THE IRRIGA TION A GE. 151 



hundred feet ' at the upper end to nearly seven miles at Otto, and 

 ranging in elevation from 3,900 feet at the mouth of the stream to 

 8,000 at the upper end. The principal town is Otto. When I first 

 visited it in 1892 there was one irrigation ditch adjoining the town and 

 a few land filings had been made on the lower bottom along the 

 stream, but in traveling up stream 15 miles I did not see an acre of 

 irrigated land. Since that time permits have been issued for 88 

 ditches from the Grey Bull and 19 from Wood river and the unim- 

 proved and unoccupied land through which I journeyed in 1892 is now 

 all fenced and in process of improvement, although not ten per cent, 

 of land under ditches already built is being irrigated. The best im- 

 proved ranches are near the foot-hills. These were first taken up 

 because the outside range rendered this region attractive to the early 

 range stockmen. One of these gentlemen, Mr. Otto Franc, has over 

 one thousand acres under irrigation, and His ditches, ranch buildings 

 and other improvements are of the most substantial character. He is 

 engaged in an improvement of so novel a character as to make it 

 worthy of mention. He raises nothing but native hay and while these 

 meadows were well adapted in their natural condition to the distribu- 

 tion of the water he is endeavoring to bring their surface to a slope of 

 mathematical uniformity so the water turned out of the ditches will 

 practically distribute itself over them. The cost of this improvement 

 it is estimated will exceed 40,000. There is now about 100,000 acres 

 of land susceptible of irrigation from this stream. Of this 28,000 has 

 been segregated under the Carey Act and nearly all of the remainder 

 filed on undep the United States Land Laws. About half of it is below 

 ditches already completed. The cultivation of all this land would 

 more than double the agricultural productions of the northern half of 

 this state and the question of what use could be made of it is of con- 

 siderable importance. In my judgment the solution is to be found in 

 a closer union of the grazing and irrigable lands than has heretofore 

 been possible. The Big Horn Basin is as large as Massachusetts. 

 Thousands of cattle and sheep feed on the open range and a great 

 many of them die in winter from cold and starvation because of lack 

 of feed for this period. This ought not to be permitted and the rem- 

 edy is to be found in the increase in the acreage irrigated, by which all 

 range stock can be fed during this season. I know of no reason 

 why sheep cannot be fattened with as much success and profit at Otto 

 as at Ft. Collins, Colorado, or North Platte, Nebraska, where this 

 business has proved the most remunerative use which can be made of 

 both high priced land and costly water rights. Thus far agricultura 1 

 production is far behind the demand. Much of the time while m this 

 valley we could not purcnase oats at any price. What we did secure 

 we paid $2.00 a hundred for. All the flour we bought came from 

 Montana. So did the butter and eggs. 



