182 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



April 



this end the lignite area has been 

 studied and the lignite beds investi- 

 gated. Practical tests have been 

 made to ascertain, at least in a rough 

 way, the cost of irrigating river flats 

 which are less than 100 feet above the 

 streams. The Missouri and its tribu- 

 taries in North Dakota have been fol- 

 lowed, and the extent and elevation of 

 the river flats and the amount and 

 quality of the lignite near them have 

 been noted. 



If only a small fraction of the west- 

 ern part of the State is under irriga- 

 tion the productiveness of the whole 

 region will be greatly increased. With 

 a few acres which can be watered at 

 will, and abundant range of cattle in 

 the broken or rolling land back of the 

 valley, ten families, by combining 

 farming with cattle raising, will pros- 

 per where one finds a living now. 

 These conditions will lay a sure foun- 

 dation for the dairying industry, 

 which should be one of the foremost 

 of the State. 



The only workable beds of lignite 

 east of the center of the State are in 

 the Turtle Mountains and at the south- 

 ern bend of the Sheyenne River, about 

 25 miles southeast of Valley City. The 

 region in which discoveries of lignite 

 might reasonably be expected may be 

 roughly bounded on the east by a line 

 beginning at the northern boundary 

 of the State, 30 miles east of the Min- 

 neapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Ma- 

 rie Railway, and extending southeast 

 to Harvey, thence south through 

 Steele to the southern boundary. On 

 the north, south, and west the lignite 

 continues beyond the boundaries of the 



State. This region is of very great 

 extent, having an area equal to half 

 that of the State of Ohio. The extent 

 and thickness of these lignite beds are 

 discussed in detail by Mr. Wilder. The 

 lignite output of the State amounted in 

 1902 to 315,800 short tons, valued at 

 $428,270. 



Judged by ordinary standards the 

 lignite is very inferior. Its fuel value 

 has been determined analytically, and 

 the results of the chemical, calorime- 

 tric, and practical evaporative tests 

 by which it has been examined are 

 described by Mr. Wilder. The sub- 

 ject of pumping water by means of 

 power plants supplied with lignite fuel 

 is discussed by Mr. Charles S. Ma- 

 go wan. 



Mr. Wilder says in conclusion that 

 opportunities to reclaim arid lands ap- 

 pear to exist in the larger flats on 

 Missouri River. In choosing a flat 

 where reclamation by pumping may 

 be tried under most favorable condi- 

 tions, a number of factors must be 

 kept in mind. Nearness to a railroad 

 and a market are as essential as an 

 abundance of cheap fuel and good 

 land. An active interest on the part 

 of the resident owners is necessary. 

 Some of the lignites from partially 

 developed but extensive deposits in 

 North Dakota and Texas, when tested 

 in the gas producer and gas engine, 

 have shown unexpectedly high power- 

 producing qualities, such as promise 

 large future developments in those 

 and other States. Some of the Ameri- 

 can coals, and the "slack" produced 

 in mining these coals, can be briquetted 

 on a commercial basis. 



