79 



makes a vivid contmst with the .snow-capped peaks of the rai.ge, 

 which rise to heig-ht.s of l>,Ot»0 to 10,000 feet. At the foot of this for- 

 i*st slope is a typical mountain stream, the water of which, except in 

 Hood time, is unusually clear. Throui^hout the lonj^- valley diversified 

 f:ii-mini>- is practiced. All kinds of cereals do well. Red clover and 

 lluiothy seem to be preferred in places to alfalfa. The soil is pecu 

 liarly well adapted to vegetables, and both soil and climate are admi- 

 rably suited to fruit raisin^'. The apple, plum, cherry, and in fact all 

 the hardier varieties of deciduous fruit trees appear to have found in 

 the Bitter Root Valley ideal conditions for their o-rowth. Sheltered 

 from the west winds by the Bitter Root Mountains and from the east 

 winds by the main range of the Rockies, the valle}^ possesses a much 

 more moderate climate than many fruit-producing regions which lie 

 far to the south of Montana. The altitude is low compared with 

 uuich of the irrigated portion of the West, being about 3,200 feet 

 above sea level at the lower end and rising to 3,800 feet at the upper 

 end. The granite soil is light and porous, with a large percentage of 

 sand and gravel. In the lower valleys the soil is frequently a rich vege- 

 table loam, and to the east of the river there are large tracts of heavier 

 soils containing more or less cUn'. The land to the west of the river 

 is abundantly supplied with water. Numerous creeks, which are fed 

 by the heavy snowfall of the Bitter Root Range and forest reserve, 

 are casil}^ diverted by short ditches. As may be expected, the duty 

 of water throughout this part of the valley is low. The soil is porous 

 and underlaid by a mass of rock debris from the mountains, so that 

 any excess of water which may be applied soon returns to the main 

 channel of the stream without producing, it is thought, any injurious 

 effects upon the soil. 



East of the river conditions are different. The mountains to the 

 east ))eing low, the precipitation, particularly in the form of snow, is 

 light, and in consequence there are few creeks in this part of the basin. 

 Yet on this side the larger tracts of fertile lands are located, and for 

 their irrigation water has been conveyed from the Bitter Root River 

 in canals of considerable size. The most of these canals were begun 

 hy small communities of farmers in the eighties, and the majority are 

 still maintained and operated by the landowners and waterusers under 

 them. Other canals that were begun during the early development 

 of this part of the State have passed into the hands of capitalists. 



In 1900 advantage was taken of this large tract of irrigated land and 

 its excellent system of irrigation canals to gain more knowledge con- 

 cerning the use of water in irrigation and the seepage losses from 

 canals. The investigations then begun have continued since, and dur- 

 ing the entire period the Office of Experiment Stations and the Mon- 

 tana Experiment Station have been greatlj^ assisted by the officers of 

 the Bitter Root stock farm. The irrigation system was intended to 

 33281— No. 172—06 6 



