130 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



This will supply water at the rate of half 

 of one miner's inch per acre, plus 30 per 

 cent for seepage and evaporation; also for 

 1,000 horse power gross at the city of Bill- 

 ings. There are no great engineering dif- 

 ficulties to overcome notwithstanding a 

 tunnel 1,800 feet long will be bored through 

 the sand rock bluff immediately north of 

 Billings. Syphons will be used to carry the 

 water under the Northern Pacific railroad; 

 .also under Canyon creek, Alkali creek, 

 Five Mile creek, and perhaps one other 

 place. Syphons are much more desirable 

 than surface flumes, as while they are at 

 first more expensive, they are practically 

 everlasting. The soil is of a very satisfac- 

 tory nature, and will not premit a large 

 percentage of seepage. 



LAND AND SOIL. 



The Billings bench has a gentle slope 

 towards the Yellowstone river, but so slight 

 it is almost imperceptible; the surface too, 

 is very smooth, which will require little 

 preparation for crops and for irrigation. 

 The soil is a rich loam, loose in texture, 

 with a substratum of gravel, very desirable 

 as a drain to prevent the land becoming 

 waterlogged. 



CROPS. 



As the elevation above sea level is 3,000 

 feet, the growing season is comparatively 

 long, insuring three crops of alfalfa, of 

 four tons per acre each season. Vegeta- 

 bles and fruits make luxuriant growth, and 

 are far superior to any to be seen in the 

 eastern states. Melons of all kinds are de- 

 licious, and grow to large size, and in great 

 numbers. 



MARKETS. 



Billings and vicinity is one of the most 

 independent localities to be found any- 

 where, so far as a market for its products 

 is concerned. For 100 and more miles, 

 north and south, hundreds of thousands of 

 sheep, cattle and horses, feed. As the 

 range has been largely overfed, it has been 

 found necessary to feed a large number of 

 this stock during the winter months. To 

 meet this demand, large tracts of land on 



the bench west of Billings have been plan- 

 ted to alfalfa which is fed on the farms un- 

 der contract, to stock that is driven in for 

 that purpose. The profits derived from 

 this source are large, and no matter to what 

 extent this crop is grown, the demand will 

 grow in an increased ratio, so that the man 

 who secures a farm on the Billings bench 

 with a water supply that is always certain, 

 soil rich and warm and productive, and a 

 market, limited alone by the supply should 

 never want for any of the comforts and 

 many of the luxuries of life. 



SALE OP LANDS. 



The law provides that where the Ian is 

 have been segregated, and the cost of all 

 improvements in the district has been ful- 

 ly ascertained, the commission shall "assess 

 upon each 40-acre tract, or fraction thereof 

 the equitable portion it shall bear to the 

 total cost of reclamation of said district, 

 with 20 per cent of such portion added, 

 and none of said lands shall be sold for 

 less than this sum, together with the in- 

 terest on this amount with the 20 per cent 

 added, at the rate of six per cent per an- 

 num from the date of the first bond issued 

 for the reclamation of the land in that dis- 

 trict: said commission shall issue to actual 

 settlers certificates of selection at the price 

 so established, which certificates shall con- 

 tain the conditions of sale of the land, and 

 the use of the water through the water 

 systems for the cultivation of the same," 

 etc. 



Under this section of the law, the com- 

 mission will soon be ready to assess land 

 prices and to issue "certificates of selec- 

 tion" to intending settlers. Lt is the de- 

 sire of the commission that all the land be 

 occupied \rithin a short time, so that the 

 settlers may secure labor on the canal, thus 

 to aid them in paying for their holdings, 

 retire the bonds which the commission 

 will receive in payment for lands, and shut 

 off interest charges. It is not now possi- 

 ble to say what the price^ of land will he, 

 but they will be low, and terms of sale rea- 

 sonable. 



