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THE 1 11 R I G A T I X A G E . 



The great need for Colorado's agricultural develop- 

 ment, in the opinion of many men most familiar with 

 local conditions, is for a better class of tenants and owners 

 of small ranches. Because of the superiority of Colorado's 

 soil, climate, irrigation systems and other advantages, this 

 state has not been forced into the measures of systematic 

 development that have become established in other re- 

 gions. The local promoters and others interested in 

 development work are beginning to understand that they 

 are being left behind in the march of progress, when they 

 are really entitled to a foremost place at the head of the 

 procession. 



portion of the region where farmers heretofore have 

 depended on irregular rainfall. 



One of the biggest irrigation projects completed in 

 Colorado in recent years is almost finished on the North 

 fork of the Poudre river. The project involved the drill- 

 ing of a tunnel, almost a mile long, through a mountain. 

 The tunnel is the property of the North Poudre Irriga- 

 tion company and was drilled to take the place of an old 

 wooden flume, several miles in length, which heretofore 

 has been used. 



The two bores met recently and the big hole through 

 the mountain was completed. The tunnel is 4,891 feet 

 long, is eight and one-half feet high by six and one-half 

 feet wide, and has an average grade of Ifi feet to the mile. 

 It has a carrying capacity of 400 cubic feet of water per 

 second. 



Just what has been done near Las Animas is what 

 is needed throughout the Arkansas Valley. It is what is 

 needed to a certain extent throughout the country if our 

 agricultural production is to keep pace with the con- 

 sumption. 



A large tract of land there has been cut up into forty- 

 acre tracts which are to be colonized by truck gardeners. 

 The land lies in what is known as the bottoms, but it is 

 underlaid with water-bearing sand and a pumping plant 

 is to be installed and thus a large body of land reclaimed. 



The farmers near La Junta are taking quite an inter- 

 est in the dairy business, and are seeking a better breed 

 of milch cows. Gay Ecton has a fine bred Guernsey cow 

 which supplies milk and butter for a family of seven, and 

 they sell about $20 worth of milk every month. 



Sam Hoeman who has just \tYi acres of land not 

 far from Canon City has demonstrated this year that any 

 man in this section of the west who will properly handle 

 a small acreage can lay up money and enjoy the very 

 best of living. In Park Center he has two small tracts 

 totalling 17^2 acres. 



This land has just commenced to bear fruit yet this 

 year he took off nearly 1,200 boxes of apples which aver- 

 aged him $1.12 a box. meaning about $1,400 in real money. 



One thousand baskets of grapes averaged around 27 

 cents, making $270. This was an off year on grapes. 

 Last year he got 1,500 baskets with about the same aver- 

 age price. 



Five hundred crates of cherries brought an average 

 of $1.75, $875 realized from cherries. Raspberries, both 

 kinds, make a total of over 250 crates and brought at an 

 average of $2.00. That means $500 for a little time and 

 trouble. In all Mr. Hoeman pulled in over $3,000 for the 

 year's work. 



Of course he had some expenses. But he did the 

 greater share of the work himself and about all the money 

 he was out was for his water tax and box and crating 

 materials. One thousand dollars will easily cover these 

 expenditures and it is plain to see the splendid profit. 



IDAHO. 



The Reclamation Service is asking for proposals for 

 about 490,000 pounds of reinforcement bars for use on 

 the Boise irrigation project. The bids will be opened at 

 the office of the United States Reclamation Service at 

 Boise. Idaho, January 20, 1914. 



KANSAS. 



During the Kansas Irrigation Congress herd at Good- 

 land late in December, Prof. E. Haworth, of the Uni- 

 versity of Kansas, made the statement that there is more 

 water in western Kansas than the people can ever use. 

 He states that inexhaustible underground streams that 

 may be tapped for irrigation are to be found over a great 



Five farmers near Great Bend have entered into a 

 co-operative scheme whereby they will be able to irrigate 

 some 750 acres of their farms in dry seasons. They pro- 

 pose to get water for this purpose by damming Wet 

 Walnut Creek, which flows through their land. W. S. 

 Gearhart, state engineer at the agricultural college, is 

 preparing the plans for the dam. 



The big irrigation wells and the reservoir being 

 erected by the state board of irrigation, north of Tribune, 

 are almost completed, and water will soon be turned into 

 the reservoir for the purpose of irrigating eighty acres 

 of land. 



MONTANA. 



The Secretary of the Interior has authorized award 

 of contract to Messrs. R. P. and C. B. Murrill of Gilman, 

 Mont., for performing feight hauling sevices in connec- 

 tion with the Sun River project. The total estimated 

 quantity of material to be delivered embraces about 

 4,000,000 pounds of miscellaneous freight matter, the total 

 cost of transporting which will be about $13,500. 



F. F. Lyon, an attorney of Butte, H. R. Albion of 

 Custer and A. W. McConnell of Chicago, 111., are inter- 

 ested in an irrigation project embracing some 25,000 

 acres of land lying on the north side of the Little Missouri 

 River, about 12 miles below Alzada, Mont. The project 

 is to be put under the provision of the Carey act. Bonds 

 have been issued and offered for sale in the east, and it 

 is expected that the initial amount raised will be about 

 $300,000, which will be available some time during the 

 winter, and work on the project will start early in the 

 spring. 



Work on the Fort Peck irrigation project has been 

 suspended for the season. 



Six hundred thousand acres of land in Montana were 

 thrown open to entry by the government on December 0. 

 The land is known as the Lake Basin irrigation project. 

 and ten years ago was withdrawn from entry by the 

 Government Reclamation Service. 



The United States Reclamation Service is asking for 

 proposals for furnishing about 750,000 pounds of steel 

 reinforcement bars for use on the Montana irrigation 

 projects. The bids will be opened at the office of the 

 United States Reclamation Service at Great Falls, Mont., 

 on January 20, 1914. 



The Secretary of the Interior has authorized the 

 Reclamation Service to award contracts for the con- 

 struction of earthwork and structures in connection with 

 the Yandalia South Canal, Milk River irrigation project. 

 Montana, as follows: To Tebbs. Taggart, Jurgens & 

 Knipe, Glascow, Mont., schedule 1. 2 and 3, involving 

 the excavation of 470,180 cubic yards of material and 

 70,000 cubic yards of overhaul, contract price, $74,093.80. 

 To Threet Bros. & Jolley, of Lowell, Wyoming, schedule 

 4, consisting of 17,000 cubic yards of excavation, the 

 placing of reinforcing steel. 250,000 pounds, laying 342 

 linear feet of corrugated iron pipe and 2,858 linear feet 

 of vitrified pipe, erecting 1,085 linear feet of steel flumes, 

 furnishing lumber for turnouts and bridges, etc., con- 

 tract price, $42.120.95. 



A report has been submitted by the engineers of the 

 Musselshell Valley irrigation project to the Board of 

 Commissioners, outlining in a general way, the proposed 

 work, and including a detailed estimate of the probable 

 cost of the work. The district to lie irrigated is located 

 entirely in Musselshell County, extending along the 

 Musselshell River valley from near the town of Barber 

 on the west for a length of approximately 100 miles to 

 Melstone on the east. The land along the proposed 

 canal is practically all in private ownership in tracts of 

 from 160 acres up to 1,200 acres. It is proposed to irri- 

 gate something over 19,000 acres. 60 per cent of which 

 is at present under cultivation. A few miles from the 



