The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-09-15
DEER LODGE MONTANA, FRIDAY, sEFFFMBEFl b. 1882

that run through the place. aud the lofty
snow mountains which bound the horizon
on ali sides one might think himself In some
Illinois or Iowa country-seat.
Strangers visiting Bozeman are always
taken by some public spirited citizen up to .
mount Of vision west Of town, from whence
the whole broad valley can be seen, with Ito
fields of grain, its swift streams, its irrigat-
ing bitches glistening in the sunlight like
silver ribbons, It's cory little farm houses,
and its encircling rim Of gray mountains
crowned with snow. It Is lovely prospect,
and doubly impressive because Of the
hundreds Of miles Of savage, desolats
country one traverses TO resch 1t. At Boze-
man encountered an interesting specimen
Of the independent western waiter. Nobody
serves willingly In the Western Territories.
The man who brings you pitcher Of water
or harnesses your horse puts on . familiar
swagger, as II to show that he IL only doing
such menial work temporarily, and con-
siders himself just IS good - you. The
Bozeman waiter came up to the new guest
with patronizing air and asked II he were
hungry. The guest replied that he was.
"Im glad Of it," replied the walter, ~
like hungry man."
The next meal the guest presumed upon
his enjoyment Of the walters acquaintance
to ask:
"How are the cakes this morning." but
the waiter was out of humor and replied In
surley Tone, "Darned II know, I haint
tried them"
Our party stopped at . wayside inn one
day. There was hamlet Of three or four
houses on the creek. The place seemed do.
serted, but the hating Of q team before the
log building where refreshments were dis
pensec rallied the whole population. One
man appeared from behind barn, another
from field, third from = gulch; In fact
they seemed to rise up out Of the ground
the prospect of . treat, however remote,
where liquor 10 twenty-five cents . drink,
never fails TO gather crowd In this Thirsty
region. One Of the party fell into converse
ton with man who proved to be doctor.
A rough fellow, wearing leather brstches
and an immense dirt-colorsd felt bat took .
seat CD the bar near by aud listened to the
conversation.
81 suppose your practice here must be
largely eiesnosynary," said the traveller to
the physician.
"EeIl! stranger" interrupted the COW. boy,
'thSts q good word. Wbr did you sit
h?"
| Apropos Of frontier manners Is an incl
dent which can be located, - we'll Is any
where, at Kurzville, q log town OF seven
teen saloons, one store, and one hotel A
New York gentlem an got oat Of the stage
coach and asked politely for . little sherry
in wine glass. The barkeeper glared At
him . moment, then reached for six
shooter, and pointing 1t At the terrified trsv-
eler, shouted:
"Now, / tell you, tenderfoot, you take
whisky. Yeu take 1t In . tin cup aud you
like IT."
The stranger took the wbiskey In . tin cup
aud asserted that 1t was the best he ever
drank, and made haste " get back 10 the
coach.
The valleys Of the three rivers which form
the Missouri, the Gallstin, the Madison, and
the Jefferson, seen from the hill east OF
Bozeman form the best developed agricul-
tural region In Montana, and think the
only section OF the Territory where broad
acres of land can he seen under cultivation.
Elsewhere the farms are harrow strips
skirting the banks Of streams. Not that the
good land all lies Ia belts close to the creeks
and rivers, hut thus far farming has only
been attempted where water could be
brought upon the fields without much ex.
pense or trouble. The time will soon come
when system of scientific irrigation re-
curing considerable capital for constructing
long main bitches will be introduced, ~ has
already been done In Colorado. Hundreds
Of thousands Of fertile acres lie idle which
can easily be reclaimed and made to pro-
duce large crops by utilizing the water now
running to waste. Montana agriculture
thus far is rudimentary and superficial.
Men took to 1t as business, because the iso-
lation of the Territory and the demands Of
the mining camps for food and forage
opened home markets al exceedingly high
prices. When land could be had for the
taking, and by cheap and simple method
Of irrigation be made to produce sixty
bushels of oats, fifty Of wheat or three
hundred Of potatoes to the acre, farming
was more profitable than gold mining. The
old ranchman would like to see this state Of
things continue. They are angry 1t the rail-
roads pushing into the Territory from the
east, west, aud south, foresseing that the old
era Of high prices, free and easy living, Wig
ilance committees and revolver law 10
doomed, and that they must soon conform
TO the general conditions Of life prevailing
In the densely settled portions Of the
country. One Of the results Of tho con.
struction Of railroads through Montana will
be to increase the price Of land and diminish
the value Of crops-a seeming paradox 81.
planned by the fact that hitherto no reason
able rstio has existed between the two. A
mans farm has hardly been salesbls for the
smount realized from it, annual product.
For example, young mai, owning one OF
1.-The best ranches In the Gallstin Valley, re-
Gently married in the east and . his wife
did not like Montana-no woman does
until she has lived long time In the Ter
ritory-he sold his ranch for $4,000. A few
days AFTER he signed the deed . Bozeman
merchant paid him $500 for the crop Of
oats lie had just harvested. .u
Farming by irrigation 10 more laborious
and expensive than the ordinary method,
but 1t yields much larger returns. A Mon
tAna farmer would think he had unusually
bad luck ifs field of fifty scres did not
average sixty bushels of oats to the acre
year after year. The water brought upon
the land Is believed 10 have fsrtilizIng prop
euties, although IL is usually - clear -
spring water. A feld farmed BY :rrigstion