Full text of "The Resources and opportunities of Montana"

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338.09 Agriculture and
A.72m Publicity

1916 The Resources

and opportunities

of Montana

Montana State Library

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The Resources and Opportunities

MONTANA

(1916 EDITION)

"There's a Place for You in Montana"

By SETH MAXWELL

Commissioner of the Departmenrof
Agriculture and Publicity

This Publication is Issued and Circulated by Authority of the

State of Montana

HELENA, MONTANA
1916

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING.CO., STATEIPRINTERS

Foreword

/Jl^ HIS PUBLICATION is issued by authority of the State of
%r| ^ Montana by the State Department of Agriculture and PubHcity
for the purpose of acquainting prospective settlers and investors
with conditions as they exist in Montana.

This Department represents no private interest; it has nothing to
sell. Its aim and ambition is merely to give to the earnest inquirer the
truth regarding Montana. This State wants settlers for the millions of
acres of good agricultural land waiting for the plow, and it also seeks
legitimate investors who will assist in the development of the many and
varied natural resources with which this commonwealth is endowed. For
the energetic and ambitious, it is confidently believed that there exist
in Montana opportunities for advancement which cannot be duplicated;
opportunities which, even here, will not long be available. It is to acquaint
this class of people with what Montana has to offer that this publica-
tion is issued.

This is the fifth "Montana Book" and it is a distinct pleasure and
inspiration to realize that these publications have come to be regarded
as the standard authority on Montana; that they are in demand in
libraries, colleges, schools, newspaper offices and legislative and admin-
istrative bodies throughout the world; and that they have served to cor-
rect not only erroneous ideas concerning this State, but have also
attracted to Montana a tide of desirable immigration unequalled in the
marvelous development history of the northwest.

The State of Montana invites the closest investigation of the claim
that farming pays better here than in any other state; and that living
conditions are more nearly ideal here than can be found elsewhere.

In a book of this size, it is very difficult to give more than passing
reference to many industries which, of themselves, are of immense
importance. It has been the aim to merely set forth in these pages
information which will be of practical value to the average Americaf^
of moderate means who seeks to better his condition, and to give to his
children a better chance than can be found in some of the more crowded
portions of the Republic.

SETH MAXWELL, Commissioner.

The State and its People

Energetic Americans, Inspired by the Enthusiasm of Assured

Success, and With a Wealth of Natural Resources at Their

Disposal, Carve Out a New Empire of Opportunity

ONTANA, THIRD LARGEST of the States of the
Union, and greatest in natural wealth, is the
newest empire of opportunity. Fastest growing
of all the States, it is but even now merely glimp-
sing the dawn of its greater destiny; it is just
beginning to realize the vast extent of the great
resources which Nature placed at the disposal of
its people and to utilize these resources in the
service of Mankind.

To the ambitious and energetic, Montana ex-
tends a cordial and a sincere invitation. It asks
them to come here and share in its prosperity by
assisting in its development. It offers a larger
measure of assured success than can be found
anywhere else upon the American continent, and
to sujastantiate this claim it modestly presents the
record of merely a few brief years of actual
achievement.

Montana is the keystone state of the great American Northwest. It lies between
the 104th and 116th meridians of longitude west of Greenwich and between the 45th
and 49th parallels of north latitude. The western boundary follows the Coeur d'Alene
and Bitter Root mountains and is irregular; in the southwest corner the line dips
below the 45th parallel and follows the main range of the Rocky Mountains; the
northern boundary is along the 49th parallel and the eastern boundary the 104th
degree of latitude. It is bounded on , the north by the Canadian provinces of
Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia; on the south by Wyoming and Idaho;
on the west by Idaho and on the east by North Dakota and South Dakota. The
average length from east to west is about 535 miles and the average width from
north to south about 275 miles. Montana thus embraces an area of 147,182 square
miles.

It should always be remembered that Montana is big. The vast area of the
state must be borne in mind in any consideration of its climate, its resources and
its opportunities. It is the third state in size in the Union, only Texas and Cali-
fornia being larger; France and Germany are each only about one third larger. Eng-
land, Scotland, Wales and Ireland combined, with their thirty millions of people,
have fewer miles of territory; Montana embraces a greater area than all the New
England states. New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland added together.
These states have a combined population of 19,701,130; Montana, with greater natural
resources, has an estimated population of 750,000. There are counties in Montana
larger than some of the populous states of the East.

Montana is the last of the great public land states. When the broad acres of this
state, now lying idle and unclaimed, shall have been seized upon by the homesteader

;6 MONTANA-1916

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Spring Seeding in Montana — Forty Horses at Work on One Field.

and the farmer, the day of free farm land in the United States will have passed. In
the first great rush toward the west, the fertile acres of Montana were given not
a thought. Its mines had given Montana its renown, but save for the rockribbed ore
deposits lying within its mountains and save for the grazing ground which it
afforded for cattle and sheep, the casual saw little for the future of the common-
wealth.

But the new day came and with it came the awakening of a great state. It was
shown that the benchlands upon which grew the nutritious bunch grass could be
transformed into the greatest and most productive wheat farms in the world. Grad-
ually the skeptic was convinced; gradually the land hungry of eastern states turned
their eyes toward Montana, and the state awoke from its lethargy. Another trans-
continental railroad, in record-breaking time, stretched its line across Montana and
into the state began to come the advance guard of the farmers who were to change
its destiny and make it the "breadbasket of the world."

They made good, and with less than one-eighth of the tillable lands of the
state now under the plow, Montana, among the states of the Union, now stands
twelfth in the production of wheat, seventeenth in the production of oats, thirteenth
in the production of barley, thirteenth in the production of potatoes, and third in
the production of flax. When the 35,000,000 acres of good farming land in this
state shall be under cultivation it is not unreasonable to suppose that this state will
take the lead in the production of practically all staple farm crops.

Montana, the most prosperous and growing state in the Union, is the most highly
endowed of all of the commonwealths. Its hills and mountains are great storehouses
of mineral wealth, which modern industry is releasing at an ever increasing rate.
Its valleys and benchlands are fertile to a high degree and are being rapidly
converted into farms of great productivity. Its ranges give sustenance to immense

THE TREASURE STATE

7 :

Harvesting a Portion of Montana's Big Grain Crop.

herds of cattle and sheep which find a market at ever increasing prices. Its rivers
and streams are capable of producing electrical power sufficient to turn the indus-
trial wheels of an empire and this power is being rapidly developed and placed in the
service of mankind. Its forests and streams abound in game and fish, offering a
veritable paradise for the sportsman; while its scenic attractions, although but yet
comparatively little known, are such as to inspire the admiration of world-traveled
tourists.

Montana, with its more than 147,000 square miles, is capable not only of supply-
ing practically its every want but is also capable of exporting immense quantities of
the staple products of commerce. As has been well said, it is an empire in the
making and only those of far seeing vision can yet dream of the Montana which is
to come.

The year 1915 dealt with Montana with a lavish hand. Not only has this
State produced the greatest crops in its history, but these crops have been marketed
at prices which give good profit to the husbandman and encourage him to larger
efforts. The mineral production of the State, estimated by the geological survey at a
value of eighty-seven million dollars, established a new high record and the present
high prices of copper and zinc, which are Montana's chief metal products, indicate that
the output for 1916 will greatly exceed that of the year just closed.

During the past year a new, and it is thought important, industry was added
to Montana's varied activities. Natural gas, in commercial quantities, has been
developed in a half-dozen widely separated portions of the State, while along the
southern border prospecting for oil has resulted in the opening of a number of wells
which are even now on a paying basis and there is every indication that the pro-
duction of petroleum is soon to be one of Montana's chief industries.

The past year also witnessed the first utilization, by a transcontinental rail-
road, of electrical power for motive purposes, when an entire division of the

: 8 MONTANA-1916 ;

• •

Montana's Fertile Prairies Are the Breadbasket of the World.

Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, a division which crosses the main range
of the Rocky Mountains, was electrified and great electric motors replaced giant
steam locomotives for the hauling of freight and passenger trains. The electrification
is now being extended on this road through the entire mountainous section of the
State and within a few months the silent power, generated by Montana's great, water
falls, will pull transcontinental trains for a distance of more than four hundred miles
and across two great mountain ranges.

The agricultural development of Montana, although in but its infancy, is making re-
markable progress. During the past sixteen years, the wheat production of this
state has increased from 1,929,000 bushels to 33,800,000 bushels; the production of
corn has increased from a paltry 23,000 bushels to 1,960,000 bushels; oats from 2,568,000
bushels to 31,200,000 bushels; potatoes from 640,000 bushels to 6,640,000 bushels
and yet, despite these vast increases, the fertile soil of Montana has scarcely been
scratched. Of the thirty-five million acres of land in Montana suitable for farming,
crops have thus far been produced on less than four million acres. In the light of
these facts, Montana looks forward to the day when she will take her place as the
premier agricultural state of the Union.

The remarkable development which this State is undergoing at the present time
is largely due to the energetic character of its people and their ability to look into
the future and to build for days which are yet to come.

It is fifty years now since Montana's first citizens were attracted to this then
territory by the discovery of numerous rich deposits of placer gold, but the pioneer
spirit is still a predominating influence among the people of this State. The
gold seekers, who came to Montana in the sixties, did not pack up their worldly
goods and return to their former homes when they had made their fortunes here.

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THE TREASURE STATE

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Cutting Wheat on Dry Land Farm Near Dillon (Yield 66^^ Bushels Per Acre.)

Instead, they remained in tlie land of their adoption and devoted their fortunes and
energies to the building of a great commonwealth. Throughout the years which
have followed, the strong character of these pioneer citizens has been continually
molding the destines of the State. Their influence has been felt in private and public
affairs and their ideals have been ever foremost in the eyes of Montana citizenship.
Few of them now remain, but their sons and daughters inherited their vision of lofty
purposes and newcomers into the State have caught the spirit of greatness, which
they inspired.

During the past six years, more than 100,000 men and women have come into this
state from all parts of the Union to take advantage of the vast area of public lands
which were available here for homestead entry. These people have and are making
good in the fullest sense of the word. It has often been remarked that it was per-
haps fortunate for Montana that the great era of agricultural development in this
State, now in progress, was contemporaneous with the general recognition of the fact
that farming, the most independent of all earthly means of earning a livelihood,
required brains as well as brawn. The result of this was that the Montana
homesteader was not the cast off or the ne'er-do-well of other communities, but
was the strong, self-reliant and ambitous. These people were quick to imbibe the
Montana spirit and the results which they have attained speak eloquently in their
behalf.

