36 



the former to be 2^ feet taller and much more thrifty looking. His 

 garden was watered also and has proved much more fruitful than it 

 otherwise would have been. Mr. Fuller irrigates direct from the well. 

 He has about 75 acres he can put under the ditch. 



There have been several other irrigation plants in Beadle County 

 Avhich have been abandoned because of change of owners or the elog- 

 aino- of the wells. Manv of the smaller li-inch and 2-inch wells have 

 been sunk recently for stock watering, though several are also planned 

 to be used for irrigation if necessary. 



DAVISON COUNTY. 



The Hatch Brothers, on section 15, township 103 north, range 62 

 west, adjoining the village of Mount Vernon, have two 2-incli wells 

 about -100 feet deep, which flow about GO gallons per minute. Each 

 well is equipped with a reservoir, and over 100 acres can be brought 

 under the water. These wells were dug about 1897 and during the 

 next two 3'ears they were used to irrigate trees, potatoes, and garden. 

 Since then they have not been used, as the rainfall has been greater 

 and seemed adequate. 



John K. Johnson and his brother, Joseph K. Johnson, living on 

 sections 3 and 4, township 103 north, range 62 west, also have wells 

 with reservoirs, though they have not used them for irrigation for two 

 years. Joseph irrigates only a small orchard and home garden. John 

 Johnson has experimented quite largelj^ in small grain and gives a 

 very satisfactory report of his success. He has raised, per acre, 27 

 bushels of wheat, when unirrigated wheat yielded 10 bushels; 60 

 bushels of oats, when unii-rigated oats yielded 30 bushels, and 60 

 bushels of corn, when unirrigated corn yielded nothing. Mr. John- 

 son has two wells, one 4^-inch, 650 feet deep, flowing 375 gallons per 

 minute, and one 2-inch well, 411 feet deep, flowing 10 gallons per 

 minute. He has a reservoir of about 7 acres, which is verj^ shallow, 

 and the excessive seepage from it has spoiled some land near it. He 

 can run water upon a whole section and has over 2 miles of main 

 ditch. 



Ira Frazier, on section 27, township 104 north, range 61 west, about 

 12 miles northeast of Mitchell, has a 4-inch well and small reservoir. 

 He also irrigates small grain by flooding his land in the fall and 

 winter, though he does no sj^stematic work. Though his crops are 

 reported as better where the water has been allowed to run than 

 where not, he can give no specific report of advantages. Mr. Frazier 

 made the mistake one season of letting the water flood his land all 

 winter, piling up ice in some places. The result was that in the 

 spring he could not get on his ground until very late, and the soil was 

 so wet and cold his grain did not germinate readily, and his crop was 

 poorer than without the water. The next year, however, this land 

 yielded well. 



