The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1871-09-20

MEADOW CREEK. M. ~, Sept. u, IS7l
~ EJsfdF nfthe Axa,af Cs,uy;g7..

& ~ ne Editor the Avant Courier:
i Having seen that yon were about % star
/ your paper soon. and being somewhat con
versant with the arduous duties Of an Editor
s. especially III sending out new paper,
I thought q few lines from this section nigh
]. be of some aid to yosa. even though itcaIh
from d travelling ranchmail.
You cannot expect anything very brilliant
i or deep or even exactly logical or particu
larIy incisive from me who tills tbs. soils-ex
/. cept perchanee it be upon subjects relatin.
4 closely To farming on stock raising. Bit a
j i do not propose to give Won q dissertation
i upon those topics, you will have to exclls,
i all mistakes whether rhetorical or gram
] NAUTICAL. ssssatt
T.. The crops hereabouts have all been har
! vested and some Of them thrashed and ready
4 for market. The heavy frost OF the 9th ult
] did no injury 70 amount to gfhing. The
/ season has been unusually propitious for the
/ farmers. and ranches that two. years age
I could have been purchased for $500, could not
/ be bought for so many thousand. People
are just beginning to appreciate the true
value Of arabic land In this country. They
are just beginning to realize that there Is moi
/ enonghsof available farming land here te
drug the market; land upon tile advent OF the
/ IN. r. r. r. each and every one win find such
to be the case. But Unjust not diaressa The
average to the. acre of the cereals vafies On
| Willow Creek it rates from % to 80 bushels
to the acre; and in some instances more Tn
this valley Ilearn of some who will get 80
bushels to the acre. all of which cannot be
beaten in the States. notwithstanding we are
5000 feet above the level OF the sea. ButtIis
Lis not merely ii grain country; we can pro-
.duee from the tenlerest vines. While jog
gtng leisurely along through Meadow Creek
valley the other day, / CHANGED TO hear of
| Pmckney's ranch. SO turned the head of
my Merrinlack Pegasus in that direction.
Arriving there / found that Judge Pinckney
had gone to the States after his family and
would have them here soon and perhaps Il
few other families. But uncle Ross. as he is
famiiarly called. was there and making my
visit known, he took me to lis garden. a
!, little patch OF ten or fifteen acres, where
and other vegetables too numerous | TO- mem
ton. And what else? Oh We gods and god
desses! cneitmbers, green corn, water and
musk melons till you couldn't rest. Uncle,
with his usual urbanity. calmly spoke and
said. pitch in; help yourself" Well. a Nom
tanian does not need second invitation to
such apatch. Having done justice to uncle
Ross's melons. and perhaps little Injustice
to my digestive organs, quit. and took a
walk to see the wheat. And without any ex-
aggeration | pronounce it the best wheat in
Montana, and have since learned that it will
be entered at the Madison County Fair.
Having done that place, Travelled up on
to the table and thought that would take
look at the mines Of Washington Bar and
vicinity. On my way up noticed several
suspicious looking stakes driven in the
ground: and upon alighting to ascertain the
cause Of this unusual ri thing III this coisn-
try, fouEdafhat four ranches had been stolen
from Uncle Sam. One by E. r. Stiles. one
by Ii. NJ. Brigham, and the other two by j.
q. and I. F. Kirby. | must say that was
strongly inclined to pull up all the stakes
and plant my owns But my discretionary
organs getting the better Of my va,or. Ipull,d
out and left the stakes. This table is certain
~ one OF the best for farming that I have
sem in the Territory; and said TO myself
that these gentlemen have exhibited good
sense in thus following ont the sterling ad-
wise Of that best Of American philosophers,
Horace Greeley. iii securing home for them
selves. Tie land is sp.endidly located as to
irrigation. timber. and protection from early
nosts. There are hundreds of acres yet un-
claimed; but the time is not far distant when
every foot Ut it will be under tile plow.
While am speaking of farming lands may
as well finish by abiding to the fire ranch of
VIM. Meyers. situated ON Meadow Creek OPP
posite from those just spoken Of found
here about 100 acres under cultivation, 100 OF
which was iii wheat, fft bafat1re beif1g TT
voted to oats, barley, and the. garden. The
grain was exce1lent, and will average between
25 and 80 bushels to the acre
Now to the mines. 1t mistake not there
are 10 hydraulics running here, tearing the
earth away alta fearful rate and making The
water of Meadow Creek thick eno,iglato walk
Oh. As far us was able to learn the mines
were paying from $40 to SIS per day to tile
hand; which undoubtedly is little ahead Of
making break for Peace River. Parkinson
Sc Japles are the principal owners of the
water rights, and they have most certainly
valuable piece Of property, which will I'M
1, tally n,aL q 1ap on, ,sya11 aff in h .,,orI5.e