The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-10
PRETTY AS A PICTURE
Plains Valley With It's Following
Wheat a Marvel of Beauty.
CROP Is WELL HARVESTED
Corn Grows Rank. Potatoes Are Thrifty,
Squashes Are Promising and Garden
Sass Is Immense-The Town Of
Plains Growing Rapidly

Plains, Mont, Aug. S.--If painter
were to seek for years for a subject to
illustrate the theme Plenty" he could
not find a better one than the picture
that one beholds as he stands upon one
of the high points that overlook Plains
valley. Below him would stretch the
large acreage of wheat land, now yell
lowing in the sun, portions of it already
dotted with shocks of harvested grain.
Beyond the wheat land he would see
the belt of oats that fills the lower land
toward the river, and here and there he
would see fine fields of hay land. Scores
of handsome ranch houses are scattered
among the fields, and each of these has
its large garden and its thrifty orchard.
On the bench land above this area the
cattle feed on the rich bunch grass and
in the pastures that the farmers have
fenced near their homes are sleek fat
tened beef creatures ready for the mar
ket and choice cattle of the dairy herds.
The grain harvest is now in full swing
all over the valley and the tall, yellow
grain is rapidly falling before the reap
high in every field. 1t is the farmers
busy day and he has little time to talk
about anything. If he does stop to tell
you anything, it will be to say that his
crop of grain and hay this year is the
biggest that he ever raised. If the
painter reproduced this scene, he would
not need to place the title beneath
his painting. 1t would be recognized at
once and nobody would criticise his
choice of a subject.
This has been a perfect year for the
farmers of this section. They We're
worried little for a while when the
season opened up so slowly and they
had a slight attack of anxiety later in
the season when the water in the river
hung for so long close to the danger
point, but these troubles were of short
duration. When the season did get
opened it rushed along so fast that it
kept everybody on the jump to keep
pace with it. The water never did quite
reach the danger point, but continued
high enough for weeks to make up for
the lack of rain. The valley has been
well watered despite the fact that the
rainfall has been so light this summer,
and the crops that now fill the valley
are evidence of the fact that it has
been a good year. The wheat crop is
now well harvested and in few days
the thrashing will be ready to begin.
crop of hay is now stored in barns, in
sheds and in stacks. This crop is re-
markedly heavy this season and the
farmers are anticipating a big profit
from hay this year, owing to the re-
ported scarcity in other districts. There
are but few farms here that will not
make a record for themselves this year.
There is no time for anybody to find
fault with the weather or with his
neighbors. He is making hay, and that
is enough for him.
The splendid reputation that Plains
wheat has made for itself in past years
promises to be outdone this season.
The yield is so great and the quality
of the wheat is so fine that it is conf
IDENTIFY predicted that the Al wheat of
80 will establish a new standard. and
there is so much of 1t that the crop will
bring into this valley a lot of money.
The farmers of this valley are among
the first to accept the advice of the
flour men and to plant the hard wheat.
They have profited by the change from
the old variety and now their wheat
commands the top price of the market.
Its quality is pronounced by those eX-
pertS who have tested and examined
it to be the very best. There is no wheat
grown that eXcels it, and the farmers
here are justly proud of the record
that their valley has made. AS one
of Plains and looks out toward the river
where it sweeps around the valley, en-
closing it in almost a complete circle,
he sees nothing but wheat. For miles
in each direction in front and on each
side of him, the golden sea stretches
out. The oats are beyond and are hid
den, so that all he sees is wheat. AS
the visitor drives through the valley
on any of the numerous roads that
lead through it. he travels between
these fields of wheat and he wonders
what will be done with it all. But the
farmer does not worry about that. He
knows that he has first class wheat
and that it will be in demand.
One of the pleasantest impress
sions that the visitor receives
of this valley as he drives
about is from the fine gardens
that the farmers have near their homes.
Corn grows rank and tall, potatoes are
thrifty and not too toppy, squashes and
melons are promising, there are tons
of turnips. beets and other roots, long
rows of currant and berry bushes at
tract the eye and tempt the palate.
Then at each farm headquarters the
visitor will see pens of swine. paddocks
of sheep, a bunch of beef cattle and
poultry galore. 1t looks more like farm
ing than anything that the traveller
sees elsewhere here in the West AS one
of the prominent farmers of this valley
said to a Standard man to-day, 1T has
reached that point when we have found
that it pays to keep everything that we
can feed. We support ourselves from
our farms in this way and do not go to
the store for anything that we can pro-
duce on the farm" This is the theory
that has been advocated for a lOag
time among the leading farmers, and
the manner in which it has been ap-
piled here demonstrates that il is the
right plan. The Plains farmers could
give a fall fair of their own and have
every department well represented
Here the plan of diversified farming is
as Well illustrated as it can be any
where.
Here is an instance of what one
farmer has done this season with what
was practically waste material. This
was last fall and this spring inspection
station for sheep coming into the state
from the West. This farmer picked up
for a nominal sum a bunch of about 30
sheep that We're crippled in transit and
could not be taken further on the way