New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-07
FARMING IN MONTANA.
NEW FIELD FOR AGRICULTURE.

FRov INSECT rr>Is-MAtK T-GAKDrNING AND
FRUIt-RaIsING.
--iyrou A srAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUNE.l
HELENA Mont, Oct. 9.-Mv present opinion is
tina, Montana will never become the rival oi the
great graiu-producing States and Territories fur
Their East for the supp of the wheat ana corn
markets of the Atlantic seahoard ard Europe; IN,
saw tins with some hr>itaucy when recall the
agricultural history IF MINES, Ia auc Wisconsin
and of the recently developed grain-helds ~ the
valley of the Red River the North, and especially
when l remember what has already been accom-
piIshed on the farms of this ierrtcy since we'll
Informed correspondent Of lnE luBUNi, who had
spen. years in Montana, earnestly cODtended. not
decade ago, that the whole couu.ry WIS little beg
ter than de sert aud secuted the idea that the pro-
duction of gram crops here wond ever be possible.
Ex-senator Ramsey told me once that when III
1919. President Taylor appointed hun TO the Gov
ernorslp of Minnesota, II WAS the popular Dcnei III
the East. and he shared It. that the Territory he
WAS to organize was so cold and sterile that agri-
culturaly II would never he of any value and that
when "A wear or two afierward he returned to Phil
adelphia and exhibited samples OF corn and wheat
RAISED in the vicinity of 81. Paul. they were looked
upon as great curlosites, aud some of bis friends
even suggested that he must have obtained bis sam
plies in Illinois Indiana as me passed tnrough
those States. 80 the conditions may some day be
come sucn that Montana wheat and oats can be laid
down in the East at such rates as to make profit
both for the farmer aud the transportation COM
paulcs but that Is not now.
But even if Montana never exports grain In large
quantities. II will not import it much longer. In
year or two il will at least produce its own food no
matter how rapidly its population may increase.
AT present il has already become almost indepeh-
dent of the East for The flour. oats, corn, bacon po
tatoes and garden vegetables needed, lmhiehSe
quantities of which have. in years past, been
shipped into the IeTr tory, not only for private con
sumption. but also To supply the military posts ana
Indian agencies. The freight also on these pr"vi-
sious mas ranged from five to ten cents pound-a
rate which of itself would pay the Montana farmer
enormous profits on the cost of producing most OF
the articles mentioned.
General James :. Brisbin. for many years IN COM
mand at one OF the United States military posts in
this Territory. IN art Gle published few months
ago. gave some facts about the gram crops of Mon
tana taat remarkable a t. be- received with
inor,duiity 10y farmers aud ,grculiuril writer's III
the East. aud have been told since have been IN
Helena. that the General 20 put end o. all doubt
on the subject. found u convenient To Obtain the
affidavit reputable citizens ot this place IA order
20 convince people that he did not tXaggerate.
Any one wuo writes the simple truth about the
agricultural aud graz mg Industries of Mon
I
lar to that of General Brsbin, and l have
therefore taken more than ordinary care IN the
collection and yeufcauon of the facts that form
the basis of tins letter. Nv purpose is 20 give
corrrct iiea of what the farms of this wonderful
country may br expected 10 yield IN ordinary years
rather han to select exceptionally favorable wears
or the most successful Ianchmen in order to excite
the wonder OF the reader with stories of what has
been sometime. accomplished
For several years after the first settlement Of
Montana, httie or no attention Was gwen to fam
inc. Almost everybody was engaged m search
for tie precious metal, or IN trading with those
who were 80 employed. and as no one expected to
remain in the country after he had "made his pile"
verg few cared to try the experiment of opening mp
q farm even with the p aspect before him of OBJ
filming the almost fabulous prices which then ruled
IN the markets here Que OF the results of tins n
elect of agriculture and OF the isolation of Mon
tana from the settled portions of The United states
was IRE flour famine OF 1861. In that year all the
late w eon trains from tab were showed IN ON
Snake River in Idaho, aud the price of flour, which
in ordinary times was from 20 10 % cents pound,
went 90 ~l25 a sack Of 100 pounds, and very little
was to be obtained even at that price. loaf OF
bread weiching not moro than half a pound was
sold for dollar and The bakers ordered not 20
sell more than one LOAF TO any one person on tie
same day. Tins Vas in the midst Of a country that
was capable Of producing at least twenty-five bush
els Of wheat to
TIE agricultural lands Of Montana are tho val
levs. TIE main range OF the Rocky Mountains ex-
tends through the Territory generally IN north
erly and souiherly direction. and from tins there
are spurs and auxiliary ranges extending IN all Ill
rections and covering nearly tae whole face of the
country except IN the north and east, where there
are extensive elevated plains. Between these
ranges How hundreds of beautiful clearwater
streams some large and some small, and bordering
these rivers nd creeks tine rich valleys from one
to ten or twenty miles III width The soil III the val
leys is an alluyial deposit, and the land generally
has a gentle and regular slope from the bed OF the
stream to the foot of the bench which separates
the valley from the foothills. So true is this slope
that in almost every instance water taken OUT In
ditch parallel with the stream can be made to flow
over every foot If land below IT. Tie benches Of
which there are sometimes several and sometimes
only one are simply combinations of the valley at
higher elevation. They frequently look like great
terraces rising above the other. and where the
quantity OF water in the stream and the fall
sufficient to make irrigation possible the bench
lands are found TO be equally productive with the
valleys proper. Behind the benches rise the foot
hills with their rounded, grass-oad tops, now e.
tended for miles and forming the divide between
two streams and again seeming to support a rocky,
precipitous ridge that rises beyond Them
Very few of these valleys are as yet settled. The
Bitter Root Valley, in the west. where the farmers
have become rich by the sale of their products to
the Government for at the military post at Mis-
sOua, the GalatIn IN the east. Prickly Pear. IN
which Helena is situated. Deer Lodge and Jefferson
Valleys, have the oldest ranches aud until lately
the largest breadth OF land under cultivation.
Within the last year two the immigration 10
the Yellowstone Valley and its tributaries has been
very great. This is about $50 miles long, and the