New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-16


by irrigation under the Desert Land law, and foi
which thes have paid 81 20 per sore, for the
best farm in New-Englaud than the owner OF
Fifth-ave. house and los would exchange his prop
srty for @ Jersey msrshl There are ranchers here
who seriously declare that they would not farm
anywhere no matter what the rainfall might be
without digging a ditch and running tie water
wherever they might have use fUr IL. They prove
their sincerity by showing you ears OF corn eight
and ten inches long, Of which they have grown
a hundred bushels 70 the acre. They show you
oats weighing forty pounds to the bushel which
they have grown In quantities from seventy 10
eighty-hve bushels to the aoIe. They show you
wheat not 90 vet Of the first Dakota grade, but
certainly excellent wheat Of which they take
forty or forty-nve bushels from every acre sown
They show you hay richer, longer and far better
than IA produced on any Eastern fnrn, and garden
Vegetables and small fruits that are not to be
called second TO any, no notter where they may
he grown They take you over fartnt thoroughly
equipped with machinery, buildings and live stock
and they tell you that when they cane West they
had less than 500. and that all that Is TO be
seen is the product OF that ranch, the unbrokcn
Relcs If which. still as dry chips, grow nothing
but sage-bushes.
Montana Il q dry countty only In the sense
that the rainfall is uncertain and insufficient.
There are flowing streams in plenty The yell
lowstone Is a river OF some magnitude and N Is
fed by hundred little mountain creeks. IL con
tains oil the water necessary 70 rrIgate the whole
region IL drains, and SO long as moisture makes
clouds and the mountain submits retain snow It's
now will be steady. The valleys OF the Yellow
stone supply themselves with winter from mat
river and the bottoms OF each separate creek,
IA H. ttNAn hA
flow nearest them The ranchets Of rnch par
ticular neighborhood usually net In concert
In building the big ditch. the one
that. flowing for twenty. thirty or even sixty
miles sncloscs oil their ranches and draws enough
from the river 20 irrignte the entire country "
travels through The ditch st Billings Is thirty
seven miles long, six feet wide. and usually hhs q
depth OF Of least foot It's carrying capacity IL
o. 600 inches Of water enough 10 irrignfc m area
Of 1000 scrrs Each ranchcr digs his own sys-
tom Of bitches for his own place, with main
ditch leading from the big or general ditch
through which his supply comes. lie pays Tor
the water b. the square inch taken for the SEASON.
the price VARYING from 81 to 81, md hc estimates
that n square inch OF WINTER will he needed for
every acre Of ground put in crops. Ills bitches
lead 20 each field, and there he uses the wster as
the kind OF crop he is raising Fields OF wheat
cat. and other grasses are nsunlly Hooded. Inc
bitches around them are damned. add the water IS
sIloyrl 10 overflow. For corn, vegetables ana
e,ops that grow in rows lateral bitches are en-
poyed, running between the phnted rows. ana Tue
wate- sent gently along, 10 made 10 soak into the
ground n q fnrmcr knows when his crops neen
>,a,., and how much they need, II certainly does
49,. aVRiar nEsth
the no,,turv problrm II they get what they wnn',
get IL when they want II, md get All they want OF
/, whit more could he desired II will not do 10
contend that the form in which the water Is gwen
,hcn /, not rood for you are answered by pnrnp
kins as big rs dog house. strawberries sweet ana
aelie,ou. grain OF every description and hay fw'o
feet high. and these constitute an answer NAV
do.. all tho answering one can grapple with. The
yntcr OF oil thcsc sttenns comes from the Houo-
,s,n. and when 4, has rrnohcd tho bottom level II
has travelled fnr enough 10 become impr"eh""''
,,,,b a great deal a. rich vegetable matt'f Iva
service 10 the soil US fertilizer "nuo"o''o ann
important
Killings wns o product OF the sgnclouS 'or:
s,qht OF Mr. Iirmsn Chrk the aTued"ct CON
tractor Mr.. Clark built that portion OF tDm
Northern rscifc which runs along the ieiow-
ston.. and when his eyes fell upon this b"anu'ui
valley. inclosed nv rocky. sandy elits 'h"t sHnd
as straight md high above the plain Hs the i''sh-
lands stald above the wnrrS OF the hudson h'
thought he detected u great opportunity !" S""i'
~ material rrsources lie formed company
through which he bought all the lsnd III VI" N'''Y
that WAS included In the Tirond grant. lh"' WIS
half the valley. every other block MI" si""'r'
-, o,ou, co 600 acrrs. lie got IL OF the bottom
mice. lie selected Il TOWNSHIP. pio't~i w. s"' y
arrrove1 bv the railroad people, and advertised
its lots for sal" upon gwen dHy. "r' '"'Ns
.ohcr,e WINS bIc-on paper lie made many prom
60. ON behalf Of the Northern Pacific and himself
,s % inuroycments that would surely be made
=, u,hon the uuciion sslc OF lots occurred b" had
- crowd OF settlers md Spectators chmp'd IN
,or,. ON the prairi. AL ready 10 buy his lots Tn"
prevails that Mr.. Clark 90, Sr""'
ncal On, AZ Billings though whnt Billings got
,,,, ~ NJ, Clark is bv no m"irrs 80 wei SO -
,,,,,o1 lilo nresently abandoned ~ 10 enter the
:. oor,hino- in which he and Governor liiFs friend
o,p,ior tho lomented Koonan and the willy Flynn
are the chief ornaments
RilIinus has contrived 70 get along, however
desr,ite his cold neglect. II las b"come one OF INV
for~nost towns Of Eastern Montana nS V"nrs
lands hoyc proved 10 he among the most frr'ile
token M by ranchmrn. whose cultivated fields arc
,,re,china further and wider every year A. one
time il was the centre Of . great cattle county
and lsrpr herds still roam upon the range tf'o"-
tsrv "a Billings Bnt ns tho range lns p"rohe
contracted by the Influx OF new settlers, the sheep
industry has grown in importance. until u Is 10
day more profitable and larger than me ch"'c
i,Sustrv As many o. 100000 pounds OF woof
= Li,,,o1 f,om RlIhnrs in 1898, and the ship
n.nts for this year promise 20 reach nearly
. 600 600, The mutton market WINS Slppnea
with O3,2Oo head Of shrep, and the beer marker
with 81 go head OF cattle. though these hs'rrs
NV no means represent the full measure OF The
sheen and cattle business done In the country sur
rounding Billings In forwarding their bcei III"
mutton 10 market growers usually "Void the Dig
towns. They ship from the nearest small sta''on
49,, ,,e,, cowboys and herders viii he subjected
20 as few temptations as possible. fa'rcr ide"
=, ,ho bu,ipess done by DC 800 people who