The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-05-12
FARMING At GREAT FALLS.
The Success of Hon. Paris Gibson on
Non-Irrigated Bench Lands
Near This City.
Some of His Ideas and Methods as
Given to a Representative
Of The Tribune"

and strangers, sad 1toa. ParlS OlDSOn
as he drew up his buggy near the square,
green field south of Tenth avenue and
greeted d friend yesterday. 'lf a man
says to me, You can't grow anything out
in this country I'll Just bring him here
and show him this"
Mr.. Gibson was on his way out to his
Sand Coulee farm, and as he passed over
the ridge and came in view Of the pla-
teaus beyond he said to The TRIBUNE
man:
Look right along the edges of the
high bench lands beyond the coulee, at
those black patches of piowed land
can count fourteen OF them-and see the
teams blowing on the second bench be-
You'd the moJth of the coulee. The cul-
t"ivation is extending down from the foot
hills toward the town"
When the 1OO-acre field of bright green
wheat came into view the veterans face
fairly glowed as he motioned toward it
and said: IF we had these benches COW
cred with fields like that it would be Il
revelation to the stranger and a new
country to the people already here"
1t was a pretty sight the strong, vigor-
GUS grain shooting up four and five
inches in regular rows from the even,
closely packed ground. In ten days it
will make a splendid showing. This is
but one feature of the 2,000-acre farm
which Mr.. Gibson has been deyoting
himself to stocking and cIltivating dur
ing the last year. The red stables and
corrals which form the dairy department,
the windmill, water-tank, grain and
vegetable storage houses, and the neat,
painted farm house have all risen from
the brown prairie within a twelve-month.
AS Mr.. Gibson entered the Enclosure
about the buildings he offered an apol-
ogy for the little slips of cottonwood and
elm trees set out about the house and
along the roadway. IAN old fellow once
: said TO me that trees edify Il place |
think w ought to get right at this sort
of thing and make our farms attractive
Mr., Gibson's place is primarily a dairy
and stock farm. Here is his splendid
hnrd Of lIol5tein cows, seventy in num-
b"r, and four superb breeding bulls.
The small pen Of Berkshire pigs is the
beginning of a largo piggery that will
soon be put up.
These fine breeds Of different kinds of
animals are a credit to the country.
1t is the owners design to raise every
thing on the farm needed to feed the
stock-oats, hay and root vegetables.
The garden lot in front Of the house and
50-acre oat plot show that this first year
of cultivation will start things we'll in
this direction, while tho hundreds OF
; acres OF hay lands will abundantly feed
the growing herd.
Mr.. Gibson said regarding what IN
duced him to start and push forward SO
vigorously this model farm: II thought
that l ought to do something with this
unused land; it is a sort of a duty to the
community to get things of this kind
started. We ought to raise our own
dairy and farm products instead Of ship
ping so much in. | always had a fancy
for stock and like to raise them. Our
farmers ought TO have the best grades Of
dairy cows and hogs, for they will be
em~barking in these enterprises more and
more. There is no immediate demand
lol iO iiV 4 buNC lClC. DuI ny
introducing them nov they will probably
be more or less adopted generally"
Upon being asked why his grain fields
were IN advance of some others, he ex-
planned:
Il got my land ready; broke it up last
June SO | could go right on to it this
season. as soon as the snow was off the
ground; took advantage Of what little
favorable weather we had in March and
April, and have now 240 acres in crop
and coming up nicely. These days of
nice growing weather are bringing the
, grain up ~splendidly. My wheat is up
four or five inches already"
"The method | ADOPT is to get the seed
in as early | can-as soon as the frost
, has loosened up a few inches; don't need
to be afraid of a little frost and snow
over it. The seed won't die. All that's
necessary is to get it well under ground,
! by means of a press drill and "a roller,
packing the earth down solid to keep
every particle Of moisture in the ground.
The mistake which | have seen some Of
our farmers making is to turn over with
the pillow the last years breaking, then
harrow it up rough. and put the seed IN
without rolling. The broken surface
allows the moisture to evaporate, just
when it is most needed. Then il the seed
is put in late the dryness Of May will
prevent the crop from getting IA fair
start"
Wheat fields and garden spots on the
brown prairies which will blossom forth
this year will be a qualification to the
sagacious ones who have long known the
productiveness of these prairies and
prophcsied their cultivation.
VIM, Bruce, contractor from Choteau,
and a force of men and teams began
work today on the Huntley coulee and
Bullhead reservoir system. There is al,
ready built, one large reservoir at Hun
tley coulee, about three miles above the
railroad reservoir, and it is the intention
Of the projectors to build two more, the
largest Of which will alone contain water
enough to irrigatc 10000 acres of land
during any ordinary season. The three
reservoirs will bo used TO feed the sys
tenn; and will contain enough water to
irrigate all tho land lying between the
coulco and Fort Benton. Fort