Nothing of the wild and wooly west remains in Montana. Illustrations of mod-
ern farm life are to be found in even the newest communities. The well furnished
home, the opportunities for social intercourse, the groups of happy and contented
school children all give ample testimony that "life in Montana is different."

The public school system of this state is a strong index to the character of its
people. The minimum limit for a school term is four months. Over four-fifths of

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The Best of Horses Are Raised on Montana's Farms.

all the schools in the state have at least a six months term, while practically all
of the town schools are in session for nine or ten months. It was disclosed by a
recent comparative study of public school systems in the United States, conducted
through the Russel Sage Foundation, that many states with more than double the
population of Montana, expend less for the maintenance of their schools. Only four
out of the forty-eight states of the Union exceed Montana in the per capita expenditure
for children of school age. Only three states west of the Mississippi river have
public school property of as great a value, in proportion to the school population,
as Montana. While the average annual salary paid to public school teachers in the
United States is given as $485, the average paid in Montana is $645, an amount
equalled by only six other states in the Union. During the past five years more
new school houses have been built in this state than in any other and the progress
of education in Montana continues strongly upward.

The character of any people depends, to a large extent, upon their environment
and their ability to earn the means necessary to live in comfort and contentment
In this matter, Montana is proud of the superior position it holds. Industrial condi-
tions in this state are good, not only for the employer but likewise for the employee.
As an instance of this, attention might be called to the fact that in the city of Butte,
where more than seventeen thousand miners find employment, the average wage paid is
higher than in any other industrial community of like size in the United States, if
not in the world. Good working conditions prevail throughout the State and the
eight hour day is almost universal in industrial activities.

The agricultural growth of Montana has been one of the marvels of this great
age of achievement. A man who twenty-five years ago would have said that
Montana would in 1915 produce 33,000,000 bushels of wiieat or six million bushels
of potatoes, the big portion from non-irrigated land, would have been laughed to

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THE TREASURE STATE

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Montana Cattle Help Supply the Nation With Beef.

scorn. And yet today, so changed is the Montana idea of its own agricultural possi-
bilities, that the well-informed citizen looks upon last year's record breaking crops
as merely an indication of what may be expected in the next few years when
Montana gets the people necessary to properly cultivate the 35,000,000 acres of fertile
agricultural land which lies within the borders of this great empire.

Some half-dozen years ago it was begun to be realized that the great need of
Montana was people — active, energetic people who were not afraid of work but who,
with adequate reward assured, were willing to do their share in the development
of the magnificent resources of this great commonwealth. For such people, it was
realized, this state offered opportunities which are not to be found elsewhere. Re-
peated experiment and thorough trials had demonstrated that the benchlands of
this state were capable of producing enormous crops of grain and that, properly
farmed, Montana Avas destined to become one of the great cereal producing states
of the Union. The greater part of these fertile and highly productive bench-
lands were yet in the public domain and could be secured by the ambitious under
the liberal provisions of the homestead law.

It w^as hard to make those who had always associated Montana climate with that
of the Arctic regions believe that, despite the popular impression to the contrary, the
climate of the greater part of this state was practically the same as that of Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois, although the reports of the weather bureau proved this to be
true. It w'as hard to make people believe that there were agricultural possibili-
ties in a state which their geographies had taught them was useful, aside from
its mineral production, only by reason of the fine grazing it afforded in the summer
time for great herds of cattle and sheep.

But education, as always, won over popular ignorance and during the last six years
more than 29,000,000 acres of public and Indian lands have been entered by settlers in

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M O N T A \ A - 1 9 1 6

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Montana Produces More Wool Than Any Other State.

Montana, and during every year of this period Montana has led all the states of the
Union in providing new homes for homeseekers. Thus far there has been no slackening
of this great tide of immigration and there is no indication that there will be any
until the last of the public lands suitable for farming has been filed upon by some
energetic home-builder. Of the more than 100,000 homesteaders who have come to
Montana in the last six years the vast majority have come with the determination to
make good and are making good. During the last fiscal year almost 4,000,000 acres
of land — 3,994,418 to be exact — were patented to settlers, the largest area transferred
from the government to private persons in any year in the history of the state. When
it is considered that the land patented to Montana settlers last year could not all be
placed within the borders of the state of Connecticut and would occupy more than
half of the state of Maryland, one can begin to understand something of the size of
the empire which the newcomers into Montana are appropriating, and when it is
considered that each settler, in order to secure a patent to not to exceed 320 acres of
this vast domain, must first reside upon his "claim" for a period of three years and
cultivate at least one-eighth of it, something of the sturdy purpose of these home-
steaders and something of their faith in the agricultural future of Montana can be
appreciated.

The higher quality of Montana's agricultural products is becoming generally recog-
nized. At every national exhibition held in the last five years the exhibits from
Montana's farms have been among the leading prize-winners, this great string of
victories having been crowned during the past year by Montana winning the grand
prize in agriculture at the Panama-California Exposition at San Diego, and the
grand prize in both cereals and apples at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, while at the
latter exposition more gold and silver medals were awarded to Montana farmers
than to those of any other state.

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Montana Has the Greatest Water Power in the Country.

Not only do Montana products excel in quality, but figures from official sources
show that this State is in a position of undisputed leadership in its high average
production per acre. The Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture,
for 1915, shows that the average per acre production of oats in this state during the
past year was 52 bushels — the highest state average given any state by the
Department. This report also shows that with an average of 22.5 bushels, Montana
last year led all the states in the per acre production of rye, while with 155 bushels,
it tied with Maine for the high record in the per acre production of potatoes. Aside
from a few states where wheat raising is only incidental and where less than 20,000,000
bushels are produced, Montana with a state average of 26.5 bushels led all the states
in the per acre production of this great cereal.

These, it will be understood, are the averages for the entire state, an area of
more than 147,000 square miles. When only the records made by really good farmers
throughout the state are considered it is found that results have been achieved
which would stagger the belief of those unacquainted with farming in Montana.
Down in Beaverhead county, in the southwestern corner of he state, a farmer filed
upon a homestead less than a year ago and last fall he harvested a crop of wheat
which averaged 66 1/^ bushels to the acre for the entire hundred acres he had put
under the plow; Over in Fergus county, in the central portion of the state, in the
now famous Judith Basin, over a dozen farmers reported yields running from 50
to 60 bushels per acre. Near Cut Bank in the extreme northern part of Montana
350 busshels of flax were harvested from a measured ten acres — the highest flax
yield of which there is any authentic record. In Sheridan county, in the northeastern
corner of the state, a newcomer leased a section of state school land, for which he
paid a rental of $320, put it into flax and marketed his crop for $12,000. In Cascade
county, in the central portion of Montana, was a field of oats yielding 103 bushels to the

jmtm LIBRARY

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Montana Won the Grand Prize on Apples at the Panama-Pacific Exposition.

acre, while in the county adjoining on the north 45 acres of oats yielded an average
of 109 bushels per acre — and this from a homestead which was less than two years
old. In Valley county a yield of 69 bushels of marquis wheat per acre was reported,
while a Hill county farmer established what is believed to be a state record by
threshing 71 bushels of wheat to the acre. These instances of previously unheard
of yields could be continued almost indefinitely, but enough have here been given to
show something of the marvelous fertility of Montana soil and to explain why in
an agricultural way Montana is growing faster than any other state in the Union.

There is still plenty of opportunity for the ambitious farmer. There is land
left. According to the last report of the commissioner of the General Lana Office,
dated July 1, 1915, there remains in Montana more than 19,000,000 acres of unappro-
priated and unreserved public land available for entry under the homestead laws. At
least half of this is suitable for farming and will some day be farmed. The state
owns more than 4,000,000 acres which can be leased very cheaply or purchased on
easy terms, payments being extended over a period of twenty years. The Northern
Pacific Railway grant is on the market at prices which are low when the character
of the land is taken into consideration. Larger ranch holdings are being cut up and
colonized. All of these conditions serve to make it easy for the landless man to
change and better his condition, and to such the State of Montana extends a cor-
dial invitation.

Among the great assets of this commonwealth — and they are legion — none count
for more than the splendid citizenship with which this state is blessed, a citizenship
which, surrounded by every opportunity for material prosperity, has nevertheless neg-
lected no effort toward making Montana a better place in which to live.

Montana is proud of the educational facilities it offers to its future citizens. A
wide variety of local school conditions may be found in different parts of this great

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THE TREASURE STATE

Lumbering is One of the Chief Industries of Montana.

empire, but many a settler has come to Montana to find school facilities far superior
to those he had left behind in some of the older states. The revenues available for
the support of the common schools of the state are growing rapidly each year. To
begin with, at the admission of the state twenty-six years ago, two sections in every
township — that is, one-eighteenth of all the land in the state — were set apart for the
endowment of the public school system. Year by year, as advantageous opportunity
appears, these lands are sold to settlers, never at less than ten dollars per acre,
and usually more. A fund is thus accumulating for the endowment of the public
schools. Meanwhile lands not sold are leased and revenue is thus derived from them.

The permanent school fund, derived from the sale of land and timber and invested
in interest-bearing bonds, is steadily growing each year and already amounts to more
than three million dollars, although less than one-tenth of the land has been sold.
Every year the income from this fund is apportioned to the school districts of
the state in proportion to the number of children of school age therein. While the
number of children has been rapidly growing, it has not grown so fast as the fund,
and the per capita apportionment has been steadily increasing for the past several
years. In 1911 it was $3.00; in 1912, $3.50; in 1913, $4.00; in 1914, $4.50, in 1915, $5.00
and $5.25 in 1916. As the county high schools do not share in this apportionment, it really
amounts to over $6.00 for every child actually enrolled in the common schools. Each
county also levies a school tax of four mills, which yields an average of about
$20 per pupil. Finally each district may supplement this by a local tax up to the
limit of ten mills. The results actually accomplished are most encouraging. The
minimum limit of school terms is four months, but there are very few that come
down to this limit. More than four-fifths of all the schools in the state have at least
a six months' term. Nearly all of the town schools are in session for nine months and
many for ten.

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M O X T A X A - 1 9 1 6

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Montana's Scenic Beauties Attract Thousands of Visitors Every Year.

