56 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



MONTANA'S IRRIGATION STATISTICS. 



This summary issued by Census Director Durand 

 shows for both 1909 and 1899 the number of farms irri- 

 gated, the length of main ditches, the total cost of irri- 

 gation systems, and the average cost per acre irrigated. 

 It shows also for the year 1909 acreage irrigated with 

 pumped water and the average annual cost of mainten- 

 ance and operation. It shows for 1910 the acreage which 

 existing enterprises were capable of supplying, the acreage 

 included in existing projects, the number of independent 

 enterprises, the length of lateral ditches, number of reser- 

 voirs, capacity of reservoirs, number of flowing wells, 

 number of pumping plants, and engine capacity of pump- 

 ing plants. The acreage irrigated is classified by the 

 type of enterprise supplying water and by the source of 

 water supply. 



It should be noted that figures are subject to revision 

 after more complete tabulation, but it is not expected 

 that there will be any material modification of the totals 

 or percentages reported. 



The total number of farms irrigated in 1909 was 8,970", 

 against 8,043 in 1899, an increase of 927, or 11.5 per cent. 

 Within the same period the number of farms in the state 

 had increased 96.1 per cent, indicating that dry farming 

 had a more rapid growth than irrigation during the 10 

 years. 



The total acreage irrigated in 1909 was 1,679,084 acres, 

 against 951,154 acres in 1899, an increase of 727,930 acres, 

 or 76.5 per cent. During the same period the improved 

 acreage on farms increased 10.6 per cent, indicating again 

 the more rapid advance of dry farming. The area irri- 

 gated was 46.1 per cent of the improved land in farms in 

 1909 and 54.8 per cent in 1899. 



The total acreage which all enterprises were capable 

 of irrigating in 1910 was 2,205,155, an excess of 256,071 

 over the area irrigated in 1909. The acreage included in 

 projects either completed or under construction in 1910 

 was 3,515,602, an excess of 1,836,518 acres over area ir- 

 rigated in 19Q9. This indicates the area which will be 

 available within the next few years for the extension of 

 irrigation, and shows that the area irrigated can be more 

 than doubled without the construction of additional works. 



The number of independent enterprises reported in 

 1909 was 5,534. The total length of main ditches in 1909 

 was 12,090 miles, against 6,812 miles in 1899, an increase 

 of 6,178 miles, or 90.7 per cent. The number of reservoirs 

 reported was 917, having a combined capacity of 579,953 

 acre-feet. The number of wells pumped for irrigation 

 was 10 and the number of pumping plants 125. The engine 

 capacity of pumping plants was 3,057 horsepower. The 

 acreage irrigated with pumped water was 8,023 acres. 



The total cost of irrigation systems reported in 1910 

 was $22,819,868, against $4,683,073 in 1899, an increase of 

 $18,136,795, or 387.3 per cent. The average cost per acre 

 in 1910 was $10.35, against $4.92 in 1899, an increase of 

 $5.43, or 110.4 per cent. The average cost of operation 

 and maintenance per acre in 1909 was 89 cents, against 

 28 cents in 1899, an increase of 61 cents, or 217.9 per cent. 



The acreage irrigated in 1909 has been classified ac- 

 cording to the state and Federal laws under which the 

 works were built or are operated as follows: United 

 States Reclamation Service (act of Congress, June 17, 

 1902), 14,077 acres, or 0.84 per cent of the total; United 

 States Indian Service (various acts of Congress), 67,417 

 acres, or 4 per cent of the total; Carey Act (act of Con- 

 gress, Aug. 18, 1894), 9,648 acres, or 0.6 per cent of the 

 total; irrigation districts, 4,912 acres, or 0.3 per cent; 

 cooperative enterprises, 329,426 acres, or 19.6 per cent; 

 commercial enterprises, 62,544 acres, or 3.7 per cent, and 

 individual or partnership enterprises, 1,191,060 acres, or 

 70.9 per cent. Works built by the United States Reclama- 

 tion Service are to be turned over to the water users for 

 operation and maintenance. Including these, 92.3 per cent 

 of the acreage irrigated in 1909 was supplied by works 

 controlled by the water users. 



