336 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



GLORIOUS MONTANA. 



A State of Great Possibilities. 



In all the large scope of the national irrigation 

 projects, under the present laws, no State or territory 

 offers such magnificent opportunities, with such certain 

 and splendid results to follow the work, as does Mon- 

 tana. There are three important factors to bring these 

 results, which are not possessed in such large measure 

 by any other section. These are almost unlimited areas 

 of arid or semi-arid lands, which under the inspiration 



be found in no other section of the country. Of the 

 1,455,000 square miles of territory within the boundaries 

 of Montana but a small fraction has been brought under 

 cultivation. Immense areas are made available for 

 grazing, and the cattle and sheep industries of the Stale 

 rank among the first in the country. Yet several million 

 acres of land can be reclaimed without at all interfering 

 with these industries. In- fact, irrigation will prove a 

 benefit to them in many ways, and the stockmen, who 

 are popularly supposed to be opposed to any change 

 from the old-time conditions, are heartily in favor of the 

 largest possible reclamation of the arid and semi-arid 



of irrigation will become the most productive acres in 

 the universe; second, an almost unlimited supply of 

 available water (sufficient to reclaim ten million acres 

 running to waste in the State, according to the esti- 

 mates of experts) ; and third, an almost unlimited home 

 market for all the products that can be raised when 

 these millions of acres are reclaimed and made to pro- 

 duce. This is a combination which, as said before,can 



GROUP OF DELEGATES THIRTEENTH NAT! 



lands. More and more are they coming to appreciate 

 the benefits of a large and cheap supply of winter feed, 

 and to see that with smaller farms cultivated and "fin- 

 ished'' cattle shipped direct to market, their profits 

 would be increased, and the percentage of losses will IK> 

 appreciably smaller. 



The large mining population of the State makes a 

 good market for products, which now have to be very 