In the matter of secondary education, Montana has made great progress within
recent years. For a long time there have been good high scliools in most of the
larger towns, as Butte, Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, Billings and Anaconda. In the
smaller towns, however, the people were determined not to be behind and several
years ago a law was enacted by the legislature enabling a high school to be established
in each county, at the expense of the whole county and free to all the children of
that county. Already seventeen counties have taken advantage of this opportunity, have
erected fine modern buildings, and are carrying on courses of four years which are
fully accredited for university entrance. The average salary paid to principals of
these schools is over $2,000 per year, and some receive as high as $3,000. Besides
these county high schools there are district high schools of equivalent character in
many of the larger towns — indeed there are only three counties in the state which
have no school accredited to the State Board of Education, and even in these coun-
ties there are schools doing some good high school work, but not yet equipped to be
quite able to meet the requirements for standardization.

In organizing the work of higher education, Montana has been peculiarly for-
tunate. The Act of Congress which admitted the state to the Union, supplemented by
other laws, set apart vast areas of public domain. For all the higher institutions, this
aggregates nearly seven hundred square miles. Already the endowment yields a much
larger annual revenue than the total income of many private colleges of renown,
and the legislature supplements this by liberal appropriations from the general
funds of the state. The University of Montana is located at Missoula, the State
College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Bozeman, the State School of Mines at
Butte, and the State Normal School at Dillon. Recently the state arranged for the
unification of all of its institutions of higher earning, thus consolidating the four
institutions listed above under the general designation of the University of Hon-

THE TREASURE STATE

• •• — ■'

Historic Three Forks, Head of Missouri River.

tana, and placing their control under a Chancellor, who has his office in the state
capitol at Helena. For this responsible management of its greater university of
Montana this state not only secured one of the most eminent educators of America but
at the same time it arranged an original and effective program for the control of
its land grant institutions.

In addition to the institutions of learning maintained at public expense, there
are a number of thriving educational enterprises carried on by private activity. The
oldest Institution for higher education in Montana is the College of Montana, sus-
tained by the Presbyterian church, at Deer Lodge. The Montana Wesleyan univer-
sity has been doing excellent work in Helena for many years under Methodist aus-
pices. The educational vi^ork of the Catholic church is most extensive. In several
of the larger towns parochial schools are maintained, and in several places are
boarding academies which carry on both elementary and secondary work. These in-
clude St. Vincent's Academy at Helena, Sacred Heart academy at Missoula, and Mt.
Angela Ursuline academy at Great Falls, as well as the Catholic central high school
at Butte, and St. Charles college at Helena.

Practically every church in America is well represented in Montana. There are
three residential bishops in Helena — Catholic, Methodist and Episcopal. The former
has just completed in Helena a cathedral which is second to none in the Northwest,
and also has charge of an extensive system of sectarian education, embracing colle-
giate, secondary and parochial schools. Throughout every section of the state is to
be found well supported churches of every denomination, and all the larger cities boast
of splendid social clubs and fine Y. M. C. A. buildings.

Politically, Montana is among those desirable states which are classed as "doubt-
ful" at election times, a condition which not only protects the state from the abuses
of unbridled political power, but also develops a strong sense of responsibility on the

• •• « ■■ ■!

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M O X T A X A - 1 9 1 6

•••

Harvesting Oats Along the High Line of the Great Northern

part of those entrusted to public office. In the first election following statehood,
Montana's electoral vote was cast for Benjamin Harrison; in 1896 and 1900 it was
cast for W. J. Bryan; in 1904 for Theodore Roosevelt; in 1908 for W. H. Taft, and in
1912 for Woodrow Wilson. The present state administration is democratic, with the
exception of the State Senate, in which the republicans have a majority.

Strong interest is displayed by the people of Montana in public affairs, and the
state has been particularly free from administrative scandals. The magnificent state
capitol at Helena^ a picture of which is shown in the frontispiece of this book, was
built at a cost of $1,100,000 and is universally regarded as a splendid example of a
state getting the full value of every dollar spent.

Political power is jealously guarded by the people, and through the instrumen-
tality of a direct primary law, under which all nominations are made, they keep in
close touch with political conditions. Through the initiative and referendum clauses
of the state constitution, they reserve to themselves the power to enact or defeat
legislation by popular vote, a power which thus far has been seldom but always
wisely used. Of seven measures which have been initiated through popular agencies,
five have passed and two have been rejected. Of two measures referred to the people
after legislative enactment both were rejected. Equal suffrage, without regard to
sex, has been Avritten into the constitution.

The people of Montana welcome outside capital and treat it with every degree of
fairness, while at the same time insisting that capital be also fair with the people.
Every branch of legitimate industry is encouraged, while the people amply safeguard
themselves with every necessary protection. A railroad and public service commis-
sion has been established to regulate the rates of every public utility and common
carrier; a "blue sky" law has been enacted to protect investors from fraudulent
promoters; a grain inspection department looks after the proper inspection of
Montana grain; farmers are protected in their seed purchases by a system of free
seed inspection; weights and measures and pure food laws are rigidly enforced; an

•••

.■•••

Till] TREASURE STATE

• •••

Winter Feeding of Cattle.

eight-hour day for underground miners has been written into the state constitution
and an eiglit-hour day is in force on all public and practically all private works —
child labor is prohibited and truancy laws are well enforced, while the law prohibits
employers from requiring women employees to work more than nine hours a day in
certain classes of work; an efficiently administered workmen's compensation law has
been placed in successful operation at a lower administrative cost than has been
attained by any other state in the Union; the promotion of the dairy industry is in
the hands of a state dairy department; an efficient and well managed agricultural
experiment station, with sub-stations in various parts of the state, carries on exten-
sion work among the farmers of Montana, and good-road building has become the rule
under the energetic activity of the state highway commission.

Intelligent aid is extended agricultural operations of all kinds, and every effort is
made to insure the success of the new settler. Important among the agencies active
in this work are 'the county agriculturists, who are in reality county agricultural
teachers, whose pupils are the farmers of their respective counties. These men, who
are paid jointly by the state and the federal government under the Smith-Lever Act,
assist the individual farmer in working out his particular problems and already their
influence is being felt in the direction of better farming and increased production.

The Montana State Fair, held each year at Helena, is a great statewide agricul-
tural exposition, which attracts visitors not only from all over Montana, but from
every state in the Union and is generally recognized as the best agricultural show
in the country. Practically every county in the state exhibits at this annual event,
which arouses much competition among the farmers of the state, and is an educa-
tional institution of incalculable value. The standing of the Montana State Fair is
indicated by a remark made by the late James J. Hill to President Taft at the 1909
State Fair, when the great railroad builder assured the nation's chief executive that
this was the finest agricultural display he had ever seen.

In short, Montana, while offering to the honest and energetic of all classes
unequalled opportunity to better their condition in life also strives valiently and
successfully toward those happy conditions which make life more worth living and
without which success in a material way becomes scarcely worth while.

Home-Making in Treasure State

Magnificent Empire of Public Land, Available for Entry Under

the Liberal Provisions of the Homestead Law, Furnishes

Opportunity for Many Thousands of Farmers.

ELDOM, IF EVER, has there been a finer vindica-
tion of the wisdom of the policy of the United
States government in the disposition of the
public domain, than Montana has furnished in
the past few years. The demonstration of the
productivity of Montana soil, together with the
knowledge that there was available here millions
of acres of government land, served to attract
toward Montana a tide of homesteaders such as
the country has never before witnessed.

During the last few years energetic farmers
by the tens of thousands have learned of the
superior productive power of Montana's soil and
have taken advantage of the liberal homestead
laws to come to this state and get a home. They
are here now and they are on the high road to
prosperity. In every county of the state they have
settled and everywhere they are making good.
The lifegiving effect of this great agricultural development is felt on all sides.
In 1913 more miles of new railroad were built in Montana than in any other state in
the Union. Since that date there has been practically no new railroad construction,
due to the high cost of materials and unsettled business conditions, but during 1916
the Montana railroads have renewed construction work and during the present sea-
son it is confidently predicted that several branches will be constructed into new
territory within the next twelve months.

In no way can the remarkable growth of Montana be more strikingly shown than
in the reports of the Commissioner of the General Land Office giving the number
of homestead entries made in Montana during the period when the present influx
of settlers has been at its height. The following figures cover the years 1911-15
inclusive:

Year
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915

HOMESTEAD ENTRIES.

Number
15,399
12,597
17,844
20,662
16,146

ENTRIES OF ALL KINDS.

Number
21,988
20,626
29,246
37,699
30,395

Acres-

Acreage
3,917,816
3,234,199
3,996,358
4,429,623
3,500,268

-Original
4,257,302
3,600,260
4,675,840
5,335,393
4,065,439

THE TREASURE STATE

•••-

—•■•••
21 5

Threshing on Productive Bench Lands.

FINAL PROOFS AND PATENTS.

Year

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915

Acres

final proof

522,269

629,835

1,475,722

2,667,632

2,358,665

Acres

patented
1,187,312
742,230
2,342,923
3,485,067
3,994,418

According to the last report of the Commissioner of the General Land Office,
dated July 1, 1915, there yet remains in Montana more than 19,000,000 acres of unre-
served and unappropriated public land, over half of which is suitable for farming. In
the greater part of this area homesteads embracing 320 acres may be "taken up."
The homestead laws have been recently made much more liberal. Formerly the
homesteader was required to live continuously and uninterruptedly for five years upon
his claim before he could perfect title. Under a recent act of congress the required
residence on a homestead is reduced to three years, each year of which the home-
steader may, if he so desires, have five months' leave of absence. The homestead
law gives the ambitious a chance to secure a home at the mere expense of nominal
filing fees. Unmarried women, as well as women who are the heads of families,
have the same rights as men under the homestead law.

Montana, more than any other state in the Union, spells Opportunity for
the ambitious farmer who wants to get ahead. The public domain of this state
offers an exceptionally brilliant chance for the young man just starting out in life
for himself or for the tenant who has grown tired of paying rent and desires to be-
come a freeholder. More than 19,000,000 acres of free public land may be had in
this state for the asking. It is Uncle Sam's gift to those of his citizens who are
willing to contribute to the development of the nation by making productive broad
acres which now are barren. The present federal homestead laws have been greatly
liberalized within the past few years and it is now possible for any ambitious man
or woman who owes allegiance to the United States government to secure title to
320 acres of public land by residence and cultivation of only three years.

