The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-08-16
l%RRiGATloN.
Results Of Farming on the Highlands
Of Eastern Montana,

Of Eastern Montana.
Among those who have paid atten-
ton to diversified farming in this part
of the state is DIR. w. X. Sudduth, who
in addition to being one of the largest
sheep owners in eastern Montana is
also the owner of a couple OF ranches,
one of which is at Fairview, on the
divide between the MusselsheH and
Yellowstone rivers. Because OF it's
location it is impossible to irrigate
this ranch and the doctor has given
particular attention to the matter of
the cultivation Of crops without the
aid of artificial irrigation, placing his
dependence upon the elements for the
necessary water supply Tor the propa-
cation of his crops. Consequently his
experience is of particular interest and
may be accepted as a fair criterion OF
what to expect in the way of crops
when raised under natural conditions
as they exist in this locality. The sue
cess which has attended his efforts
so far is of the kind to induce others
to enter into the venture of farming
as practiced in the east.
The doctor arrived from his ranch
yesterday, en- route to his home at
Chicago, and brought. with him several
samples Of barley, both of the beard
less and ordinary varieties, oats and
speltz, or as the latter is probably bet
ter known, goose wheat" which he
raised on unirrigated ground from
seed planted last spring on virgin soil.
The samples attracted not a little at
, tention from those familiar with farm
ing and were pronounced the equal OF
: any produced from soil having the
benefit of irrigation. Until last spring
} the ground on which they were rails.
4 ed had never felt the influence OF pillow
! or other form of cultivation, having
2 been prairie. The breaking was OF
the ordinary sort and after it's com
t pletion a revolving harrow, or disc
! was employed to cut up the sod, after
which the seed was sown and harrow
ed. The results attained surprised
t even the owner, IS it, was reasonable
/ to expect only a small crop, owing tt
e the aridity of the soil and the grea
evaporation which is always a feature
of new soil. The planting having beef
S done for the purpose of testing thu
S a%daptability of the soil for feed rails
n ing purposes, no attention was pait
It to the yield per acre in actual grain
e as the product was harvested Will
still in the milk and cured the sam
as hay. In order, however, to secur
e knowledge as to the yield a small 10
l. of each grain was permitted to STAN
5 and mature and which will be harvest
o ed later on. Judging from the appear
ance of the earlier cutting, the docto
o is confident that the results will b.
more than satisfactory.
e To more thoroughly test the capac
ity of the soil and to gain furthe
n knowledge, the doctor has determine
= to adopt the plan which obtains t
$ a. large extent in North Dakota an
also in the Gallatin valley, this state
$ and has left instructions to pillow
e section of his ranch this fall and see
IS it to barley of the beardless variety
h which will be harvested for it's grain
If his experiments so far having bee
h confined to the production of graf
it hay. While the present may be re
garded as an exceptionally favorabl
IS season because of the generous rail-
IS falls, the doctor is of the opinion tina
the conditions which attended his e2
periments may be considered as
1t fair sample of the normal, owing t
is the nature Of the soil which he Gu
is tivated. The greater dryness OF tn
sod, he thinks, more than offset tn
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