Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], October 15, 1951, Image 1

About Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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Drainage Ditches for Dry Land
■ DRAINING DRY LAND may sound like
a project on a par with providing ice boxes
for Eskimos, but many Montana farmers
are doing it.
The problem, of course, is potholes. These
depressions in fields collect spring runoff
water and create swampy areas that can
not be farmed over with machinery. They
dry up too late in the spring to be seeded
with the rest of the fields, and after heavy
raihs they often hold water so long that
growing grain may be killed out. In short,
they create considable areas of waste land
in otherwise productive fields.
But they can be redeemed. This has been
demonstrated by many farmers who have
established small but highly effective and
profitable pothole drainage projects.
Reclaimed 25 Acres
There's Clarence Nelson, for instance, who
farms under the Reserve soil conservation
district in Sheridan county. With the help
of the soil conservation service he has
drained off 18 potholes to reclaim directly
25 acres of land and materially improve
man
invo
y more surrounding acres. The project
TVed about 5,000 yards of dirt. At 15
cents a yard the cost amounted to $750,
In one unit 10 potholes were connected
with ditches and drained into two large
slough areas. These areas now stay well
filled with water and make year around
wildlife habitats.
The principle involved in dryland drain
age is the construction of ditches or chan
nels that are deep enough to drain the area
yet wide and sloping enough to permit full
use of machinery over them. One cut in the
Nelson project was 4 feet deep but the aver
age was 1 Vz feet. In one field where many
potholes were drained some years ago the
cuts are' now seeded over and hardly visible.
Plagued for 14 Years
Then there's E. J. Hankins who has
drained several spots on his farm on the
Highwood bench in Chouteau county. He
Secret of successful pot
hole drainage projects is
ditches that are wide
enough to be worked
easily . with machinery.
The ditch shown in the
center picture is 4 feet
deep but its easy slopes
make it a part of the
field. The slough shown
in the bottom picture is
one of two created by
drainage of 10 smaller
potholes on the Clar
ence Nelson place. Sher
idan county. It pro
vides year around shel
ter for wildlife.
MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING
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drained # with a ditch running to the north
had one pothole that had been a nuisance to
him for 14 years. Crops were frequently
drowned out, and just as frequently he was
unable to fallow the area when he worked
the rest of the field.
A survey made by the soil conservation
service showed that the hole could be
west. Formerly Hankins had assumed it
would have to drain to the east. He rented
a whirlwind terracer from the soil conserva
tion district and in 10 hours constructed a
ditch about 800 feet long, 12 feet wide and
2 feet deep in places.
had been a nuisance for
14 years. The ditch is
800 feet long, 2 feet
deep in places and 12
feet wide.
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Snowdrifts indicate the
line of this ditch on the
'^
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E. J. Hankins place,
Chouteau county, which
drained a pothole that
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There have been heavy spring runoffs
since the ditch was built and last yoßi
there was a cloudburst during the summer,
but the ditch carried off the water easily
and the summer fallow in the area was
never flooded as it often was before. This
ditch and several other constructed on the
place have paid off well, Hankins says, dur
ing the wet harvest seasons this, year and
last.
Yes, there's dryland draining to be done
on many farms in Montana. Projects such
as these prove it can be done and this is the
time of year to da it.