•••—•I

M O X T A X A - 1 9 1 6

•••— "

-■■^^■■^^■l—

'■■^^ai— ii^^Di^^ii—

A Field of Montana Oats.

Montana's forward stride, as shown by the assessment of property for purposes of
taxation, is aptly illustrated by the following table:

1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915

The State of Montana
States land office for the
district. These land offices are located

Acres

Assessed

4,930,196

5,402,016

5,737,841

6,055,807

6,523,346

6,558,425

7,726,240

7,886,094

8,210,376

9,123,673

8 877,833

8,651,348
10,542,536
12,060,904
12,219 920
13,255,102
14,194,569
14,975,584
15,746,887
15,770.887
17 956,224
19,167,871
20,382,209
22,541,034
25,836,655
28,842,624

is divided into
administration

Total Value

No. of

of State

Counties

$112,916,272

143,472,743

129,466,949

127,548,175

118,850,892

124,076,586

120,697,847

130,757,412

133,969,519

142,117,656

153,401,594

166,787,593

185,725,657

201,333,315

201,748,063

209,912,340

233,953,571

251,882,437

248,774,792

280,401,064

309,673,699

331,670,418

346,550,585

382,807,277

412,361,919

439,785,918

districts, each

containing a United

ten land

of the public land affairs of that particular
at Billings, Bozeman, Glasgow, Great Falls,

•••.

ID**«

THE TREASURE STATE

••••

Packing Apples in the Yellowstone Valley.

Havre. Helena, Kallspell, Lewistown, Miles City and Missoula. A person desiring to
make homestead entry should first decide where he or she wishes to locate then go
or write to the land office of the district in which the land is located and obtain
from the records diagrams of the vacant land.

A personal inspection of the land sought to be entered should be made to ascer-
tain if it is suitable and when satisfied on this point entry can be made at the local
land office or before a United States Commissioner.

Any one desiring to obtain information in regard to vacant lands in any dis-
trict before going there for personal inspection should address the register and re-
ceiver of the particular land office who will give such information as is available.
The local land officers cannot, however, be expected to furnish extended lists of va-
cant land subject to entry except through township plats which they are authorized to
sell at a nominal price. A plat showing the vacant land in any township (a town-
ship being six miles square) may be had at the price of $1.00.

All unappropriated surveyed public lands adaptable to any agricultural use are
subjected to homestead entry if they are not mineral or saline in character and are
not occupied for the purpose of trade or business and have not been embraced within
the limits of any withdrawal, reservation or incorporated town or city, but homestead
entries on lands within certain areas are made subject to the particular requirements
of the laws under which such lands are open to entry.

Homestead entries may be made by any person who does not come within either
of the following classes:

(a) Married women, except as hereinafter stated.

(b) Persons who have already made homestead entry, except in certain cases
where former entry has been cancelled through no fault of the entryman.

••• — .•
•••—■"■

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• •••

MONTANA-1916

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A Glimpse of the Big Wheat Territory Surrounding Great Falls.

(d) Persons who are the owners of more than 160 acres of land in the United
States.

(e) Persons under the age of 21 years who are not the heads of families except
minors who make entry as heirs, or wlio have served in the Army or Navy during
the existence of an actual war for at least 14 days.

(f) Persons who have acquired title to or are claiming, under any of the agri-
cultural public land laws, through settlement or entry made since August 30, 1890,
any other lands which, with the lands last applied for, would amount in the aggre-
gate to more than 320 acres.

A married woman who has all of the other qualifications of a homesteader may
make a homestead entry under any one of the following conditions:

(a) Where she has been actually deserted by her husband.

(b) Where her husband is incapacitated by disease or otherwise from earning
a support for his family and the wife is really the head and main support of the
family.

(d) Where the married woman is the heir of a settler or contestant who dies
before making entry.

(e) Where a married woman made improvements and resided on the land ap-
plied for before her marriage, she may enter them after marriage if her husband is
not holding other lands under an unperfected homestead entry at the time she ap-
plies to make entry.

•••-

T II I] TREASURE STATE

••.—•-

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Sugar Beets Are a Profitable Crop in the Irrigated Districts.

The marriage of the entrywoman after making entry will not defeat her right to
acquire title if she continues to reside upon the land and otherwise comply with the
law.

A widow, if otherwise qualified, may make a homestead entry notwithstanding the
fact that her husband made an entry and notwithstanding she may be at the time
claiming the unperfected entry of her deceased husband.

A person serving in the Army or Navy of United States may make a homestead
entry if some member of his family is residing on the lands applied for, and appli-
cation and accompanying affidavits may be executed before officer commanding branch
of service in which he is engaged.

A homestead entry may be made by the presentation to the land office of the
district in which the desired lands are situated of an application properly prepared
on blank forms prescribed for that purpose and sworn to before either the register
or receiver, or before a United States commissioner, or a judge, or a clerk of a court
of record, in the county in which the land lies, or before any officer of the classes
named who resides in the land district and nearest or most accessible to the land,
although he may reside outside of the county in which the land is situated.

Each application to enter and the affidavits accompanying it must recite all the
facts necessary to show that the applicant is acquainted with the land; that the
land is not, to the applicant's knowledge, either saline or mineral in character; that
the applicant possesses all the qualifications of a homestead entryman; that the
application is honestly and in good faith made for the purpose of actual settlement
and cultivation, and not for the benefit of any other person, persons or corporation;
that the applicant will faithfully and honestly endeavor to comply with the re-
quirements of the law as to settlement, residence and cultivation necessary to ac-
quire title to the land applied for; that the applicant is not acting as the agent of any

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•26 M O N T A N A - 1 9 1 6 •

• •

09«^^gi^^Ri*^nH^^aa^— aavi^aa— iiu^^aa^^aa— Ha«^i(i«^Ha^-'na>— •na^iBaH***Ma— ~un*^ua— ^Na*^na*^ua^^uu^^ua«-»ua^^aa^^Ha^^iN>^ai'«90

Montana Farmers Build Substantial Homes.

person, persons, corporation or syndicate in making such entry, nor in collusion with
any person, corporation or syndicate to give them the benefit of the land entered
or any part thereof; that the application is not made for the purpose of speculation,
but in good faith to obtain a home for the applicant, and that the applicant has not
directly or indirectly made, and will not make, any agreement or contract in any way
or manner with any person or persons, corporation or syndicate, whatsoever, by
which the title he may acquire from the government to the lands applied for shall
inure, in whole or in part, to the benefit of any person except himself.

A homestead entryman is required to establish residence upon the land within
six months after the date of entry unless an extension of time is allowed, and Is
required to maintain residence thereon for a period of three years. He may absent
himself, however, for a portion of each year not exceeding five months.

Cultivation of the land for a period of three years is required. During the second
year not less than one-sixteenth of the area entered must be actually cultivated, and
during the third year, and until final proof cultivation of not less than one-eighth
is required. There must be actual breaking of the soil followed by planting, sowing
of seed and tillage of a crop other than native grasses.

The homestead entryman must have a habitable house upon the land entered at
the time of submitting proof. Other improvements should be of such character and
amount as are sufficient to show good faith.

All original, second and additional homestead, and adjoining farm entries may
be commuted, except such entries as are made under particular laws which forbid
their commutation.

The entryman or his stautory successor submitting such commutation proof must
show substantially continuous residence upon the land, and cultivation thereof, for
a period of at least fourteen months immediately preceding submission or proof of

•••-

THK TREASURE STATE

-■R^^im^^im—

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— till' I nil —

iin III. III. I.II • •

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Growing Peas Is a Big Industry in Gallatin and Bitter Root Valleys.

filing a notice of intention to submit same, and the existence of a habitable iiouse
upon the claim. The area actually cultivated must equal at least one-sixteenth of the
entire acreage. A person submitting commutation proof must, in addition to certain
fees, pay the price of the land; this is ordinarily $1.25 per acre, but is $2.50 per acre
for lands within the limits of certain railroad grants. The price of certain ceded In-
dian lands varies according to their location, and inquiry should be made regarding
each specified tract.

When a homesteader applies to make entry he must pay in cash to the receiver a
fee of $5.00 if his entry is for 80 acres or less, or $10.00 if he enters more than
80 acres. And in addition to this fee he must pay, both at the time he makes
entry and final proof, a commission of $1.00 for each 40-acre tract entered outside
of the limits of a railroad grant and $2.00 for each 40-acre tract entered within such
limits. Pees under the enlarged homestead act are the same as above, but the com-
missions are based upon the area of the land embraced in the entry. In all cases
where, lands are entered under the homestead laws of Arizona, California, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah" Washington and Wyoming, the commission
due to the register and receiver on entries and final proofs, and the testimony fees
under final proofs, are 50 per cent more than those above specified, but the entry
fee of $5.00 or $10.00, as the case may be, is the same in all the states.

A mortgage by the entryman prior to final proof for the purpose of securing
money for improvements, or for any other purpose not inconsistent with good faith,
is not considered such an alienation of the land as will prevent him from submitting
satisfactory proof. In such a case, however, should the entry be cancelled for any
reason prior to patent, the mortgagee would have no claim on the land or against the
United States for the money loaned.

