B. P. I.— 685. 



SUGGESTIONS TO SETTLERS ON THE BELLE 

 FOURCHE IRRIGATION PROJECT.' 



DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION. 



The Belle Foiirche Irrigation Project is located in the southwestern 

 part of Butte County, S. Dak., and draws its water supply principally 

 from the Belle Fourche and Red Water Rivers, which are diverted 

 into a reservoir from which two large canals carry the water to the 

 land. The topography of the area covered by the project is gently 

 rolling, with occasional flat areas of some extent. The project will 

 irrigate something over 90,000 acres of land, but owing to the rolling 

 character of the ground, much of which lies above the level of the 

 ditch, the area included between the main canals considerably ex- 

 ceeds this acreage. This feature will enable many farmers to have 

 both dry land and irrigated land in their farm units, and the Recla- 

 mation Service has so subdivided the land into units that each farmer 

 will have as nearly 80 acres of each as the local topography will per- 

 mit. The irrigated portion of each farm unit will usually vary from 

 about GO to 100 acres. The territory suiTounding the project is an 

 open cattle range, the land being covered vcith a sod composed of 

 western wheat-grass, buffalo grass, grama grass, and some wire-grass 

 and small sedges. The soil, which has been formed principally 

 through the weathering of cretaceous shale, is generally a heavy clay, 

 though along the streams it is considerably lighter. 



TREATMENT OF SOD LAND. 



Where sod land is to be brought under cultivation, either above or 

 below the level of the ditch, it is advisable to break the land rather 

 late in the spring after the grass has started, especially on the heavy 

 clay soils, but whether it is advisable to try to obtain a crop the first 

 summer will depend somewhat upon the location of the land. Sod 

 land on the lower lying creek and river bottoms or where there is no 

 tendency to rapid surface drainage can probably be advantageously 



>Tliis circular is a revision, with some additions, of an nnniinil)orod circular, entitled 

 " Uiuts to Settlers on the Uelle Kourche I'roject, South Dakota," prepared by Mr. Charles 

 A. Jensen and issued March 17, 1009. 



[Cir.S.] 3 



