The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-11-02
Agriculture.

The fame Of Montnna's mines and stock
ranges has thrown shadow over its agri-
cultural resources. To those unacquainted
with the country. the name Montana"
calls up an image Of great mountain ranges,
scanned with veins Of precious metals, and
rough broken stock-ranges, dotted with
droves OF cattlc and ilocks Of sheep. But,
while there is some truth in such nm idea IL
is by no means all the truth. Between these
mountain ranges lie many great and small
valleys, equalling in fertility the famous
valley Of the Nile. and a very large portion
of what in now nm almost unbroken stock
range consists Of rolling table lands emf
nently adapted 10 grain raising.
II il low estimate 10 say thnt two-fiftbs
Of the area Of Montana are fitted for cult
vation. This makes thirty-six million acres.
OF this vast nren only about four million
acres are returned for taxation, inclusive of
SURVEYED railroad lands, showing that
eight ninths Of the cultiyBble area Of Mon
tanR are still unoccupied lnnds.
Montana IL still 10 new thut very accurate
statistics are not obtainahle; but | give u
few figures from the best available sources.
Area 81 cuti,ablo lands, estimated .s6W0WO acres
Lands ON which crops WEN raised
in lsss ..,t...... .. so .3s2 acres
Iantls as..s- for taxation ia Isss 97ii isg acres
Number ~ farms IN l>,S ... ............. irs2
On 6,l55 acres were raised 1O.aD bushels ~
wheat
On si.g7s acrcs were raised aO9i.j72 bushels of
oats.
These figure show that the agriculture of
Montana il still in its infancy. Over one
hul % l t.t al ~
IL raised in two valleys-those of the Gala
tin and Bitter Root Nincteen-twentieths Of
the total amount iH raised IN the western, OF
mountainous third of the state. This is due
10 several reasons The mines have af-
forded the best local market, and therefore
those valleys lying contiguous 90 the mining
regions are most thickly populated and
have been settled longer thnn the counties
lying east of the mountains. The noun
tain valleys are most easily irrigated.
How far these thirty-two million acres
now vacant will be brought under cutiva-
tion. depends almost altogether, ON the
winter question. There are some sections of
Montana, where crops may be raised sue
cessfully without irrigation. This liz
especially the Case with the fertile bench
lands, lying along the foot of the mountain
ranges, where the snow lies deep in the
winter, aud whore sufficient moisture is
stored nwny in the soil 10 mature magnif-
cent crops Of winter wheat, rye and barley,
even in such exceptionally dry seasons as
the present one. ln some Of the northern
valleys also, the soil may be sufficiently
moist 10 warrant cultivation without irri-
cation. But in spite of these exceptions
the fact rcmains, that over by far the
greater portion Of Montana the question of
the amount Of land which may be- utilized
for farming depends solely on the quantity
Of winter available for irrigation.
Montana il by far the best wntercd of Hny
of the Rocky Mountain states and territDr-
les. Clnrk's Fork of the Columbia drains
that portion Of II lying on the Pacific slope,
and ~ abundant ARE the streams of that
section that believe there can be no ques-
ton that there TX sufficient water, when
properly utilized, Ia water every foot Of till
able land In that section. East of the
Rocky Mountains the Missouri and Yellow
stone rivers. with their various tributaries.
lie almost entirely within the boundaries of
Montana from their sources In the high
mountains to their junction on our eastern
border.
ln our mountain valleys the fall Of the
streams h 80 great TINT II has been cumpaT-
atiyely easy 10 utilize their waters for irri-
CATION. No large canals were needed where
the natural slope Of the ground was from
twenty y-ilye to hundred feet per mile
Each farmer lHpped the stream with his
own ditch, and Ia that way nearly all our
present farms are cultiyntcd This. how
ever, il an exceedingly wusieful system, and !
II has been carried about IN far ms can be |
done 10y the individunl fnrmer. Corporate |
wealth ~ now beginning ~ take out lnrge |
canals from some uf the lnrger streams.
selling the water 10 the farmer. but the |
main streams are hardly touched as get, |
nnd yet the surveys now being prosecuted |
VIII show cOnclusiyely that the fall ~ both |
The Yellowstone and Missouri il sufficiently |
great, and the elevation of the contiguous !
fertile table lands sufficiently low b. make I