According to circular number 420 of the General Land Office, there remained
in Montana, July 1, 1915, a total of 19,065,121 acres of unappropriated, unreserved,

11^— ■■*-»■ 1^— 11^^ ■■• • •#

• 28

MONTANA- 19 16

•••

Where Crop Failures Are Unkno'wn.

public land. Of this acreage, 10,804,819 acres was surveyed and 8,260,302 was un-
surveyed. There is unreserved and unappropriated public land in each of the forty-
one counties of Montana, the following table showing the acreage in each county July
1, 1915:

County

Beaverhead

Big Horn

Blaine

Broadwater

Carbon

Cascade

Chouteau

Custer

Dawson

Deer Lodge

Fallon

Fergus

Flathead

Gallatin

Granite

Hill

Jefferson

Lewis and Clark

Lincoln

Madison

Meagher

Mineral

Missoula

Musselshell

Park

Philips

Powell

Prairie

Ravalli

Richland

Rosebud

Sanders

Sheridan

Silver Bow

Stillwater

Sweetgrass

Teton

Toole

Valley

Wibaux

Yellowstone

Surveyed

Unsurveyed

Total

208,374

200,928

409,302

224,500

151,400

375,900

280,180

396,750

676,930

98,827

42,689

141,516

189,801

157,046

346,847

79,709

78,040

157,749

274,260

134,500

408,760

1,245,920

352,480

1,598,400

685,695

1,391,520

2,077,215

22,679

15,134

37,813

645,120

717,280

1,362,400

570,244

811,721

1,381,965

66,475

10,650

89,356

109,592

198,848

219,220

26,575

245,795

76,373

48,773

125,146

496,148

55,369

551,517

3,980

286,294

399,838

686,032

168,057

77,197

245,254

59,248

43,830

61,765

105,595

56,315

35,840

92,155

31,862

22,798

54,660

601,100

1,390,200

1,991,300

64,309

154,375

218,684

96,160

13,120

109.280

6,172

388

6,560

105,765

200,320

306,085

738,308

209,600

947,908

80,925

34,162

115,087

662,813

54,524

5,400

59,924

47,914

169,628

169,628
217,634

187,554

30,080

119,282

4,160

123,442

1,646,135

897,280

2,543,415

34,400

56,683

33,982

90,665

10,804,819

8,260,302

19,065,121

opportunity in State Lands

Millions of Acres Held in Trust by the State of Montana to be

Sold to Homeseekers, With Payments Extending

Over a Period of Twenty Years.

OR THOSE who do not desire to reside upon
land while acquiring title or who do not wish
to become subject to the requirements of the
homestead laws or who desire to avoid some
of the hardships of pioneering, the state lands
of Montana offer an unusual opportunity. The
lands granted to the State of Montana by the
Congress of the United States for the use of
public schools and for other public purposes
remaining unsold at the present time aggregate
4,113,053 acres, classified as grazing, agricul-
tural, timber and coal lands. Sections 16 and
36 in each township within the state, lying
outside of Indian reservations and national
forests are state lands, unless sold, and in
addition to Sections 16 and 36 the state has
selected and owns thousands of acres of land,
all of which is for sale except coal and some
timber lands. A minimum price of $10.00 per
acre is charged for state lands, and sales are made upon the basis of 15 per cent cash
and the remainder extended over a period of twenty years with interest at 5 per cent.

The State Board of Land Commissioners is custodian of all state lands, and the
fixing of sale dates is discretionary with this board. The law requires a sale to
be held in each county in the state at least once every two years. Sales may be held
oftener if deemed necessary.

Those who desire to buy state land should make formal application to the
Register of State Lands, Helena, Montana, upon the receipt of which, together with
a fee of 50c, the land will be offered for sale at public auction at the next sale held
in the county where the land is situated. Advance notice of such sale will be mail-
ed to the applicant.

Sales of state land can be made only to citizens of the United States or those
who have declared their intention to become such, or to corporations organized un-
der the laws of this state.

Not more than 160 acres classified as agricultural land and susceptible of irri-
gation; nor more than 320 acres classified as agricultural land not susceptible of irri-
gation; nor more than 640 acres classified as grazing land can be sold to one pur-
chaser. State lands not sold may be leased for a period not exceeding five years, and
the purchaser of state lands on which a lessee has improvements must pay such les-
see a reasonable value therefor. If the lessee and purchaser cannot agree on the
value of the improvements, the State Land Agent fixes the price the purchaser must
pay for same; provided, such improvements as are capable of removal without
damage to the land may be removed by the lessee. Lessees of state lands are re-

: :50 MONTANA-1916 *

• •

quired to pay a rental for grazing use of $50.00 to $100.00 per section per annum and
for agricultural use of from $150.00 to $320.00 per section per annum.

No maps or lists of state lands are published. A typewritten list of the state
lands in each county will be furnished at the legal rate of 20c per folio, a folio-
consisting of one hundred words, two figures counting as one word. The cost of a
list of state land in a single county ranges from $5.00 to $15.00.

The following table shows the amount of state land in each of the several coun-
ties of the State, November 30, 1915:

County Acres

Beaverhead _ 163,414.24

Big Horn 42,538.58

Blaine - -..- - - 165,479.91

Broadwater 20,971.34

Carbon 44,702.11

Cascade 100,807.03

Chouteau 312,785.56

Custer 205,814.73

Dawson 242,010.50

Deer Lodge 10,911.92

Fallon - 128,603.01

Fergus 249,050.02

Flathead 115,140.44

Gallatin 54,976.69

Granite 17,202.45

Hill 205,375.97

Jefferson 28,840.87

Lewis & Clark 112,089.26

Lincoln 57,197.34

Madison 121,698.00

Meagher 138,649.18

Mineral 26,285.05

Missoula 79,412.98

Musselshell 99,747.22

Park 39,606.71

Phillips 112,345.2&

Powell 52,564.25

Prairie 58,698.48

Ravalli 28,778.10

Richland 86,888.41

Rosebud - 193,419.02

Sanders 58,897.68

Sheridan ..-. ^ 181,256.27

Silver Bow 14,994.27

Stillwater 50,539.30

Sweet Grass 76,612.59

Teton 162,019.35

Toole 112,143.11

Valley 326,325.97

Wibaux 31,358.21

Yellowstone 67,454.49

Total 4,397,605.96

For further information about Montana State Lands or for lists giving dates of
forthcoming sales, write Register of State Lands, Helena, Montana.

Land Values Are Increasing

Proven Productiveness of Montana Soil Results in Large Influx

of Farmers Who Purchase Holdings at

Bargain Counter Prices

OUNTLESS FARMERS who have used their home-
stead rights or are in a position to buy farming
land outright are talking advantage of the com-
paratively low prices at which Montana lands are
held and are purchasing land here which, if
history is any precedent, is practically certain to
double in market value within the next few years.
When it is considered that farming lands in
the older states of the Union are selling at from
$100 to $200 per acre, and that land which will
actually produce more can be purchased in
Montana at from $10 to $40 per acre, the wisdom
of such a course becomes apparent. It is the
history of all farming countries that land values
are low in the beginning, but rapidly increase
in value as the country becomes more thickly
populated and as its productive power is proven.
This movement is already under way in
Montana. A few years ago, farms which are now held by their owners at from $25
to $40 per acre, could have been purchased and were purchased at prices ranging
from $1 upward. At that time, it should be remembered, the land was thought to be
fit for nothing but grazing, and there was but little demand for grazing land, because
there were millions of acres of free grazing land available for the flockmasters of the
state. As soon as the farmers l)egan to come in, however, land values began to
rise and that they will continue to rise for many years is the confident prediction of
every well informed man.

Thousands of acres of good farming land are now being marketed by the Northern
Pacific railroad company, the Big Blackfoot Lumber company, and many of the larger
old-time ranching companies of the state. The Northern Pacific lands, in eastern
Montana, and the Big Blackfoot lands in the western part of the state, constitute an
empire in themselves, and they are now on the market at prices which are far below
their productive value.

The Northern Pacific land and some of the larger ranches offer an exceptionally
fine opportunity for colonization, as in many cases they can be purchased in large,
compact bodies at prices which will yield a handsome profit to the man who will
undertake the development and colonization of them. Already there are several large
concerns operating along this line, and they have been uniformly successful.

For a man with a little capital and the determination to build a home, the log-
ged-off lands of northwestern Montana offer a field of endeavor which in proportion
to the returns promised can scarcely be equalled. As is generally known, there are
thousands of acres of bench and valley lands from which timber has been removed,
leaving the stumps and undergrowth upon a soil which when cleared is of uniformly

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3IONTANA-1916

•••

An Irrigated Potato Field.

fertile character, usually perfectly sub-irrigated and suitable for the growing of all
kinds of crops. Such land is available for the most profitable kind of extensive cul-
tivation. Much of this land is held by the big lumber companies of the State, while a
considerable portion of it is in private ownership by original homesteaders and timber
entrymen.

Roughly speaking the logged-off lands of Montana are in the counties of Lincoln,
which has approximately 20,000 acres of such land; Flathead, with 70,000 acres; Mis-
soula, 40,000 acres; Mineral, 35,000 acres; Sanders, 25,000 acres, and Ravalli, 30,000
acres. These lands will be sold on easy payments extending over a considerable pe-
riod of time. Generally speaking, land of this character can be bought on time pay-
ments of from $10.00 to $25.00 per acre, which is regarded by many as cheaper than
homesteading. The settler can get title at once by completing his payments, and can
sell as his land rises in value.

The man who buys a stump ranch and clears up ten acres each year is merely
making an annual payment of $500.00 on a cleared ranch. The stump land produces
fine clover, blue grass and timothy pasture for cows, and even before clearing offers
an excellent opportunity for stock raising on a limited scale.

Many of the finest orchards in the state were developed from cut-over lands, and
throughout the northw^estern part of Montana are to be found thousands of sturdy
farmers who have secured logged-off land and are building beautiful and substantial
homes in what was until recently a wilderness. The work is slow, of course, but its
reward is certain.

A Wealth of Natural Resources

Montana's Many-Sided Richness Make Possible Diversified In-
dustries All of Which Contribute Greatly to the
State's Increasing Prosperity.

ARDSHIPS are no longer the lot of those who
come to Montana; instead those who come to this
state at the present time find a people who are
enjoying prosperity along Avith all the comforts
and conveniences of civilization. The diversified
resources of this state, its many-sided richness,
all contribute to this end.

Montana has numerous industries, each of
which is capable of supporting a much larger
population that the entire state boasts today. The
mineral deposits of this state alone would make
a wealthy commonwealth. Its agricultural re-
sources and opportunities, both for grain grow-
ing and for intensive and diversified farming,
rival those of the great rural communities of
the west. Its forests could for years supply the
nation's demand for lumber. Its livestock leads
in both quantity and quality. Its natural water
power could turn the industrial wheels of the
continent. Its transportation facilities are being developed to meet its rapidly grow-
ing needs, and a period of great industrial activity, inevitable because of the abun-
dance of raw material and cheap power, is upon the threshold. Combined, these
resources serve to make Montana the premier state in the Union, a commonwealth
which needs only men and capital to lay its diversified riches at the feet of
mankind.

