1C 



THE IRRIGATION AG 



tion, it was shown that same was a wonderful im- 

 provement, being fuller, heavier in weight, and wonder- 

 fully bright in color. 



The impetus thus given to the raising of barley 

 by irrigation in the Gallatin valley has been con- 

 tinued with ever-increasing success, year by year, until 

 today, the Gallatin valley, Montana, is famous the 

 world over as a great barley-raising section. I will 

 state that the long sunshine and cool nights that we 

 have in the Gallatin valley helps to fill the grain, 

 irrigation giving the necessary moisture to the grain 

 when most needed, and finally, the absence of any 

 rainfall during the harvest time, which insures the 

 bright color so much desired. Not alone do we im- 

 prove the quality of our grain by irrigation, but also 

 increase the yield, in many cases double that raised 

 without irrigation. 



"'Montana's rainfall, annually, is about eighteen 

 inches, occurring during the winter, spring, and fall 

 months, affording ample moisture for the germination 

 of the seed and growth of the grain in early stages; the 

 happy combination of cool nights and heat of perfect 

 summer days, and the artificial moisture by irrigation, 

 gives a growth and development to crops, unknown 

 to any region save that of the mountain states, which 

 the situation, climate conditions, and soil, make the 

 ideal barley land of the world. 



This may seem to some rather a sweeping 

 statement, but I assure you the results already known 

 throughout the malting and brewing trade of the world 

 fully back up what I say. Both oats, wheat and al- 

 falfa have the same results in this valley. 



Unlike the farmers of the Mississippi valley, the 

 farmer farming with the aid of irrigation, sows his 

 crops with the confident assurance of reaping the rich 

 reward of his labors, based on the unbroken record 

 of no crop failures. 



This immunity from crop failures rests upon the 

 unfailing bounteous supply of water for irrigation, 

 coming as it does from the hundreds of mountain 

 streams flowing from perpetual snow drifts, which, 

 yielding to the rays of the midsummer sun, afford the 

 moisture to the parched fields during the period when 

 the grain is filling and the crop is most in need of it. 



The soil the ideal soil for barley raising is here 

 found in Montana, particularly in the Gallatin valley, 

 where is found the rich alluvial soil of a rich nature 

 and light chocolate in color. Added to this comes 

 the irrigation, which is both meat and drink to the 

 soil. 



The water, finding its way from the mountains, 

 through timber girt ravines and coullees, bears in solu- 

 tion vast amounts of detritus, rich in organic matter ; 

 this applied to lands already doubly rich in potash, 

 phosphoric acid and nitrogen, give them year by year 

 the ability to produce crops that are the wonder of 

 the world. 



In the year 1893 at the World's Fair, Germanv 

 sent over to this country, six commissioners, connected 

 with the Agricultural Department of Germany, one to 

 look into the question and investigate the cultivation 

 of the sugar beet and as to its sugar quality; another 

 as to wheat, and its flour industry; another as to flax 

 and its flax oil industry ; another to hops ; and another 

 to barley as to the barley industry, and further to in- 

 vestigate the question of industries in our country and 

 its advantages. They traveled and investigated indus- 

 tries from California to the Mississippi, and spent one 



woek on the ManWlrfn farms, in the Gallatin valley, 

 Montana, and they were surprised in seeing that the 

 German Saale barley was produced finer by the mother 

 seed, by irrigation. On the return of this commission 

 to Germany, their report was rendered to their govern- 

 ments and reports were made by these respective com- 

 missioners to their respective industries, giving their 

 full report as to how they found things in America. 

 The one special report made by Prof. Dr. Delbruck, 

 who was then, and is today, the chief commissioner of 

 agriculture to the German government, was of partic- 

 ular interest to all connected with malting and brew- 

 ing interests of the world, coming as it did from one, 

 conceded by all, to be the highest authority on this 

 subject. 



I will take the liberty to read you a portion of 

 that report. He writes, that 



"Here in the Gallatin valley, Montana, on the, 

 Manhattan farm, I found a country and a system 

 of cultivation ideal for the growing of barley; in fact, 

 here I have seen the barley the German Saale barley 

 -raised, the finest barley that I have ever seen ; bright 

 in color, large size, fine as to husk, equal to the very 

 best of our European barleys, and decidedly the su- 

 perior of anything raised in North America. Here 

 in harvest times, barley damaged and discolored bv 

 ram is unknown, because they have no rain. Withered 

 or dried-up barley is equally unknown because they 

 have here irrigation, by which the grain is given the 

 necessary moisture at the time it is most needed." 



As a further proof that we have in Montana the 

 ideal barley-growing lands, with the aid of irrigation 

 I would say that the last spring I took from Canada 

 Minnesota and Wisconsin, the six-rowed barley which 

 is raised so extensively therein, and I planted the same 

 in Montana, where with irrigation, the grain that 

 in Canada, Minnesota and Wisconsin, under the most 

 favorable condition, is harvested with thirty-six to 

 forty kernels to the head, we harvested in Montana, 

 raised under irrigation, with eighty to ninety kernels 

 to the head. And I have here in my hands to show the 

 heads raised by irrigation, which is six inches long, 

 against those that are raised in Wisconsin and Minne- 

 sota, in the natural state of cultivation, only from three 

 to four inches long. Now we have eighty to ninety 

 kernels to the head, as stated, which are much 

 larger and better developed and brighter in color, as 

 against those grown without irrigation in those re- 

 spective states. Only another instance where irrigation 

 succeeds in the way of raising cereals. I will state here 

 that other favorable results are obtained in our raising 

 of oats and wheat. 



I have always felt ever since I have looked into 

 this irrigation question, which is now nearly fourteen 

 years, that it is a great blessing wherever it can be ap- 

 plied, and I felt it was my duty to give all the aid 

 I could in helping this good cause and the very good 

 work, irrigation, for which the congress is here assembled. 

 I am a great believer in this irrigation. It may not be in 

 our life time that we will see these great results and 

 the time will come when our children and relatives may 

 say that our fathers, brothers and, uncles have helped to 

 lay the foundation for this great cause, and it brings 

 back to me a recollection of what Prof. Dr. Delbruck, 

 of Germany, said to me when we parted. He said 

 ''that if this country succeeds in making use of this 

 great blessing in using their water ways to irrigate this 



