28 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



on a showing that such total area was drained by 

 such ditch. 



The proceedings were started by the Lower La- 

 tham Ditch Company, and the seepage ditch owners 

 appeared and asked that their rights also be adjudi- 

 cated. 



The adjudication settled the right of priorities 

 from the mouth of the Platte to the mouth of the 

 Poudre, and all their tributaries except the Big 

 Thompson, St. Vrain, Clear creek and Boulder creek. 

 There had been no general adjudication of this dis- 

 trict since 1883, and some of the ditches had been 

 proved up on in 1869. 



It affects the water for 125,000 acres under the 

 Standley system, 100,000 in the Henrylyn and 50,000 

 acres in the Latham, Western and other smaller sys- 

 tems. 



REPORT ON COSTS FEB. 15 



Elwood Mead, member of the final Board of 

 Review of Costs of the Federal Irrigation projects, 

 spoke at the third national conference on marketing 

 and farm credits in Chicago, November 30. 



Mr. Mead is still at work with the other mem- 

 bers of the Review Board, studying the evidence 

 taken before the various project boards. The report 

 of the final board to Secretary of the Interior Lane 

 is expected about February 15, 1916. 



Fulton H. Sears, member of the executive com- 



mittee of the National Federation of Water Users' 

 Association, spoke to the conference on the organi- 

 zations of settlers. "Why do all federal officials ig- 

 nore the Water Users' Association in their discus- 

 sions of cooperation and marketing?" asked Mr. 

 Sears. 



There was no answer from the federal dele- 

 gates. 



OPEN CHICAGO OFFICE 



Layne & Bowler, who are among the leading 

 pump manufacturers, have opened a Chicago office 

 in room 330, Old Colony building. 



SILO SEALING SUGGESTIONS 



There is always some loss on the top of the 

 silage unless feeding is begun as soon as the silo is 

 filled. Where the silage is to stand for some time 

 before feeding, it is customary to run in three or 

 four loads of cornstalks from which the ears have 

 been removed. This material is packed thoroughly ; 

 then a liberal supply of water is added, which will 

 help to seal the silo, and only a very small amount 

 of waste will result. Some farmers use oat straw 

 as a covering; others soak the top of the silage with 

 water and sow oats which, when they germinate, 

 form a dense mass which shuts out the air and keeps 

 the silage from spoiling. 



IDAHO PROTECTS IRRIGATED LAND BUYERS 



Idaho 



In the future there will be no open- 

 ing of irrigation projects in the state 

 of Idaho until the irrigation company 

 having charge of constructing the 

 canal and reservoir system has water 

 actually ready for delivery. This is 

 the important policy that has been 

 adopted by the state land board of 

 Idaho. 



It is the first time in the history 

 of the state that such a stand has 

 been taken. When approving the con- 

 tract for the Wickahoney Land & Ir- 

 rigation Company, which will reclaim 

 30,000 acres of land in the Bruneau 

 country, the board incorporated a pro- 

 vision covering the water supply. 



It is because promoting companies 

 were permitted to sell water rights 

 for lands in the respective projects 

 they had contracted with the state to 

 reclaim that such an unsavory repu- 

 tation has been given to this state. 

 In many instances these companies 

 permitted the settlers to actually oc- 

 cupy the land before the canals were 

 built. On other projects twice as 

 much land was sold as there was wa- 

 ter to irrigate it with. Idaho has 

 profited by experience and there will 

 be no more wildcatting on irrigation 

 works, for the land board also decided 

 to supervise construction of the 

 canals and will see that the systems 

 are constructed as per the terms of 

 the contracts. 



The Wickahoney project includes 

 some rich lands. By the terms of the 

 contract 50 per cent of the project 



must be completed in the first year 

 and the entire project completed in 

 five years. The estimated cost of 

 construction is $750,000. Five per 

 cent of this must be placed with the 

 state as security that the company 

 will carry out the terms of the con- 

 tract. The Thayer-Moore Company, 

 of Kansas City, is furnishing the 

 money to build it. 



The Idaho land board has also been 

 advised that the Twin Falls west-end 

 project, which has been dormant for 

 many years, is to be revived. This 

 project is adjacent to the south-side 

 Twin Falls, said to be the most suc- 

 cessful Carey act project in the United 

 States. When the west-end project 

 was planned years ago it was found 

 the water supply was short. Since 

 then the south-side project has been 

 extensively settled and cultivated. 

 There is said to be a surplus of water 

 which will be used to reclaim the 

 west-end project. 



The Idaho land board has rejected 

 the contract offered the state by the 

 Utah Construction Company for the 

 completing of the Big Lost River 

 irrigation project, because the contract 

 failed to provide for the delivery of 

 a specific quantity of water to the 

 lands within the project. The Utah 

 Construction Company planned to 

 spend a million and a half dollars 

 on the Big Lost River project. For 

 the past eight or ten years the project 

 has remained dormant, owing to the 



fact that the big Mackay dam. con- 

 structed at a cost of several hundred 

 thousand dollars, failed to hold water. 

 Some two years ago the hope of re- 

 claiming the lands within the project 

 was revived through the purchase of 

 it by the Utah Construction Com- 

 pany. It was sold at public auction. 



Montana 



Water users under the canal of the 

 Bitter Root Valley Irrigation Com- 

 pany have employed an engineer to in- 

 vestigate the company's plant and wa- 

 ter supply. This engineer is at work 

 and will soon make his report to the 

 local association. 



Construction of a $130,000 irriga- 

 tion project on Tobacco plains, near 

 Eureka, in Lincoln county, Montana, 

 will begin as soon as the necessary 

 machinery has been installed, M. H. 

 Gerry, Jr.. of Kalispel. having let the 

 contract. The district which will be 

 irrigated by this project is one of the 

 most productive in northern Mon- 

 tana. It embraces 10,000 acres and is 

 a great producer of wheat and other 

 grains, as well as alfalfa and forage 

 crops. Water to irrigate the valley 

 will be taken from the Tobacco river 

 and will be stored in Glenn lake, a 

 natural body of water, which will be 

 raised in elevation by a dam. Nelson 

 Rich, of Prosser, Wash., bought the 

 bonds. 



Contract has been awarded for the 

 construction of Mission Lateral H 



