110 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



TRANSFORMATION OF THE GREAT PLAINS 



"The Belle Fourche Valley in South Dakota, 

 until a short time ago was remembered as the cow- 

 man's paradise," said Beyer Aune, the expert in 

 charge of the Department of Agriculture demon- 

 stration farm in the valley, who is in Washington 

 compiling his annual report. 



"The advent of the big National Irrigation 

 project marked the passing of the large herds and 

 the festive cowboy, the picturesque round-up, and 

 the high-jinks which usually accompanied the latter. 

 Irrigation of the prairie ushered in the small farmer, 

 who is not afraid of hard work, and who believes in 

 the fertility of South Dakota soil. Farm homes now 



Belle Fourche diversion dam; intake and sluiceway gates at the 

 intake of main canal. The Belle Fourche river is entirely used up 

 by this big canal. 



dot a landscape long devoid of habitation, and wide 

 vistas of alfalfa and grain have replaced the rolling 

 stretches of grass-covered prairie. 



"The Belle Fourche Reclamation Project is ad- 

 jacent to and north of the Black Hills in South Da- 

 kota. The country is gently rolling, with consider- 

 able level areas traversed by several streams tribu- 

 tary to the Belle Fourche River. The country sur- 

 rounding the project is an open cattle range. The 

 water for irrigating the land is supplied by the Belle 

 Fourche and Red Water Rivers. This water has 

 been diverted into an immense reservoir formed by 

 the construction of an earthen dam more than a 

 mile long and 115 feet high at the highest point, it 

 being one of the largest earth embankments of its 

 kind in the country. 



"From this reservoir canals carry the water 

 north and south of the Belle Fourche River to the 

 lands to be irrigated. Compared to the area to be 

 irrigated, the water supply is ample while the cer- 

 tainty of supply and simplicity of arrangements 

 offer unusual advantages in the work of reclaiming 

 the valley. The cost of the water right is low as 

 compared with that of other projects. On public 

 lands that were filed upon prior to 1910 and private 

 lands that were signed up previous to that date, the 

 water right is $30 an acre. On all public and private 

 lands signed up since 1910, the water right is $40 

 an acre. The maintenance for all lands is about 60 



cents an acre a year. The project lies on both sides 

 of the Belle Fourche River, beginning two miles 

 east of the town of Belle Fourche and extending 

 eastward for forty miles. Owing to the rolling char- 

 acter of the region, only 100,000 acres of this land 

 is irrigable, of which 50,000 acres were public land, 

 45,000 acres private, and 5,000 acres owned by the 

 State of South Dakota. Wherever possible, the land 

 has been so divided as to include some dry land, 

 but this cannot always be done, owing to the irre- 

 gularity of the land surface. The irrigated portion 

 of the farm unit usually varies from 20 to 80 acres. 

 Farms adjacent to the Government townsite are 

 limited to 40 acres of irrigated land. 



"The average elevation is 3,000 feet above sea 

 level. The climate is delightfully temperate as to 

 extremes, with sunshine practically every day of 

 the year. The dry, invigorating atmosphere is one 

 of the most healthful features of the district and 

 one of the greatest inducements offered to home- 

 seekers. The precipitation averages about 15 inches 

 a year and occurs largely during the spring and 

 summer. The nights are always cool, and pleasant 

 weather lasts until late in the fall. 



"All the soil is very fertile and free from alkali 

 and stone. There are two distinct kinds of soil in 

 the valley. That on the south of the river is sandy 

 loam, and on the north it gradually shades into a 

 heavy clay. Little or no leveling is necessary in 

 order to irrigate the land. 



"Alfalfa and grains have been the principal 

 crops of the valley and these crops with proper care 

 make good returns. Three cuttings of alfalfa a 

 year can be obtained and a total yield of 6 tons to 

 the acre has been reported. The growing of alfalfa 

 seed receives considerable attention. Yields of 3 to 

 5 bushels per acre are very common and some yields 

 as high as 9 bushels have been reported. 



Miner Wood's alfalfa field showing second stand ready for 

 cutting. Belle Fourche Project, S. D. 



"The yields of small grains are as good as on 

 any irrigated project. Wheat yields from 30 to 45 

 bushels; oats, 60 to 120; flax, 15 to 25; and corn, 30 

 to 50 bushels. While these yields are not average, 

 they have been obtained by the more careful farm- 

 ers on the project and some have been obtained on 

 new land. After the land has been in alfalfa for a 



