The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1912-02-01

to all irrigated districts. In Dulld-
ing its irrigation projects the Gov
eminent selects only fertile soil; then
it gauges the size of the area to fit
the available water supply. The
reservoirs and canals are built as
substantially as engineering skill
can devise and when the farms have
been laid out and water is running
in the canals, then and not till then,
settlers are invited to use their home
stead rights on the land. The money
actually spent in building the irri-
CATION works is prorated against
each acre of land and is repaid by
the settlers in ten equal, annual pay
ments, without interest. Call it
paternalism if you like-it is max
ing homes by the thousand every
YEAR
The Settlement Agent of the
Reclamation Service whose Office is
in the Federal Building in Chicago,
states that success cannot be at
tanned without work, either in the
west or anywhere else, and the man
who expects to farm an irrigated
homestead without hard work will
be grievously disappointed. Neither
will he get rich over night. The
Government holds out no promises
of fabulous profits per acre or of
land values increasing like a snow
ball rolling down hill. The simple
facts are these: Tracts of first
class farming land varying from 40
to 160 acres are now open to entry;
in their raw condition they produce
nothing and are worth very little.
When properly irrigated they pro-
duce large crops of alfalfa, grain,
vegetables, and fruit; in fact, all
the crops common to the region In
which they are locatel, but in great
err abundance and more surely than
in states where farmers must de-
pend on the rainfall. Cultivated
land with an assured water supply
is worth from 800 an acre. upward
and in some of the older and more
highly developed fruit districts
prices of $4,000 or $4,000 per acre
have been frequently recorded.
J These high figures are due to a per-
feet state of cultivation. thorough
knowledge of packing the fruit for
market, and well-organized selling
associations.
The settlers now locating on Gov
eminent irrigation projects are fire.
quently surprised at the modern
conditions which surround them, and
the Huntley project in Montana is
an example of what can be accom-
plished In three or four years by
progressive people. 1t includes an
area approximately twenty miles
i long and FIVE miles wide divided In
to farms averaging forty acres of
irrigahle land. and about five hun
bred families now live there. Two
railroads passing through the pro-
ject afford transportation facilities
and four small towns with stores
and business houses are exhibiting
a steady growth. A telephone sys-
tenn which now reaches about half
of the farmers will soon be extend.
ed to cover the entire project, and
thirteen modern schools, employ.
ing trained instructors, provide
for the education of the children
The fertile soil is well adapted t.
alfalfa, wheat, oats, sugar beets
vegetables, small fruits and berries
and many farmers are adding tt
their incomes by the steady demand
for dairy products, hogs, and poul
! try. In order to be successful The
average man needs from one Il
two thousand dollars to cover tht
cost of necessary equipment, house
fences and this will require a,
least one crop season. Forty acres
of this land intensively farmed viii
yield a net annual profit of from
$500 to $1,000, and this is not theory
but q simple. statement OF results
: o1roodv oooorc~>1;rbod Wbsl> ~.