1904 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



569 



power plant close to the coal supply, 

 the feasibility of locating a central 

 from which powor can be transmitted 

 electrically to the pumping 1 plants. If 

 this is found feasible it is propable that 

 the irrigable ^.rea can be largely in- 

 creased. The pumping plants are de- 

 signed with a capacity equal to pump- 

 ing the entire two-acre feet per acre 

 in 80 days, providing the plant be op- 

 erated at full capacity. With a full 

 plant in operation the entire area could 



cated at the coal mine the cost might 

 be reduced to the mere expense of 

 mining the fuel, say 60 to 70 cents per 

 ton. It probably would require no 

 more coal to do a certain amount of 

 pumping on account of the better ef- 

 ficiency of the large steam electric 

 units. The canal system has been es- 

 timated at $5 per acre. This covers 

 land irrigated and other extras. 



There are no special difficulties to 

 be encountered by this special system, 



Four Coal Beds on Little Missouri River, Near Mikkelson, North Dakota. 



be covered three inches deep in 10 

 days. 



The cost of fuel for the Bismarck 

 estimate is taken at $2 per ton. deliv- 

 ered. This is believed to be high even 

 if it has to be purchased in open mar- 

 ket, since a yearly contract of from 

 ^,000 to 10,000 tons would no doubt 

 secure a price less than the usual mar- 

 ket price. On the other hand, if the 

 coal is secured from government land, 

 the price would probably not exceed 

 $1.20 per ton for coal delivered at the 

 pumping plants. In the event that a 

 central electric generating plant be lo- 



as no coulees or railroads have to be 

 crossed. The irrigable land is all in 

 private ownership and mostly in 160- 

 acre tracts or smaller holdings. The 

 lands under this project are valued 

 at about $10 per acre. The lower 

 bench is cultivated at the present time 

 only to the extent of covering the na- 

 tive hay. On the upper bench wheat, 

 <*orn, and vegetables are grown with 

 some success. The project is favor- 

 ably located, being on the outskirts of 

 a city of some size and on lines of two 

 systems of railroad. The preliminary 

 estimates of cost of the Buford project, 