Streams supply 1,632,619 acres, or 97.2 per cent of 

 the total acreage irrigated in 1909; lakes supplied 5,622 

 acres, or 0.3 per cent; wells supplied 262 acres, or 0.02 

 per cent; springs supplied 17,967 acres, or 1.1 per cent; 

 and reservoirs supplied 22,614 acres, or 1.3 per cent. 



ALFALFA CULTURE IN AMERICA* 



By Joseph E. Wing 

 Expert Agriculturist, Mechanicsburg, Ohio 



The introduction of alfalfa into America proceeded 

 from two sources. The English settlers in Virginia and 

 the Atlantic colonists brought it with them, and at one 

 time many years ago it was in repute, under the name of 

 "lucerne," in New York, parts of Xew England, and Vir- 

 ginia. It was recognized as having remarkable value, yet 

 as acting strangely under cultivation, responding finely 

 for one man, refusing to grow for another; growing beau- 

 tifully in one field, refusing to grow in an adjacent one. 

 It failed to make much seed, and eventually its culture 

 died out almost entirely in the Atlantic region. 



The Spanish people brought alfalfa to Chili, Mexico, 

 Peru, and in a small way to southern California. It 

 thrived in the dry, warm valleys, in soils rich in mineral 

 elements and well watered by irrigation. Its influence 

 was unfelt in the United States until the settlement of Cali- 

 fornia. The earlier settler sought only gold, but soon 

 there appeared another class who sought by tillage of the 

 soil to gain wealth by feeding the gold hunters. Thus 

 there grew up a sort of pioneer farming in California. 



From California the plant spread eastward to Utah, 

 to Colorado, to Idaho and Montana, to Kansas, Nebraska, 

 and, later, to Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and New 

 York; and now in these blessed days of prosperity it has 

 gone to nearly every state in the Union, is grown in 

 Alberta, Canada, and many of the islands of the sea. 



And yet, with all its spread, alfalfa growing has only 

 just begun in the eastern states. One farmer in ten in 

 favored regions is growing it, and he is growing only half 

 or maybe a tenth of what he will some day. The other 

 nine farmers will learn they must or else be crowded 

 out by their more favored competitors. It was held for 

 a long time that alfalfa growing must be confined to 

 certain climatic belts. Now it is known that it thrives, 

 so far as climate is concerned, almost equally well from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Lakes to the Gulf. 

 Certainly, it gives more crops in warm climates where it 

 has a longer growing season, but any part of America, 

 saving the high mountain plateaus, is warm enough for 

 two crops a year. 



Much needless mystery has been made of the alfalfa 

 seeding question. So much mystery, in fact, that many 

 farmers are afraid to try it at all. Jones recommends one 

 method and Smith another; and how is the farmer to tell 

 which is right? We began the study of the alfalfa ques- 

 tion twenty-five years ago, and since that time we have 

 carefully watched fields of it in almost every state in the 

 Union. We have corresponded with thousands of success- 

 ful growers, and with thousands of other growers who 

 were having troubles, and we really believe now that we 

 are able to furnish reliable data as to just what it is 

 necessary to do in order to succeed with this plant. 



We could almost sum the matter up in four words: 

 Lime, drainage, humus, and inoculation. Perhaps we have 

 given these in order of their relative importance. Lime 

 is necessary on soils not naturally of limestone formation 

 or filled with limestone pebbles. The importance of this 

 is impressed upon us more and more each year; in fact, 

 we believe today, that there have been more failures 

 throughout the United States on account of insufficient 

 lime in the soil than from any other cause. 



Then as to drainage; there is no use in planting alfalfa 

 on any soil where water may ordinarily be found at a 

 depth of less than three feet. The alfalfa may grow all 

 right until its roots strike this water, but then it will 

 probably die. 



Fertile soil contains enough humus. Impoverished 

 soils may be so deficient that special preparation must 

 be made before alfalfa can possibly succeed. Stable 

 manure, where obtainable, is the very best thing for add- 

 ing the proper humus to the soil; and we would urge its 



Abstract of the I. H. C. Service Bulletin "For Better Crops." 



