THE CALL OF THE WEST 



433 



HONDO PROJECT, NEW MEXICO 



The Hondo project provides for the 

 diversion and storage of the flood waters 

 from Hondo River, a tributary of the 

 Pecos, to irrigate 10,000 acres of land 

 in Chaves County, near Roswell. The 

 lands are all in private ownership, but 

 excess holdings may be purchased at 

 reasonable prices. The general elevation 

 is 3,900 feet above sea level, and the tem- 

 perature ranges from io° below to 100 0 

 above zero. The soil is a fertile alluvium 

 and requires 2^ acre-feet of water per 

 acre per annum. Alfalfa, corn, fruits, 

 and vegetables produce abundantly when 

 properly watered. The Santa Fe Rail- 

 way furnishes transportation facilities. 

 The building charge is $28 per acre. 



The watershed area is 1,037 square 

 miles, the average annual rainfall on 

 watershed is 15 inches, and the estimated 

 annual run-off is 40,000 acre-feet. 



PUMPING PROJECTS, NORTH DAKOTA 



The government has several pumping 

 projects in western North Dakota for 

 the purpose of raising water from the 

 Missouri River to irrigate bench lands 

 which cannot be reached by feasible 

 gravity systems. Steam and electric 

 power are used for pumping, the power 

 being developed from lignite coal, which 

 is found in ample quantities adjacent to 

 the projects. Two of these systems are 

 already in operation, the Williston and 

 the Bu ford-Trenton. 



Williston Project. — The initial unit of 

 this project includes about 8,000 acres 

 of bench and valley lands surrounding 

 Williston, but the system will be en- 

 larged to cover 12,000 acres. The gen- 

 eral elevation is 1,900 feet above sea- 

 level ; the temperature ranges from 59 0 

 below to 107 0 above zero. The soil of the 

 bottom lands is a heavy clay, with a con- 

 siderable quantity of alkali. The bench 

 lands, however, are a rich, sandy loam, 

 requiring 2 acre-feet of water per acre 

 per annum. The principal crops grown 

 are wheat, flax, and oats. The supply 

 of oats is always far short of the de- 

 mand. Alfalfa is profitably grown for 



winter feed, and sugar beets are likely 

 to become an important crop. Small 

 fruits do well if protected from the 

 winds, and dairy farms and market 

 gardens are needed. The state experi- 

 ment farm near Williston is of great as- 

 sistance in demonstrating the value and 

 methods of irrigation to the farmers. 



The main line of the Great Northern 

 Railroad passes through Williston, which 

 is the distributing point for this section of 

 the state. 



The Bu ford-Trenton project embraces 

 the bench and bottom lands bordering 

 the north bank of the Missouri River for 

 about 20 miles east of the Montana- 

 North Dakota state line. Power for the 

 pumps on this project is developed at the 

 main power station at Williston, and is 

 transmitted electrically over a transmis- 

 sion line 28 miles long. 



The climate and crop conditions are 

 practically the same as those at Williston, 

 and the building, operation, and main- 

 tenance charges are the same as under 

 that project. The project embraces 

 about 12,500 acres of bench and bottom 

 lands on the Great Northern Railroad. 

 Practically all the land is in private own- 

 ership, but farmers owning more than 

 160 acres are required to sell their ex- 

 cess holdings, and farms can be bought 

 at from $15 to $25 per acre. 



BEEEE FOURCHE PROJECT, SOUTH DAKOTA 



When completed this project will re- 

 claim about 100,000 acres of land lying 

 north and northeast of the Black Hills^ 

 in Butte and Meade counties, South Da- 

 kota. The greater part of this land has 

 already been filed on. Water is now 

 available for about 15,000 acres. There 

 is a large amount of land in private 

 ownership which, on account of the 

 ruling limiting the individual water sup- 

 ply to 160 acres, is offered for sale at 

 from $10 to $20 per acre, depending 

 upon improvements and location. The 

 farm unit on public lands is 40 and 80 

 acres. Settlers are required to pay a 

 building charge of $30 per acre, and an 

 annual fee of 40 cents per acre for opera- 

 tion and maintenance. 



