full
works are properly built, with a com
: petent knowledge of the hydrogra
!. ply OF the stream, and his waite
g rights are properly looked after h
: will harvest a profitable and full
crop in all years of diligence. Flo
these reasons living can be made Oh
q on smaller area than in a humit
g region, subject as it is to the yicissi
j. tudes of the clouds and sunshine
Where low yields per acre are OBJ
e tanned it is necessary to farm larg
g areas in order to make farmin
l. profitable. The average yield Q
It wheat for the United States is
r bushels per acre, and in consequence
t. wheat growing is carried on mos
d extensively in localities where larg
,r farms are managed by one man.
!. irrigated lands wheat averages froI
4 twenty to forty bushels and yields {
r. fifty bushels per acre are not uncon
~ mon. Here the small farmer can a
II ford to raise wheat and he who ha
ID forty or eighty acres can have h
~ patch of wheat and make prof
T. in handling it.
Nv 1t is assumed that all irrigate
IN farms are on the average supportin
1e family. In the states of Utah ar
le Washington the average number
III irrigated acres per farm is less thu
of forty, and it is hard to find a mo
re prosperous and contented agricul
j." ural people than in the irrigatt
a valleys of Utah and Washington
g four states, California, Colorado, Id
We no and Oregon, the acreage per irl
de gator is between forty and eigh
he acres and in two states the acraa
at is between eighty and one hundr
[e- and sixty, namely Montana anu w
oming. Those states where t
"a acreage per l~rigator is more tn;
re eighty acres art great cattle gr,wi
Is states, and the principal product
e. forage, frequently beng produced
be irrigating natiy, grasses. The Y;
is. lie of the prod lcts per acre is sma
re- err for these statss than for CHE
ri clearly showing that the ;naxlml
production Of the ilnl is not bel
Tfs ]ized. 1t Wal seem that t