Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-09-28

~ N
up among the American States.
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
Four miles above Skalkaho, Sleeping
Child comes in. There is one ranch on this
creek. This may be properly called the
head of the Bitter Root valley. It is al
least the head of the settlements. Here the
hills narrow in. Above this point there is
some good farming land, but the country is
generally billy, and the tillable land is con-
fined principally to the river bottoms. From
Sleeping Child to the mouth q Bitter Root
is sixty miles, which may be properly
termed the extent Of the valley. This val
ley is bounded upon the west By a range of
~forest-coyered mountains, that run in q line
a few miles from the stream and rise abb
ruptly towards the clouds, until they shoot
their bald heads above the timber line. The
bench lands, which come down to the river.
are mostly timbered. Nesting in the open
glades and along the streams that harry
down are many valuable farms to-day
grooming under unexceptionably heavy
crops. The river banks and islands are
heavily fringed with tall eotfonwoods and
pines.
East of the river, the valley opens wide
and the table land rises gently il to long.
prairie ridges, slowly turning into a dark
range Of mountains, though not so r1ooad
or so lofty as their snow-croWned neiohbors
beyond the river. The settlements on this
side are more populous than those west of
the liynr.f yraf hara oc u-oJ1 Or ~, ~ ~.
side, there are many miles Of rich, ~alluyial
soil unclaimed. Taken altogether. Bitter.
Root cannot be excelled in agricultural pro-
ductiyeness in all the valleys of the Rocky
Mountain region.
We are pleased to note that the v~alleyis
more populous, and the people more pros
porous than they were when we visited this
section two years ago. Their crops are
generally very fine, though the immigrant
grasslloppers played sad havoc with some of
theo at crops on the east side, which will re-
duce the yield of that section to at least one
half a crop.
Thursday afternoon we enjoyed the pleas
1re OF meeting the Corvallis Grange. This
grange has over sixty members in good
standing, and is in a very flourishing condi-
ton. They have a good, comfortable hall
md a full set of implements. Jewels, etc.
Ihe members seem to be alive to their work.
It was a special meeting we attended, yet
here We're nearly forty members present.
One OF the attractive features of this grange.
$ the number of charming young ladies',
devotion to the cause induces their
attendance. 1t was, indeed, cheer
ng to hear all the members with one accord
themselves satisfied with what they
found the grange to be, and see the de-
ermined manifestation to live lp to and
AIRY out its noble principles.
Thursday night we spent with Mr.. Hull.
friday returned back down the valley to
Burnt Fork, where We We're treated to a
excellent dinner by Mrs. C. A. Keeney.
after which we visited John Robinson's
lace, which is II of the finest farms in this
ection. 1t is well improved, has a fine,
lrge barn and other c~onveniences Mr., r. |
as a'splendid crop of grain which we found
ina harvesting. 81
From here we went to Stevensville. This |
tile town is located ON Burnt Fork, nearl {
he Bitter Root river, and only a short dis |
ance from old Fort Owen. It contains two \