The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-15

things ii cannot be expected to bring
the money that it has in 1897. There IS
no apparent reason why barley Iaay not
be expected to command as good a
price as in 1897. On general principles,
it is not safe To have ones eggs all in
the same basket The first principles of
good farming demand a diverSification
of crops. Such can be grown at less eX-
penSe than a single crop. The seed
time the irrigating time. and the har-
vest time. all vary with the different
crops. and one is lengthening his labor
season by having a variety OF crops,
and in the matter Of their returns,
what one loses on their goldfish Is
made M on the mackerel, is an old
and wise saying Of the shreWd old
down-easterner. Again the soil must
not be continuously cropped to the
same grain. nature rebels at such
treatment. There must be change and
variety and opportunity for racupera-
tion of exhausted properties, else crop
failures result Until the Galatin val
ley begins systematic diVcrsification,
not only Of grain, root and hay crops,
but of inside pasturing Of flocks and
herds, Ii is going to he difficult To
maintain its long time soil fertility. A
temporary device is that of summer
following. but this appears to be a ter
rible waste Of time and land. and as
the population becomes denser must
be abandoned. 1t is III the hopes Of
making out some ideas that may be
valuable to the Montana farmers, that
a six-year system of crop rotation has
been inaugurated on .he experiment
station farm. This is made M Of the
three principal grain crops for the val
ley, wheat, harley and oats. these be
ing sandwiched between clover, sugar
beets and field peas in the order nam
ed. \ crop was grown in 1897, ~ acre
plats, and in seven years unless the
experiment is changed. the same crops
will be found on the same plats they
We're on in 1897, ana the experiment be
completed. 1t Ii proposed to set up bull
letin boards in each of these acre plats.
on which will be painted the history Of
the experiment, so that all ina passing
can read for themselves the results of
continuous farming when rotation
crops Is practiced. OF course, no ma
nure will be applied to any Of the
land during this period, and while it
will be titled. the aim viii be to con-
form to good farm methods, such as
should be practiced by all farmers. II
1t is possible to show a yield in 1899. as
good as that Of 1897, 1t viii be safe To
assume that the necessity Of summer
following does not exist IN the Gala
tin valley. and If this be done it will
result substantially in adding to the
farm lands in this valley alone, third
more land, as II is estimated that fully
one-third of the cultivated acreage of
the Gallatin valley is summer falloWed
each year Thus, had the farmers a
net income this season third larger
than they did realize, they would in
deed have been rich. This experiment
carried to its logical conclusion has
great promise Of value, and Will be a
constant source of interest to the in
telligent man who will follow II each
year and not the results. The results
Of the 1897 crop will appear in the
fourth annual report Of the Montana
station. which Will be issued
now and Feb. |, 1898. one 81
the crops was a surprise, the clover
crop. This yielded $500 pounds Of green
clover which under two days Of hot
sun well dried shrank 70 1880 pounds
Of cured clover hay. 1t no doubt would
not be good farm practice tn pillow up
clover meadows at the end of the first
season. Two or three crops should
certainly be cut before turning over,
but III ii can be proved that a clover
the powerful stimulus to vegetation
that we believe Ii to be, 1t Will be one
way of solving continuous cultivation
without resting. as under favorable
conditions of early seeding and twice
irrigating ii will be found possible To
grow clover with a grain crop, and by
after cutting that the after
math of clover after harvest will be
sufficiently developed as To become a
valuable fertilizer To the ensuing crop.
IL may he of interest to know that this
single acre of clever Is the first that has
been produced at the station farm,
grown singly and without Il nurse
crop. Also that either clover, alfalfa or
alsika has been grown each season with
u nurse crop Of wheat oats or barley.
and that In only ore Instance has the
stand been a failure; that occurred in
1897 in barley that received hui one ir
rigation. II is thought that had the
barley been twice irrigated the stand
would have been all that was desired.
In all rotation crops the legumes fclo-
yer. alfalfa, alsika or field neasl must
take prominent part. and their value ON
the farm when fed 10 live stock cannot
be 0Nerestimated.
The delquent tax list FOR the year
1897 Is lower than II has been for
many years past ON Saturday last the
amount collected by the county trea-
surer amounted 10 Sl15. 5S412. leaving
balance of sa.0l7.1n yet To be collected
most of which is due from the Northern
Pacific Railroad company and the West
GaIlatin Canal company. The several
amounts collected are as follows: state.
S14 72s53. indemnity, Sll1.a2: bounty,
81 466. 80: detective. Si41.nS, sheep. S20.63;
S5i. 95s.10: state school. ETC.,
$40. S5642, making total of $lls.3s9.42
Of this amount s. ,0aa64 being old taxes.
The prosperous year has had telling
effect on the farmers. who. in many
instances. have paid off the larger por-
ton Of their mortgage Indebtedness,
and have also been able to satisfy the
demands OF the county treasurer with
less grumblng