Farming in Montana, while yet in its infancy, is making gigantic strides. Of
the more than 93,000,000 acres of land within this state, it is conservatively estimated
that over 35,000,000 acres are available for agricultural purposes. Of this agricultural
empire upwards of 6,000,000 acres will in a short time be brought under irrigation
leaving some 29,000,000 acres which will be farmed by non-irrigated methods, a
condition which will inevitably make Montana the greatest producer of small grains
in the world. Non-irrigated farming in Montana is carried on almost exclusively
on the benchlands, which are nearly level or undulating table lands lying between
the streams. Along the streams the valleys are relatively wide and level. The bor-
ders that line them are usually rough and rugged. The railroads usually traverse the
valleys; hence the impression made upon the traveler is usually anything but favor-
able. The benches lie beyond the hills and extend away and across until the bluffs
are reached which border another stream. These are the best lands in Montana.
They are usually composed of a clay loam covered with the short grasses of the
prairie and are underlaid with clay.

The benchlands of Montana are farmed on what is known as the dry-land plan of
farming, which means the holding of all moisture in the soil until it can be
utilized by the growing crops. This is done by plowing, packing, harrowing and

•••

M O N T A N A - 1 9 1 6

• ••

'••••

Growing Sweet Peas for Seed.

cultivating the soil at a certain time and in a certain way. Under this method win-
ter and spring wheat, winter and spring rye, speltz, barley, flax, oats and peas can be
very profitably grown without the hazard of failure even in a dry year, providing
they have been planted in season and in properly prepared land. In all parts of
Montana potatoes are especially prolific, and beans are a success below the middle
line of the state. In the eastern part of the state corn is rapidly coming into favor as
a profitable and certain crop.

The climate of Montana, though comparatively dry in many parts, is temperate
and because of the comparative coolness of the nights in the harvest season is ex-
tremely favorable to the production of large yields of grain. This, more than any-
thing else, has given Montana first place in the Union for large grain yields.

Intensive farming in Montana is to a large extent carried on on irrigated
lands, and in the matter of furnishing water for the supplying of moisture to growing
crops. Nature has again been bountiful to this state. Of the more than 35,000,000
acres of land, which will ultimately be cultivated in Montana, it has been conserva-
tively estimated that upwards of 6,000,000 will some day be irrigated.

Already the federal government, through the reclamation service, has spent many
millions of dollars on irrigation projects in this state, and this work is still under
way. The last congress appropriated several millions of dollars for reclamation work
in Montana during the present year, and the reclamation service is now engaged in
completing some of the largest irrigation enterprises ever undertaken on the con-
tinent.

The national reclamation act was one of the most important pieces of legislation
to the agricultural development of Montana since the passage of the homestead law,
and this act is now being utilized by the building of great irrigation projects in

•••-

THE TREASURE STATE

■•••

•••

A Montana Watermelon Patch.

various parts of the state. Under irrigation is is possible to practice intensive farm-
ing to tlie higliest degree and thus to produce more valuable and certain crops.
Under good administration, it follovi^s that in irrigated regions the greatest number
of citizens can be given opportunities on the smallest area. With the high price of
labor it has been found impracticable to produce crops wholesale on land of this
character. The individual farmer who has industry and intelligence, and especially
if he has a family, the members of which can do their part, can make a far better
living and produce greater crop returns on a small farm than is possible by the
consolidation of small farms into larger holdings.

Under the reclamation act there has been constructed, or are being constructed,
in Montana, the Huntley Project, the Lower Yellowstone Project, the Milk River Pro-
ject, including the St. Mary storage feature, and the Sun River Project. All of these
projects have been completed to a certain degree, but all of them are incomplete as
regards ultimate development. Water is being delivered to irrigated land on each
of these projects, and at frequent intervals additional areas are being made avail-
able for entry. The irrigable areas of the various reclamation projects are as fol-
lows: Huntley, 32,405; Lower Yellowstone, 60,116; Milk River, 219,557; Sun River,
216.346. In addition to these projects the reclamation service, under an agreement
with the office of Indian Affairs, is carrying on development work on Indian reser-
vations. The Indian projects in Montana are the Blackfeet, on which 122,500 acres
will be irrigated; the Flathead, 152,000 acres, and the Fort Peck with 152,000 acres.
The total area to be irrigated in Montana by the reclamation service is thus 954,924
acres, of which 426,500 acres is in Indian reservations which are, or will shortly be
opened to settlement. The estimated cost of these irrigation projects reach the
stupendous total of $35,828,020.

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Growing Sugar Beets in the irrigated Districts.

In addition to tlie work of tlie United States reclamation service, the develop-
ment of irrigation enterprises under the Carey Land Act has been undertaken in Mon-
tana, with the result that there are now three very successful Carey projects in
Montana already or practically completed and receiving settlers, while two other
projects, it is expected, will be completed within the year.

The largest of the Carey projects in this state and one of the largest irrigation
enterprises ever undertaken in the west is the Valier project, surrounding the town
of Valier in the northern part of Teton county. This project is now the home of
one of the most prosperous and successful farming communities in the entire north-
west. For the benefit of settlers on the project, the company constructed a rail-
road, which connects at Conrad with the Great Northern, and which furnishes ade-
quate facilities for marketing the livestock and produce raised on the project. The
Valier project embraces almost 195,000 acres, of which over 100,000 acres will actually
be irrigated. Within this project there are now available for entry under the Carey
act and susceptible of irrigation some 38,000 acres of land. Under the Carey Act, the
entryman pays the state $1.50 per acre for the land, and also pays the irrigation com-
pany $40.00 per acre for perpetual water right. The annual maintenance on this pro-
ject is 50c per acre. Land in the Valier project may be entered on easy terms, $5.00
per acre being required at the time of purchase and the balance being payable in
fourteen annual installments, with interest at six per cent per annum.

Rapid development has marked this project and a fine spirit of co-operation
exists between tlie settlers and the irrigation company. During the year 1914 the
acreage farmed on this project increased by 6,050 acres, while the number of hogs on
the project increased from 1,884 to 5,135. The Valier-Montana Land & Water Com-
pany, which developed this project, does everything possible to insure the success of
the settlers on the project. The company's engineer runs the farmer's ditches, often

A Field of Alfalfa Under the Ditch.

having a man go out and help in building the ditches at no cost to the settler. In
addition, the company has men each season who cover the project showing the farmer
how best to irrigate his land and giving him every aid possible to get started in the
right way. For full information regarding the Valier project, address the Valier
Farm Sales Company, Valier, Montana.

Another very successful Carey project in Montana is the Big Timber project, lo-
cated near Big Timber, in Sweet Grass county, Montana, and embracing 18,000 acres
of irrigable and 14.000 acres of non-irrigable land. On this project some 9,000 acres
of land have already been settled upon and cultivated, while an equal amount is now
available for settlement. The price for a permanent water right on this project
ranges from $45.00 to $60.00 per acre, terms being two to ten per cent cash on first
payment and the balance running from one to ten years, with interest at the rate
of six per cent. This project is exceptionally favored in the excellent quality of the
soil, and the intelligent interest shown by the company in the treatment and assist-
ance rendered settlers on the project. Full information regarding the Big Timber
Carey project may be had by addressing the Glass-Lindsay Land Company, Big
Timber, Montana.

The Billings Carey Land project was the first successful development of Montana
irrigation lands under the Carey Act. The project embraces a total of 34,000 acres,
of which 27,000 acres is susceptible of irrigation. Owing to the success of this pro-
ject there is now open to entry but 2,132 acres of Carey land susceptible of irrigation.
Permanent water rights on Carey lands in this project cost from $25.00 to $58.00
per acre, with an annual maintenance of $1.00 per acre.

The Billings project is located upon what is known as the Billings bench, but a
short distance from the rapidly growing city of Billings, and the project has made
good progress during the last few years. The Billings Land & Irrigation Company,

:is

M < ) X T A \ A - 1 !> 1 «;

!■•••

■•••

Great Western Sugar Factory at Billings.

which developed the project, recently took up the question of markets which was be-
coming of great importance owing to the growth of the district. In 1913 the com-
pany built a farmer railroad over the project, connecting the farmers with the Bil-
lings market. This enabled many of the farmers to engage in the growing of
sugar beets for the sugar factory at Billings and also put the dairymen in a posi-
tion to market their milk and cream in that city. The road is so located that but a
small portion of the land is more than two miles from a loading station. A thriv-
ing town has sprung up in the center of the project. Literature regarding the Bil-
lings project may be had by addressing the Billings Land & Irrigation Company, Bil-
lings, Montana.

Beet-growing is exceedingly profitable in the irrigated districts of the Yellowstone
and Clark's fork valleys, which are within shipping distance of the Great Western
Sugar company's factory at Billings. The success of beet-growing in this section of
the state has resulted in extensive investigations being carried on in other parts of
Montana, and it is expected that additional sugar factories will be constructed in the
near future. Already experimental beet-growing, encouraged by the sugar companies,
is under way in Ravalli, Blaine, Teton and Richland counties.

Stockraising has long been an important industry in Montana, and in 1915 this
commonwealth still raised more sheep and produced more wool than any other state
in the Union. The beef industry in Montana since early territorial days has been of
prime importance, and it was but natural that the almost unlimited amount of free
public range would attract to this state enormous herds of cattle. It is interesting
to note that with two exceptions every year between 1891 and 1910 over 200,000 head
of beef cattle were shipped from Montana to eastern markets.

With the enactment of the 320-acre homestead law and the spreading of know-
ledge of the true agricultural conditions in Montana, followed by the influx of farm-

T H E T K K A S U R E STATE

3!) :

Feeding Sheep on Alfalfa and Syrup.

ers, the land available for free public range was rapidly reduced, and during the past
two or three years it has been the policy of the big cattle companies to gradually close
out their extensive holdings. It is estimated that not to exceed 173,936 head of
cattle were shipped from Montana during the year 1915, and with the increased local
demand it is more than likely that this output will continue to grow smaller for
several years. It is admitted on all sides that Montana is now in the transitory
stage as regards the beef cattle industry, but those wiio have given the subject
thought unhesitatingly declare that within a few years Montana will regain its pres-
tige as a great producer of beef, although to do this means the production of cattle
on an entirely different basis than that of the past.

In addition to cattle which may be ranged during most of the year on unculti-
vated lands the beef production of the state will unquestionably be larger in the
near future by the development of small herds throughout the state. It has been
demonstrated that it is a real economy for the farmer to feed as many head of live-
stock upon his farm as is practicable, and the large importation of high bred stock
during the past year indicates that an unusually numerous body of farmers are
taking advantage of this condition.

