Great Falls tribune., 1888-09-29
SAND COULEE CROPS.
SOME ERRORS IN THE NORTHWEST
MAGAZINE CORRECTED.
Professor #. W. Anderson Gives Some
Stubborn Facts-The Irrigation
Fallacy Fully Ex-
plOded.

E. V. Smalley, in the Northwest Maya
zine for the current month, gives Mon
tana catechism. A Tribune reporter ask
ed Prof. F. W. Anderson what he thought
Of the answers regarding farming lands
and irrigation?
~ think they are wholly unwarranted,"
he replied. II openly declare that farm
ing is not confined to the valleys, and
that farming lands may be only found
there. In many respects the bench lands
are greatly superior to the valleys for
farming, especially for the production of
wheat, rye and oats. admit that the
time was when men supposed and, COR
rectly, too, that they could obtain good
crops only in the valleys. But that time
is past. In early days not 50 much rain
fell at any time Of year. The land
is now being broken and cultivated more
Railroads and telegraph lines are being
constructed all over the the territory and,
as natural consequence Of all these i'm
portant developments, we are having an
adequate rain fall each season for the
production Of splendid crops of all kinds
and in nearly every part'of the territory.
1t is also true that at one time man
would have been thought crazy if he at
tempted farming without an irrigation
ditch and abundance of water, but like
the notion Of valley farming alone, the
conviction that irrigation was absolutely
necessary has fallen back into the shad
owy past. In fact l can take you
around to many different successful farm
ers, who have never once dreamed of ir
| rigating their land, and who never saw an
irrigating system in operation, even on
| the smallest scale, l can prove my
statements every time, or | would not
make them. 1t is possible that in few
| portions Of the territory irrigation may
still be considered necessary; but certain
| ly in the whole of northern Montana no
such idea prevails"
SAND coULEE CROPS.
"Why does the writer leave out Sand
tural valleys of Montana?"
81 do not know; but it seems rather
forgetful on his part. Especially so, as
Sand Coulee is so extensive and in some
portions remarkably fertile. In upper
Sand coulee, near the mountains, the
farmers raise large crops Of oats every
year. They consider it poor year when
less than 75 bushels to the acre are pro-
duced. They count on 80 to 100
bushels as the average yield
and in what they call good
year they get from ITO to 1876 bushels of
oats per acre. These figures are facts
and speak for themselves. Wheat is con.
sidered an under average crop, if the
yield is less than go bushels to the acre.
This productive region is about rs miles
south of Great Falls. In the same valley
(Sand Coulee,) five or SIX miles from
Great Falls excellent crops of every kind
are grown. Oats yield 80 to so bushels
per acre and wheat 30 to 60 bushels. Hay
of the finest quality and in great abund-
ance, grows on the native sod, and yields
from about two to three tons per acre
the average yields being little less than
two tons. Corn stalks grown from five to
seven feet high, and all crops do well in
like proportion. 1t is needless to 60
further into details. And all this is alb
solutely without irrigation. Knowing
these facts. hold that Sand Coulee val
ley ranks with "the principal agricultur-
al valleys" Of the territory"
THE GREAT COAL FIELDS.
"The Sand Coulee coal fields are also
overlooked2"
eyes, that is unacountable, for the Sand
Coulee coal mines are receiving much
merited praise from all quarters, at the
present time. There is coal enough
there to last for hundreds Of years."
"It is Of superior quality and por-
ton of it excellent for coking purposes.
Col Smalley oughtto see it and be convin-
ced."
The acute eye of Prof Anderson also
discerned something wrong in tie fol-
lowing sentence:
The altitude Of the valleys is from 5000
to 14,50O and that of the highest noun
tain peaks is about II 900 feet above the
sea level? "Can the writer tell why some
of the valleys are $500 higher than the
highest peaks?"
Before starting for his ranch, which
fiourishes without irrigation, Mr.. Andcr-'
son added: sJust let me say in conclu-
sion that every portion Of Montana will
now rapidly develop agriculturally and in
every other way in spite of all suppression
or perversIon Of the facts which may be
published by either the Northern Pacific
railroad or the Northwest Magazine.
That Magazine is good one and ably ed
tied but don't like the narrow policy
constantly pursued in it in regard to Mon
tana territery. Some of the questions
in the catechism are answered very favor
ably but as have noted there are excep-
tions."