The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1867-03-23
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

BREADsTUFFs.-A gentleman who spent the
last year In Montana. and whose judgment
may be relied upon, expresses the opinion that
with the coming season the people of Monta-
ma must depend upon the country this side of
the mountains for their supplies of breadstuffs.
He bases his opinion on the fact that there
has been very little snow on the mountains,
and as n consequence, the water in the upper
Missouri will be low, thus rendering il i'm
possible for the st. Louis steamers to ascend
with their usual freight. In the event that
communication with st. Louis by means of
steamers is cut of, Blackfoot will have TO de-
pend upon Salt Lake and this country for her
supplies of breadstufs. This is the present
aspect of affairs, and with it we have the pros
pect of an advance in the price of -four, and
the other staples which our valley produces
in such abundant profusion. The amount of
breadstuffs that Salt Lake can send to mark ct,
at best, is limited, and is by no means COM
mensurate with the wants of Montana, and
hence we may calculate on being called upon
to furnish the bulk of the supplies. Monta-
ma, too, Will furnish n market for our surplus
bacon, butter and eggs, and thus gives aSsu-
rance that the present depression will give
place to an of prosperity.-[ Walla WaIla
Statesman.
This will certainly be most refreshing
intelligence to the agricultural commu-
nifty of Montana The latest intelli-
gence we have had from Gallatin val
ley-the great five hundred square miles
of Montana garden property-was, that
prime wheat was unsaleable at 81 per
bushel, and that thousands of bushels of
grain, potatoes, etc, were being fed to
the stock, Every granary and bin, every
store house and mill, is full and the
:. g. 4 -
posing of the surplus of last year. So
abundant is the surplus and so low the
price, that ranchmen are almost discour-
aged Then the suggestion that Utah
will be unable to supply the vacuum
occasioned by the failure of the river
boats to reach here, on account of no
snow TO raise the waters, and that Wash
ington Territory will have to furnish us
provisions, or stand by and see us starve,
is very nice logic, but, unfortunately for
Washington, founded on incorrect prem
ises, and the deductions are necessarily
erroneous. From present indications,
Salt Lake will not need to furnish us
any breadstuffs the coming season; and
if it does, unless the Mullan road is
repaired, or the grasshoPpers-on which
| the Mormons were recently experiment
ing. by keeping dirt near the fire and
Matching out cloud of them-get the
better of the Saints, they can probably
send us all the provisions we need, inclu
ding bacon, butter and eggs" at much
less figures than it can be brought from
| Walla Walla. The water will not pro
badly be as high, or remain in good stage
SO long this year, as last, because that
was something very unusual but there
is sufficient snow for a good raise, and
the st. Louis papers give list of boats,
larger in number than ever before run
on the Upper Missouri, which will start
in short time for Montana. We merely
suggest these things to our considerate
friends in Walla Walla, perfectly agreed
to their bringing us all the breadstuffs
they may see proper.