| Show NEW FARMING LANDS A large tract 0 land in montana will bo opened to settlers this coming summer this comprises about acres of the crow indian reservation er and includes more than miles of the famous valley ol 01 the biff horn river and nearly miles of the great valley of tha yellowstone every acre ot this big tract ol 01 land will be under government ditch and it the rains fail all the barmer will hae to do will bo to open the gate of alg sluices the government has determined lo 10 construct the irrigating system and to divide the cost pro rata among those to whom tho homesteads are given in this way the settler la protected in the use of his water for all time for the past year tha government has biad engineers on this reserve testing the water supply to sec it there la enough to supply all parts ot the tract colonel robert S stockton of tho united states geological survey gays the flow of these streams is so rapid and the fall so great that water can be taken to the highest point on the ceded land every foot of that land can be irrigated and we have all the water necessary my report will show a perfect network of irrigating canals and what is better it will show where the water to fill these canals can be secured the crow indians have now acres irrigated upon which they are engaged in farming the head gate of this big horn ditch was built entirely by indians and is considered the finest in the united states the past year was appropriated from the irrigation fund to water lans in the idaho desert the water for this purpose is taken from i the snake river above the rapids and put into reservoirs and much will be distributed by gravity the estimated oost of this idaho irrigation is 25 per acre and acres will be made productive |
