The Anaconda standard., 1895-04-14
CULTIVATE FLAX SEED
What Director Emery Of the EXp,ri-
mental Station Says on the Subj,C,.
BIG TIMBER WOOL GROWERS
Yellowstone Honey May Soon Be
on the Market-BiIlIngs' Enter
prIsing Men Who Hope to
Erect an Opera House.
Special Correspondence of the Standard.

opeclai correspondence OF the Standard.
BILLINGS. April 12.-The A. L, Babcock
Hardware company, of which our popular
senator is the head, recently imported q
large quantity of fax seed and seed bar
ley. which they will give out to the farm
ers on easy terms. The farmers are pre-
pairing to cultivate a fair portion of their
land to these crops, which always COM
mand a ready cash market. and the Bah
cock company offers to buy all that is
produced, and. II sufficient fax Is pro-
duced to justify il, to put up a flax mill.
In an article in the Billings Times on the
subject of flax culture Director Emery, of
the United States experiment station at
Bozeman, who is thoroughly conversant
with the subject, says:
The Montana farmer must seek the
production of relatively high priced COM
modites that can better afford trauspor-
tation than the ordinary low priced grains.
Such an one is flax, which Is seldom
quoted ut a less rate per bushel of 90
pounds than 81, or at the rate OF si.66 per
100 pounds. which would allow the Mon
tana farmer. less freight. net price of
S1.23 per 100 pounds, provided the same
freight rate obtained that is now charged,
43 cents per 100 pounds.
"As n matter of fact. lax has COM
manded a price of $l.40 per bushel or
S2.23 per 100 pounds, during the past II
months, which would allow, less freight,
net Si.90 per 100 pounds.
"What yield may be expected in Mon
tana? We have to expect the same adj
ded increase in yield, for this, that we re-
ceive in other grain crops.
The average crop in the great flax
producing states, is 13 bushel per acre.
We have figures of flax crops in Gallatin
county ranging from Is bushels without
irrigation, to 30 bushels under irrigation.
while Cetlin Bros. in Meagher county
had more than 40 bushels per acre under
irrigation.
"ln the event of n flax mill being erected
within the state, il will be the very best
crop the farmer can grow. There is uu-
doubtedly n sufficient market within tho
state for the manufactured products OF
flax. and in addition to the cash paid the
farmer for the raw material. there will be
retained within the state, large per cent.
of tho cash sent out, for the finished
products would be kept at home.
again thooil cake will 10 n very valu.
able adjunct to the stock feeder, the
dairyman and the breeder of fine horses.
No other food can put the gloss aud finish
upon fat stock or driving horses that oil
cake does"
The wool growers about Big Timber
propose to follow the example of the
Billings wool growers in having certain
stated days in the week during the season
on which only they will sell their wool.
The wool growers who ship from Billings
will mako Mondays and Tuesdays their
market days, while Big Timber will re-
serve for the same purpose Thursdays
and Fridays. IL 10 thought this method
of selling wool will bring more buyers to
these towns, rs they will always be- cer-
tain to find large quantities of wool to
pick from. Freight Agent Moore of the
Northern Pacific is expected here next
week to confer with the committee of the
wool growers with regard to freight rates.
1t is expected that both the Northern Pa
ciflc and Burlington will concede n mate
rial reduction of rates.
The production of honey may some day
prove an important item in the Yellow
stone valley, though the business Is yet In
its infancy. Several of our farmers have
experimented with bees in n small way
but with marked success, and n number
of others will take IL up. B. b. Brock
way, who exhibited some very fine SAM
Piles of Montana honey at the Yellowstone
tOuhAS Aast fSpCfto ahAt bSGs
are doing we'll. He believes that the bus
mess can be followed advantageously in
the Yellowstone valley. The more our
farmers diversity their productions the
sooner will they be in independent cir
cumstances.
The want of hall for public entertain
ments has long been felt here, and the
court house and any chance vacant store
have been utilized with more or less,
chiefly less, satisfaction. Hon. Chris
Yegen. when I'm Helena attending the ses-
sion of the legislature, had an architect
prepare plans for n neat and commodious
opera house. the building OF which he
hopes to have begun tins summer. He IL
willing to take a good share of stock him
self and will endeavor TO interest our
local business men in the matter. A. T..
Ross with commendable enterprise Is en-
deavoring to rent building to be fitted
up temporarily for the accommodation of
such troupes as may desire TO show IN
Billings.
Douwla.s Estae