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THE TREASURE STATE 



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A Montana Watermelon Patch. 



various parts of the state. Under irrigation is is possible to practice intensive farm- 

 ing to tlie higliest degree and thus to produce more valuable and certain crops. 

 Under good administration, it follovi^s that in irrigated regions the greatest number 

 of citizens can be given opportunities on the smallest area. With the high price of 

 labor it has been found impracticable to produce crops wholesale on land of this 

 character. The individual farmer who has industry and intelligence, and especially 

 if he has a family, the members of which can do their part, can make a far better 

 living and produce greater crop returns on a small farm than is possible by the 

 consolidation of small farms into larger holdings. 



Under the reclamation act there has been constructed, or are being constructed, 

 in Montana, the Huntley Project, the Lower Yellowstone Project, the Milk River Pro- 

 ject, including the St. Mary storage feature, and the Sun River Project. All of these 

 projects have been completed to a certain degree, but all of them are incomplete as 

 regards ultimate development. Water is being delivered to irrigated land on each 

 of these projects, and at frequent intervals additional areas are being made avail- 

 able for entry. The irrigable areas of the various reclamation projects are as fol- 

 lows: Huntley, 32,405; Lower Yellowstone, 60,116; Milk River, 219,557; Sun River, 

 216.346. In addition to these projects the reclamation service, under an agreement 

 with the office of Indian Affairs, is carrying on development work on Indian reser- 

 vations. The Indian projects in Montana are the Blackfeet, on which 122,500 acres 

 will be irrigated; the Flathead, 152,000 acres, and the Fort Peck with 152,000 acres. 

 The total area to be irrigated in Montana by the reclamation service is thus 954,924 

 acres, of which 426,500 acres is in Indian reservations which are, or will shortly be 

 opened to settlement. The estimated cost of these irrigation projects reach the 

 stupendous total of $35,828,020. 



