The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-27
xater. the ground is thoroughly and evenly
'aturated in the bright, sunny weather.

water, the ground is thoroughly and evenly
saturated in the bright, sunny weather.
When the earth is warm quick, strong,
healthy, even growth follows at once, and
GOOD crop and yield is insured. The far
mer has no fear of drouth; farm laborer
can irrigate after the bitches are prepared,
which is generally done with pillow, from
nve to ten acres per day, thus making the
process very inexpensive. Our mountain
valleys have great fall or drainage and
the mountains streams are very rapid, thus
making the distribution of water easy.
An examination of statistics will show
that the average yield of all cereals in this
valley is much larger than that of any state
OF territory in the union, or even in the
civilized world. These have from time to
time been published and 30 thoroughly au-
thenticated that 2.194 bushels of oats on
| twenty-five acres, $3.50 bushels on ninety
acres. and $40 bushels on 1O1 acres, are no
longer matters OF doubt or even comment y
FERTILE REGION.
| Probably the best evidence of the fertility
Of the Gallatin valley region is given in the
following facts and figures, obtained from
the county assessors assessment rolls:
els; rye, % acres, 9sS bushels; barley. 1,79s
acres, 75,46O bushels; corn, q acres, CPS
bushels; oats, 1900 acres. 968, 671 bushels;
peas, 107 acres, 6, 4O6 bushels; potatoes, 234
| acres, 52,813 bushels; cabbages, acres, g.
GOO pounds; rutabagas, acres, 165,595
pounds; turnips, acre, 1900 pounds;
onions, seven-eighths of an acre, Ii, 200
pounds, hay, 49, pit acres. 21,2l7 tons; COWS,
$50 gave 81, S57 pounds of butter.
This is an important showing, but does
not touch the live stock interests, as the as
sessment roll shows. II 1913 horses, 2O2 mules,
16 800 sheep. q 1907 cattle and ,O66 hogs, land
the total assessment ON real estate and per-
sonal property is 1926, $40, though the &C
tual valuation ID twice as large. The tax
levy is 16 mills.
The products of Gallatin county always
find ready market because of their superior
quality. The yield of hay and grain is i'm
meuse and is shipped all over the state, and
the home demand will always be greater
than the supply. Montana barley is shipped
annually to Milwaukee and st. Paul for
brewing purposes and it is pronounced far
superior to Canada barley, which has long
held first rank. st. Louis and Chicago
brewers also purchase it, and the price real
lied is from $1.OO to $1.5Oper hundred. The
grain and wheat reach q high state of per-
lection, and wheat weighing 62 to 68 pounds
per bushel, barley IS to 30, oats IS to SO
pounds, is the average result of the Gallatin
valley product.
The principal mining centers attract
large populations, who are all consumers,
and among whom no producers will be
found. It is considered by those in posi-
tion to know best that home production
will never equal home consumption, there
fore careful consideration of two points:
First, the fact that but a very small per
cent of the lands of Montana are adapted
to farming; second, the fact that produce,
to compete with home products, to
come from the east, must be transported by
rail from 600 to 1000 miles, and from the
west still greater distance. 1t will there
fore be seen that the farmers of Gallatin
will always be assured of prices for the
products of their soil, and often absolutely
masters of the situation, and in position
to dictate prices without fear of COMPETE
ton.
All vegetables commonly grown in the
west. grow and produce abundantly. Pota-
toes have sold the past year at from SO cents
to $3.50 per hundred pounds, onions from
to 5 cents per pound, and all other veg
etables in proportion: Hay is one of the
which much attention is paid, the surplus
being baled and shipped by rail to the prin-
Opal mining camps throughout the state.
Timothy hay is now one of the STAPLE
crops of the valley. which brings readily,
baled and on cars, $15 per ton; native grass
tame. Hay cures bright green, and strang-
ers say that in no country do they see hay
so perfectly cured. In the mining camps
where Utah and Nebraska hay has been
brought into competition with the home
article, the dealer has no trouble in selling
I lid XAOAAuoAo u4UACAo hb 1IOu 90 10 do DER
ton more than the hay from the points
named.
But few experiments have been made
with apples and peaches in Gallatin valley;
the Siberian and Transcendent crabs, how
ever, flourish and seem to be we'll adapted
winter apples. Small fruit. however, such
as strawberries, raspberries, currants, goose
berries, and in fact most all kinds of small
fruit are especially adapted to this climate
and grow luxuriantly and produce abund-
antly. and the prediction is made that in
the near future Montana will be the most
favorable section in which to engage in the
culture Of small fruit, to be found anywhere
in the northwest, for the reason that Mon
tana fruit does not come into market until
the supply from the east and west has en-
tirely disappeared from the market, namely
July, August and September.
In the Gallatin valley twenty-six thresh-
ing machines find all they can do in the
harvesting season. A total failure of crops
has never been known there, and with the
ever increasing facilities for irrigation this
will be impossible as long as the rivers car
Montana ran low or dried up, and in many
places the crop was lost, the farmers Of
Gallatin county were not troubled in the
least. While her rivers ran low they were
never without plenty of water, and the crop
was up TO the usual average: Some inter
farmers regarding the yield of their farms,
which make a showing equal if not better
than the most productive soils of this coun-
try. Gallatin county has to-day fully
LOCO farms. The last reports from
threshers show yield of 1870
GOO bushels of grain, while this
year, with the presSnt bright prospects,
1900, 600 bushels is tlsS estimate. Here are
some figures: J. H. Kennedy produced from
200 acres, 1C. 736 bushels of oats and l,165 of
wheat. j. N. Brooks, from 80 acres, got
5,522 bushels of oats, $50 bushels of wheat.
c. E. Roland, from IS acres, got 1000 bush
els of wheat, 1900 bushels of oats. Wick
Morgan, from 15O acres, got 800 bushels of
wheat. 1900 bushels of oats. Andrew Bentz,
from 165 acres, got 5 1916 bushels of oats
26O bushels of wheat, 2, 600 bushels of barley
Ben Bisbels from 80 acres, got z ,145 bushels
of oats. I. Beck, from 215 acres, got 6,5SS
bushels of oats, 1,635 bushels Of wheat.
Grogan Bros, from 375 acres got 1900
bushels of oats, 1900 bushels of wheat and
1000 bushels of barley. Louis P. Lay, from
81 acres, got 8, 500 bushels of barley. Will
lam Ellis raised los bushels of oats per
acre on Is acres. A portion of Damon Ga
briefs crop averaged 100 bushels of oats per
acre.
James Crowley raised 10000 pounds of
cabbage, 1900 pounds of beets and 800
pounds of parsnips. Jno. d. Hufine, from
his ranch within view of Bozeman, raised
4. 400 bushels of grain from eighty-four
acres. John and Hank Borders raised the
largest barley crop grown in the valley,
crop that averaged them &43 per acre,
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