Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1878-04-18

IHE propensity OF the human family TO
borrow trouble is perhaps no more strongly
developed in the people of Montana than in
those of other countries, yet, go where you
will throughout our Territory, wherever
there are two or three gathered together
discussing the events of the day, you will
hear more or less speculation i'll regard to
calamities which the signs of the times indi-
cate are soon to befall the country, of ex-
IRENE extraordinary likely to be reached,
and a thousand and one unheard of difficult
ties to be encountered, which are the sole
coinage of a class of chronic grumblers to
appease their tault-finding appetites. Six
months ago they busted themselves paint
ing the terrors of the pending winter, and
enumerating imaginary losses to be entailed
upon the live stock interest; but the clerk
of the weather, not deigning to be dictated
to, RENTED the winter altogether, thus
ability to prognosticate events. Yet we
find them on hand again in early spring,
foretelling the result of the summers labor
with the same confidence as ever. OF course
we are informed that a drouth is to ensue
and cut off our grass crop, and that scarcity
Of water for irrigating purpose, together
with the grasshoppers, will reduce the pro-
duction of cereals to one-half Or one-third of
a crop, while the lack of water for mining
will reduce the yield of gold. in the placer
mines to a merely nominal sum compared
with other years.
Now, this is all idle speculation, and liable
to fall as far short of truth as did the predic-
ton for a hard winter six months ago. Even
should we have an extraordinary dry season
the prospect of the Territory Is good. Our
pastoral lands are so extensive that it will be
impossible tor our present limited amount of
stock to SO exhaust them as to create want
Or starvation, even though the grass crop is
short. Neither will IA scanty supply of water
have a very telling effect upon u farm
products. In some localities, where farmers
depend on small streams to supply their ir-
rigating bitches, the prospect may prevent
the sowing Of a large acreage, but the ma
iority of the farms in the Territory are wa
tered from rivers, and the supply will be
abundant for their purpose, whether we
have the usual high waters or not, To such
4 drouth makes no difference, as each farm
or will have the season in his own hands,
and can make 1t wet or dry as he chooses.
What effect the 'hoppers may have is hard
to ~foretell. Where there is a great abund-
ance of water they may be kept from the
fields by large bitches, but we think they
thrive best in wet weather. More of the
little ones just Matching out will perish in
three days parching sun than would drown
in a weeks rain. As to our mines, it is true
one class Of our placer mines would suffer
from a short water season, though another
will flourish, From present indications, but
little will be accomplished this year on bar,
hume and hydraulic diggings, but those who
have gulch ground to be worked by drifting
will reap a rich harvest. a dry season will
also facilitate quartz mining and quartz
prospecting, as there will be less surface
water to contend with, and since a large
percentage of our revenue is derived from
this source, the prospect is not so uninviting
after all. In addition to these sources of in
crease, we may very naturally expect a
large addition to country's wealth in
labor and capital from the States. The Nez
Perez war hast year brought Montana m
what into notice, and the favorable reports
OF our grass lands by army officers has
awakened considerable interest, which, to-
gether with the construction of the railroad
from our mines, and the discovery of the