Show I PROJECT i ABOUT COMPLETED I Water Will Be Ready for 10 Milk River Acres Early i in the Spring I i Washington Dec D c 17 Project Engin Engineer eer o r C C Babb of Malta Mont has re reported reported ported port d In the Washington office for winter win winter i itel ter tel assignment He Ho reports excellent progress on construction con construction work of the Dodson unit of the Milk River project Work has beenen been en I I ly prosecuted by contractors on n the main canal and lateral systems anal on the Dodson dam and certain con itte structures ures as culverts an md bridges Water will probably ly be berady ber ready rady r ady for delivery to about acres i r I land early next spring About 2500 2600 I 1 res of this area haa has not yet been filed uin ui n It is il now being divided into farm units rats of approximately 1110 acres giving where there possible SO 80 acres of or irrigated land and 80 SO acres for pasturage lands landsi i The settler will only have to pay pa water I bight right charge on land that la Is I actually irrigated I Other Oth r tracts in this unit have been filed flIed upon in the past for speculative I purposes but have bave been practically abandoned and will be to contest contesti j i by bona hona fide settlers whenever the gov govI government opens the land for settlement j I I I There are certain lands in private own ownership ownership on which patent has hall already been issued that can be purchased ed very cheaply and that come under the gov government government canals Last spring and summer sum summer summer mer some Ome of or these ranches exchanged I lands at about 15 per acre They are arenow arenow arenow now going up slowly in value and the selling price is from 20 to 25 2 per acre I without a water right richt The secretary of the interior has not yet fixed the water right charge but it will be done when public settlement announcement I is issued The past year has been a very suc sue successful successful one from the ranchers point of view in the valley During the spring crop season about nine inches of rain fell sufficient nt to mature the hay hayand hayand hayand and grain crops This Thi was an unusual rainfall for lor the average for the entire year is only 11 14 inches The yields in oats oata averaged 40 bushels to the acre and from 40 0 to 45 5 pounds to the bushel It is selling for not less than 12 per hundredweight Hay is bringing 10 per ton here and 12 1 baled Without doubt there will be a large influx of settlers Into the valley in the spring The transcontinental railroads up to the present time have rather passed Montana Ko tana up concentrating their efforts on the Pacific coast states This Thill year however they have inaugurated an active advertising campaign and ex exp pct p ct to continue it for tile the next several seasons sea ons There is now a special car advertising ad advertising the products of the Milk River valley va y proceeding Pr from point to point through the middle western states |