Montana has for years been the leading sheep growing and wool producing state
of the Union, and in 1915 it produced a total of 28,682,000 pounds of raw wool of a
value of $7,302,437. In a lesser way the wool industry is undergoing the same change
as the beef industry, the settlement of the open range making it necessary to cut
down many of the larger flocks of the state. The increasing number of small flocks,
however, and the better and more intelligent care now being given the range, to-
gether with the high price of wool, makes it certain that the growing of sheep will
always be an important industry in Montana.

MO N T A X A- 1 9 1 6

..*••

•••

Holstein and Black Poll Cattle in the Bitterroot.

In addition to the development of its beef and dairy lierds, liorses and hogs are
also of prime importance. The growing of hogs on a commercial scale has recently
been successfully undertaken in practically every section of the state and is rapidly
being extended. Many Montana swine are consumed in the larger markets of the
state, and the surplus finds ready sale at both eastern and western primary mar-
kets.

Horse-raising is a very important industry in Montana. The range horse — the
"cayuse" of olden days — has given way to a large extent to full blooded stock with a
preponderance of heavy draft animals. A few years ago the United States War De-
partment established at Miles City the largest remount station in the United States,
and co-incident with this has been developed at Miles City the largest primary horse
market in the world. Here very successful sales are held every month, and practi-
cally every kind of horse flesh, from the full blooded running and trotting ani-
mals to the heaviest of draft horses, are bought for shipment to every section of
this country and abroad.

Although the dairy industry of Montana is still in its infancy, the possibilities
in this line of farming are very great, and the past two years has seen rapid growth
The climate of Montana is very favorable to dairying. The winters are not so severe
as in some central states, and the greater part of Montana is better adapted to dairy-
ing than these states. In summer the weather is fine for the work, and with cool
evenings and plenty of good cold running water in all parts of the state, dairy prod-
ucts are easily handled.

Montana is noted for the vast amount of hay that is being grown. Clover, al-
falfa and other grasses are produced in abundance. With plenty of water for irriga-
tion in nearly all parts of the state, pastures, one of the most essential items for

•••

41 :

T H K T K K A S U R E ST A T K

A Richland County Holstein Herd.

the dairyman, are easily kept in good condition until late in the fall. Alfalfa is
being raised in nearly all sections of the state, and dairymen find that this is a very
valuable roughage feed and cheap in cost. The demand for dairy products is very
strong the year round, and there is no state in the Union in which the market is so
well maintained. Taking into consideration the cheapness of the land, the vast
amount of feed that can be grown and the high prices received for dairy products,
Montana, it seems certain to assume, will rapidly become the ideal dairying state.

Horticulture in Montana, like many other enterprises, began in a small way but
it likewise has grown to large proportions. Today fruit growing is one of the
leading pursuits of the entire northwest, and Montana is sharing in its production in
proportion to the utilization of her sections adapted to horticultural development.
Private corporations and reclamation funds have given the horticultural industry an
impetus that nothing can check, and each year sees hundreds of acres being planted
to orchards. The utilization of the horticultural lands of the state affords pleasant
i.nd profitable employment for hundreds of people and will be the means of de-
veloping a type of rural life and establishing rural homes that equal, if not
surpass any rural community in the United States. Recent experiments by farm-
ers who are not afraid to learn what their soils will produce, have served to revolu-
tionize previous conceptions of the horticultural opportunities of Montana. While
fruit growing has heretofore been largely confined to the western section of the
state, in which it has been marked with great success, it has been found that
eastern Montana is also adapted to horticulture. Grapes have been successfully grown
in Blaine county, while apple orchards are now common throughout the eastern part
of the state.

Commercially, the Bitter Root valley, including Missoula and vicinity, stands
foremost in orchard development. Next in horticultural importance comes that part of

•••-

>I O X T A X A - 1 9 1 (J

• ••

Portland Cement Factory at Trident.

Flathead county lying tributary to Flathead lake. Following these sections are found
Carbon county, Sanders county from Plains to Trout Creek, and Lincoln county. The
orchard acreage of the state is upward of 30,000 acres, the greater part of this, how-
ever, being young orchards not yet in bearing.

Montana presents conditions for the growing of a large list of fruits, the suc-
cess of their growing being measured by the care with which the grower selects the
variety and the location upon which they are grown. The apple is the principal com-
mercial fruit grown in Montana; Mclntoshs, Wealthies and Gravensteins have estab-
lished a reputation of their own whenever they have entered the market. Cherries
rank next to the apple in importance, and many carloads are annually shipped from
Bitter Root, Missoula and Flathead orchards. Pears, plums and prunes are a good
source of revenue to growers who give them proper attention, and excellent success
has been met in the production of peaches and grapes. The growing of canteloupes.
watermelons, cucumbers and garden stuffs, especially peas, is rapidly coming into
prominence in various sections of the state.

Markets for all kinds of agricultural and dairy products are ready-made in the
mining districts of the state. Butte, the largest mining camp in the world with a
monthly pay roll considerably in excess of a million dollars; Great Falls and Ana-
conda, large smelting centers, and numerous smaller camps throughout the state
employ thousands of men who yearly add many millions of dollars to the mineral
wealth of the nation. Since 1880 Montana has produced one-third as much copper as
has the entire United States since 184.5, and this year's production, it is conservatively
estimated, will closely approximate 400,000,000 pounds. In no other mining district
of the world are the methods used so advanced and so economical as can be found
about the copper mines of Butte. Long ago the management of the different com-
panies learned that the best results could be obtained by paying the best wages, by
employing the most capable men, by adopting the best and safest methods and using

•••

•••-

r ! I I ; TREASURE STATE

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Power House at Big Dam Below Great Falls.

the best equipment. They learned that the best of everything is cheapest in the long
run, and new processes are being constantly utilized; while $6,000,000 was last year
spent to enlarge and improve the smelting and reduction plants at Anaconda and
Great Falls.

Within the last two years the zinc producing industry has come rapidly to the
front in Montana, and the next year is expected to see Montana the leading zinc min-
ing state of the Union. Gold mining, which brought the Montana pioneers across
the plains and built up the State's first camps, has been outstripped by the mining
and smelting of the baser metals, such as copper and zinc, and yet the gold produc-
tion of this state, which has reached a total of approximately .$330,000,000, is still an
important industry — the annual production now ranging between $3,000,000 and $5,000,-
000. The bulk of this gold is now developed as a by-product of the copper mines of
Butte, but in various parts of the state gold mining, both placer, including hydraulic
and dredging, and quartz mining contribute to the annual supply of the yellow
metal.

Montana is the largest producer of silver in the world, and its annual production
of from 12,000,000 to 14,000,000 fine ounces is being gradually increased. Silver is
secured principally from the copper ores, and any increase in its production is largely
the result of a greater copper output.

Extensive and profitable coal mining operations are carried on in various sections
of the state, and the mining of precious stones gives promise of assuming important
proportions. Near Yogo, Montana, is the largest sapphire mine in the world, and
other districts throughout the state give indication of the profitable production of
precious and semi-precious stones.

Coincident with the growth of Montana has come the enormous development of
the water power of the state, and electricity has become the popular power in all

••• — «» — «» — »" — "■ — ■"

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>I O X T A N A - 1 9 1 6

•••

Cottonwood Valley in the Judith Basin.

sod, well ploughed and went 62 1^ bushels to the acre. This was measured land and
measured yield, and the threshing was done by Adolph Ingold. "I have been two
years on my homestead four miles northwest of Portage, Cascade county, Montana, and
20 miles northwest of Great Falls," says M!r. Daley. "I have done my best, farming
under the circumstances. I had 16 acres on the sod, deep ploughed and dry farmed,
which went 62% bushels to the acre. The land was measured and the wheat was
measured before witnesses. Adolph Ingold did the threshing. In all I had 36 acres
in the same kind of wheat, but the second 20 acres brought down the average, the
entire 36 acres yielding 1,542 measured bushels of Turkey Red No. 1 hard wheat, or an
average of a little less than 43 bushels to the acre, which is not so bad. I have 160
acres under homestead, taken up two years ago. I have lived in Montana all my life."

Great Palls Correspondence in Butte Miner — Reports of authentic character from
Highwood, 26 miles east of here, tell of one of the largest wheat yields ever secured
in this section of Montana. W. Vaughn, one of the successful ranchers of the Nine
Mile bench, north of Highwood, using a combined harvester, completed harvesting 250
acres of wheat from which he got 19,973 bushels of wheat. This is an average above
57 bushels per acre. Mr. Vaughn cut 500 acres with a binder, but this has not been
threshed. Seventeen acres from the Wheeler ranch, near Highwood, yielded an aver-
age of 63 bushels. Mr. Wheeler is on the engineering staff of the Milwaukee railway
and formerly was located at St. Paul. Threshing is in full swing here.

CHOUTEAU COUNTY.

Chouteau County Independent — Harry Kelso of Highwood raised a record crop on
twelve acres of ground, when his field of Turkey Red wheat gave him the heavy yield
of 65 1-5 bushels. Carl Pinske of Goosebill was in the city last Saturday, bringing with
him some fine potatoes. Mr. Pinske exhibited 26 potatoes from three hills, and they
weighed 32 1/' lbs.

09a.— ■>—>■-

<■•••

T H K TREASURE STATE

51 :

Spring Plowing in Sight of the Snow-Clad Mountains.

CUSTER COUNTY.

Miles City American — Ed. Whitbeck brought to this office a very fine sample of
oats of the White Russian variety. Mr. Whitbeck has a fine large field of these oats
and feels confident that they will yield 75 bushels to the acre. The report has come
to town that wheat in the Rock Spring country has yielded 44 bushels to the acre and
oats 89. Who says Montana is not a farming state?

DAWSON COUNTY.

