THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



373 



States county commissioners are made water commis- 

 sioners; but as many streams flow through more than 

 one county, in some cases througli six or seven counties, 

 there can be no adequate or proper supervision. Colo- 

 rado, Wyoming and Nebraska have each been divided 

 under State laws into irrigation districts based on 

 drainage lines rather than on county lines. This makes 

 possible an effective division of water within the bound- 

 aries of these States. Something to supplement State 

 supervision, however, will in time be required. There 

 are interstate questions which can not be ignored, al- 

 though laws to provide for the proper division of water 

 within a State are a more vital and urgent necessity 

 than measures to settle the division of interstate streams. 

 The study of interstate rights should, however, begin 

 at once. It will be most unfortunate for all concerned 

 to delay this study until the gravity of the issues cre- 

 ated shall result in hasty or ill-considered legislation. 

 What is needed is a careful and impartial investigation 

 of this question by competent engineering and agricul- 

 tural experts. The problems to be solved are primarily 

 agricultural and engineering. The first questions to be 

 determined are: Where is water now being used? 

 Where can it be used to best advantage? What are the 

 character and extent of vested rights? These matters 

 ought to be settled by the dispassionate, unbiased 

 study of experienced men and not left to be fought over 

 in the courts by warring private interests. It is im- 

 possible for Congress to legislate regarding water rights 

 within States without revolutionizing existing condi- 

 tions in some of the States, and without interfering 

 with vested rights. The differences between State laws 

 and in the character of the rights established under 

 those laws make such a result inevitable. But a com- 

 mission could determine what proportion of a stream 

 should flow down from the State above to the State 

 below and leave it to the authorities of the State above 

 to determine what measures shall be taken to accom- 

 plish this result, and to the authorities of the State 

 below to determine what shall be done with the water 

 when they receive it. In this way there would be no in- 

 terference with vested rights or with State codes of 

 laws, while at the same time there would be a far better 

 prospect of securing a just and effective division of the 

 supply than through interstate litigation such as is 

 now impending. 



PLANS FOR IRRIGATING 9,ooo,ooo-ACRE TRACT. 



An irrigation project which, if carried out, will 

 reclaim more than 9,000,000 acres along the Missouri 

 River in North Dakota and will add approximately 

 $350.000,000 to the real estate valuation of the State, 

 is under consideration by the officials of North Dakota 

 and the Department of the Interior at Washington. 

 Chief Newell, of the United States Bureau of Geolog- 

 ical Survey, and a party of government officials passed 

 through St. Paul on the way to North Dakota, where 

 ttiey will inspect the land along the Missouri River 

 and determine to what extent irrigation is feasible. 



It is reported that the investigation is being made 

 with the approval and sanction of President Roosevelt, 

 who is especially interested in reclaiming the semi- 

 arid lands of the Northwest through irrigation. 

 The president once had a ranch in North Dakota and 

 at that timo discovered the possibilities of irrigation. 

 Pie discovered that the soil is among the most fertile in 

 the world; that the Missouri River furnishes ample 



water for irrigation; that there are abundant quanti- 

 ties of lignite coal along the river to furnish power 

 for pumping water into reservoirs, and that owing to 

 the natural resources of the country it is peculiarly 

 adapted to irrigation. 



The tract which it is proposed to irrigate is fifty 

 . miles wide and extends 300 miles from the Montana 

 line along the river. The soil is as fertile as in any 

 section of the United States, and it is estimated that 

 land which is now worth only from $3.00 to $4.00 per 

 acre will be worth from $40 to $50 when irrigated. The 

 soil is unusually well adapted to the raising of cereals, 

 all kinds of vegetables and sugar beets, as according to 

 the analysis of experts it contains 22 per cent sac- 

 charine matter. Potatoes raised on similar soil are 

 mealy and dry, and wheat and other grains are famous 

 the_world over for their good qualities. 



"Irrigation can be put into operation in North 

 Dakota more effectively and at a less cost of mainte- 

 nance than in any other section of the United States," 

 said one of the leading business men of North Dakota, 

 who was at the Merchants Hotel recently. "The rain-, 

 fall in the section along the Missouri River is almost 

 enough to raise good crops, so that not a great amount 

 of water has to be spread on the land through irriga- 

 tion. The land has a clay subsoil and does not require 

 so much water as is required in Arizona, Nevada, Cali- 

 fornia and other Southwestern States. Experts who 

 have inspected the land say that in the dryest season 

 one or two soakings will be sufficient to raise the finest 

 crops in the country. This year there has been plenty 

 of rain, and specimens of a bumper crop have been on 

 exhibit at the Minnesota- State Fair and will be taken 

 to St. Louis. 



"Expert irrigation engineers who have investigated 

 the project say that sufficient water can be obtained 

 from the Missouri River to irrigate the entire 9,000,000 

 acres. For 250 miles along the river there are banks 

 of lignite coal, which can be mined at merely nominal 

 cost. The banks of lignite extend into the river from 

 four to thirty feet, thus insuring an abundant quantity 

 of fuel for steam power. Lignite coal can be obtained 

 at 80 cents a ton. 



"According to the opinion of these engineers, who 

 have investigated irrigation in all parts of the tfnited 

 States, it is feasible to raise the water 150 to 200 feet 

 in reservoirs which will contain enough water to last 

 six months. Central plants can be installed near the 

 -river, and by means of electricity the power can be 

 distributed all over the 9,000,000-acre tract at little 

 cost. The land is rolling, so that it can be flooded with 

 water by the force of grarvity. In this way irrigation 

 can be carried on at much less cost than in Arizona, 

 where it is necessary to force the water over the land by 

 pumping, and in Nevada, where it is necessary to cut 

 down the mountains to secure a passageway for the 

 water. 



"No one who has not visited this section of North 

 Dakota has any idea of the fertility of the soil. It is 

 1 adapted to the raising of all kinds of fruit, including 

 apples, plums and grapes, and the climate is better than 

 in the Red River Valley, and, in fact, many people 

 believe that it is better than in southern Minnesota. 

 Lands which now are suitable only for grazing when 

 irrigated, will make the finest farms in the Northwest 

 and worth from $40 to $50 an acre. St. Paul Pioneer 

 Press. 