Dawson County Review — Although the crops of the season just past cannot be
said to be of the "bumper" variety, reports received from some of the agricultural
sections where threshing has been finished prove that many of the yields were excep-
tionally good- — in fact they were fully up to predictions made at the beginning of
summer. Secretary Rasmusson is gathering crop statistics and while the report is as
yet far from complete, he has secured sufficient data to show that the returns of the
harvest were very far removed from the "failure" category. For instance, Miles
Borntrager of the Bloomfield country had 155 acres of wheat which threshed a total
of 4,200 bushels. He has 10,000 bushels of grain altogether, and his neighbor, I. L.
Jones, harvested a similar quantity. A. H. Oellermann of the same country had a
50 acre field of macaroni wheat which showed an average yield of 41 bushels per acre.
In the Crackerbox neighborhood, A. E. Aiken cut 50 acres of Fife wheat which thresh-
ed 28% bushels per acre and his oats showed an average yield of 72 bushels. Willis
Maples cut 100 acres of oats which yielded 65 bushels to the acre, and the grain is
said to be of particular excellent quality. P. W. Hohensee had 46 acres of wheat which
averaged 26 bushel per acre; 25 acres of oats that yielded 45 bushels and from 20
acres of flax he threshed 320 bushel of seed, an average of 16 bushels to the acre.
Halvor Bjornson of the Union country harvested wheat which showed a yield of 27

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M <> X T A \ A - 1 9 1 a

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■•••

Harvesting Oats in the Flathead.

bushels; oats that averaged 52 bushels and flax 18. None of the above mentioned
crops are considered phenomenal, by any manner of means, and it is believed when
the secretary's records are completed that they will show a large number of others
fully as good, and very probably some that are even better.

Jordan Gazette—Probably one of the best average yields of crops raised in Daw-
son county this season was harvested by John Womble, who resides near the head
of Vail creek, 20 miles northwest of Jordan. Mr. Womble settled on the land a little
more than two years ago, but did not start to do any breaking until the spring of
1914. Since that time he has put 250 acres of raw prairie sod under a high state of
cultivation and in the finest condition to produce excellent crops.

Mr. Womble this season threshed 3,342 bushels of fine, clean and well matured
wheat. He had several different varieties of this grain, the yields of which were
as follows: Marquis spring wheat went 34 bushels to the acre; Turkey Red winter
wheat produced 40 bushels per acre, and two or three other varieties did not yield
so well. Mr. Womble considers the Marquis the best spring wheat for this country,
its growth and maturity seeming to be especially adapted to the climate and other
conditions. He had 16 acres of oats which yielded 700 bushels.

FALLON COUNTY.

Baker Sentinel — As threshing progresses reports are coming in placing the yields
fully up to, if not beyond expectations. Hans Hanson is reported as having threshed
40 bushels to the acre of winter wheat on his entire acreage, and S. H. North, nearby,
from two and a half measured acres threshed 59 bushels per acre. G. F. Latham's
spring wheat, just west of town, yielded better than 25 bushels, and Theo Olson's, four
miles southwest, went about ."'.O. Receipts at the elevators are just beginning to
come in.

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THE TREASURE STATE

53 :

•••-

•••

A Heavy Stand of Winter Wheat.,

FERGUS COUNTY.

Fergus County Argus — A report reached town this week of a most remarkable
yield of wheat on the Cape ranch near Coffee Creek. The wheat from 149 acres
was recently threshed and showed an average yield per acre of 57 bushels. This field
was damaged by hail during the summer and the insurance company allowed a 12 per
cent loss on it, which was conservative. Just how big the yield would have been had
there been no hail damage is a matter of wonder. Assuming that the insurance
company allowed the full loss it would have been around 65 bushels per acre, but it
would probably have been higher.

Stanford World — There have been so many prenomenal yields reported from the
different sections of the Judith basin during the 1915 harvest period that it is ex-
tremely difficult to create any excitement by mentioning them. In fact no one who is
acquainted with the basin's potent power to produce thinks anything of these big
yield reports, they have rather learned to expect them and as long as the yield ranges
between 25 and 75 bushels the report does not create much comment. If a farmer
states to another than his wheat made only 20 bushels to the acre that provokes the
question, what was the matter? But so long as it is above that mark the yield is
taken as a matter of course. Last Saturday E. E. Haker was in town and upon
being asked concerning the amount of wheat he threshed he stated that the final count
showed a total of 56,000 bushels. Think of it— 56,000 bushels. There are places where
that would be a remarkable yield for an entire community, but not so in the Judith
basin. Mr. Haker came to this section of the country in 1912 and afterwards leased
the Prank Strouf home ranch. He has worked it for three years and this year he
harvested 56,000 bushels of wheat from an acreage of 1800 acres. A little figuring
will show that that is an average yield of a little more than 31 bushels to the
acre. Yields of seventy bushels to the acre may be attained from small acreages, and

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: 54

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A Threshing Crew at Work.

yields of forty and forty-five bushels per acre liave been obtained from quarter sec-
tions, but it is doubtful if there has been so large a tract in the state that has beaten
the 31 bushel average yield. And it is certain that there are few men in the state
who have produced more than 56,000 bushels of grain. A little figuring with a pencil
and a piece of paper will show how much money this represents at the present price
of the grain.

Stanford World — The first of the week the final strokes were applied to the Baker
Brothers big job of threshing, the tally box was noted and the figures stood close to
the 13,000 bushel mark. Big yields ranging from fifty to sixty bushels have been re-
ported over the country, but none have come to hand that covered a very large
acreage. The Baker Brothers field was 365 acres in extent and a little work with the
pencil will show that the average yield for the entire field was a little better than 35
bushels. This is an extra good yield and will show profit even with the price where
it is at present. This is a striking example of the wisdom of care in the preparation
of the seed bed. The field of wheat in question has attracted attention ever since
the plowing for the crop was begun and frequent prophecies were always to the effect
that this would be one of the best fields in the country. The land was prepared in
capital shape and no effort was spared to give the crop all the advantage that this
climate and proper farming methods could supply and the result was a crop that has
attracted the attention of farmers, land men and tourists throughout the season.

FLATHEAD COUNTY.

Kalispell Times — Edwin Pray, a rancher who resides near Poison, is in the city
today on business with the county surveyor's office, and gives a glowing account of
the crops in that section. Mr. Pray states that he believes the wheat will average
30 bushels per acre, and oats probably 40. He knows of one crop of oats which went
90 bushels per acre, and another of 75. but of course, these are the exception rather

THE TREASURE STATE

.1111 — uii**A

55 :

A View of the Beautiful Kootenai.

than the rule. In some instances. Mr. Pray says, this is the first crop which has
ever been produced. One of his neighbors has been cultivating his homestead for
four years without results, and this spring rented another place which he thought was
better. His abandoned farm produced a volunteer wheat crop of 600 bushels on 30
acres, and he has heard of another case where a volunteer wheat crop went 30 bushels
per acre, but this could not be vouched for.

GALLATIN COUNTY.

Bozeman Courier — Joseph Kountz, farmer and banker of Bozeman, is pleased with
the returns from the threshing machine on his ranch near Whitehall, where 38 acres
of Turkey red winter wheat yielded 2,175 bushels, or an average of 58 bushels to the
acre, 35 acres yielded 1,700 bushels, or an average of 481/2 bushels to the acre, and a
field of 60 acres planted in Marquis spring wheat,- also on dry land, yielded an aver-
age of 30% bushels an acre.

Belgrade Correspondence in Butte Miner— Corn was pulled by Thomas Gordon, a
rancher, residing about five miles southwest of Belgrade, and brought to Belgrade,
where it is on exhibition in a department store. The cornstalks, including small
roots, measures 10 feet 11 inches in height, with several ears on each stalk. The
corn was planted in June and Nebraska seed was used. It is the finest specimen of
corn ever seen in this locality.

Bozeman Correspondence in Butte Miner— A yield of 40 bushels of Alaska peas
from one field and 35 bushels of the same variety from another field are the per
acre returns Charles Spick reports after the George Border threshing machine had
completed part of his crop last week before the rain interrupted. He has a fine field
of Gem peas worth $2 per bushel which should thresh out in the neighborhood of
50 bushels per acre.

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Waiting for the Threshing Crew.

Bozeman Correspondence in Butte Miner — A yield of winter wheat so phenomenal
that it invites incredulity is reported by E. W. Radford, who is in charge of a thresh-
ing machine and outfit west of Manhattan. The average per acre yield will exceed
81 bushels. This is in a field of 32 acres of Turkey Red wheat raised by Richard
Quint, which has been threshed with the exception of a little over one acre and the
machine is now idle because of the rain. The total yield from the field as far as
they have gone is enough to average 80 bushels per acre for the field and the rest
will increase the average. Mr. Radford is running the J. W. Freeman threshing
outfit of Bozeman and threshed out recently 135 acres for G. S. Black near Man-
hattan, which averages well above 40 bushels an acre, a part of which went 57
bushels.

Bozeman Courier — From a field of five and a half acres on the College View
farm of Harry L. Summers, John W. Chaney has harvested over 1,500 bushels of fine
potatoes of gigantic average size, and when the crop is weighed it is confident that
the average will be above 300 bushels to the acre. This is the second year of big
potato crops on this farm, and although the yield may be no larger than on many
other Gallatin valley farms, the excellence of the product and its proximity to Boze-
man make it notable.

GRANITE COUNTY.

Granite County News — The Brazil threshing outfit, finished threshing the Col.
Morse piece of grain, adjoining town on the east, Sunday. From the 20 acres, 800
bushels of wheat were threshed. Mr. Morse stored the grain with the expectation of
receiving higher prices. This is one of the best yields of Marquis wheat threshed from
dry land in this section.

THE TREASURE STATE

57 t

Sheep on Manhattan Farm.

HILL COUNTY.

Box Elder Press — The outlook for a big grain yield is promising. The best crop
to date is the report of the yield of Borde Brothers who threshed an average of 54
bushels of Macaroni wheat to the acre, 150 acres. The yield on this farm was so
much greater than had been expected that all available storage room was used and the
grain had to be piled on the ground. The following yields have also been reported:
Wm. Glynn on 30 acres, 28 bushels wheat to acre; 30 acres on stubble, 18 bushels to
acre. John Murphy, 75 acres, 23 bushels wheat to the acre. Frank Kurtz, 100 acres,
39 bushels wheat to the acre; barley, 20 acres, 88 bushels to acre; oats, 90 bushels to
the acre. Oscar F. Harvey, 70 acres, 29 bushels wheat to acre. Jasper Nevins, 16
bushels wheat to acre. Edward Formanack, 240 acres, 16 bushels wheat to acre. J.
Jarosz, 36 bushels wheat to acre.

Havre Plaindealer — Early reports of the excellent crops around Kremlin, 20 miles
west of Havre, are amply borne out by the results of threshing already done in that
district. From a gentleman prominent in the business life of Kremlin, and who is in
close touch with the farmers of that section, the Plaindealer is in receipt of the fol-
lowing li


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