The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-19
WOES or MAN. WHO HUNTS A
HOUSE.
NATIVE APPLES ARE PLENTY
Trees in Valley SO Heavily Laden
With Fruit That Limbs
Need Propping. 1,

Its hard when a man has the
money and is willing to part with It
for shelter, and then be, unable to
secure what he wants, and that, too,
in a city, where supposedly n can
get anything, provided one has the
price. I've been chasing around for
days to rent a house in an eligible
locality, q house large enough to hold
me and my wife and the small jag Of
furniture that we have accumulated.
Try as / may | am unable to succeed
and much as I would dislike to do
it, I'm beginning to think that I'll
have to give up the idea Of becoming
"a citizen Of Billings and go elsewhere.
Why don't l build a home9 Why
don't you buy a gold mine and a
yacht or a railroad? I'm not a mil
lionaire, even il I am able and willing
to pay a reasonable amount of rent
for a comfortable house: Then there
are other considerations that must
be taken into account. But that is
getting away from the subject that I
started to speak Of.
''Why don't some of your rich men
take some of their money from the
bank and erect neat and comfortable
little cottages for rent, say of five or
six rooms? They would be an excel
lent investment beside helping out
your town. Not everybody has the
means to build a home and there must
always be some who will be ten
ants and pay rent. They are a neces-
sary class and if you ever expect to
make a city of Billings you must
look out and provide shelter for those
who come here and whom you want.
Taking the rentals asked as a basis
/ don't know of anything that would
pay a better rate of interestsor prove
a safer investment than houses Of
moderate cost that could be rented
to the better class of those who must
work for others, and the wonder to
me is that, some of your %far-seeing,
.shrewd business men haven't realiz-
ed this long ago."
The speaker was a recent arrival
in the city and after having relieved
himself, resumed his hunt for a house
that he could rent.
A few years ago a gentleman con-
nected with the state agricultural col
lege made the prediction that the time
was approaching when the Yellow
stone valley would be the great fruit
producing section of Montana and that
it would be shipping, among other
things, apples to the outside world.
The prediction was received with
sneers and incredulity. The profess
scr might knew some things, but he
did not know the climate of the Vel
lowstone valley. So said his critics,
that is some of them. Other men who
were modest enough to admit that
there were some things they did not
know and others who were a little
more intelligent and gave thought to
such matters believed that the man OF
learning might be right. At any rate,
they would make the experiment and
planted trees, some combining them
selves to the more hardy varieties OF
apples, while others determined upon.
experimentation on a varied and more
extensive scale. They planted plums,
peaches and berries of different kinds.
BY the exercise of a little ingenuity
and the expenditure Of labor on a
scale probably not justified by the
results obtained some of them sue
ceeded in raising the more tender
fruits, such as peaches, and demon
strated what patience and skill could
accomplish. Those who confined them
selves exclusively to- the harder
classes are beginning to receive their
reward. Visitors up the valley re-
port that never in any part OF the
country was there to be seen such a
crop of apples Is is maturing within
a few miles of the city. In many In
stances the branches are so loaded
with rich, juicy fruit that they are
breaking down under the burden and
have to be propped. Unless the fall
proves exceptionally short and kill
ing frosts make their appearance I'M
usually early this part of the valley
will have apples to sell.
The colored brother, who is famous
for his unlimited and overwhelming
fondness of the delicasy, may, be-
cause OF a generous provision OF ma
ture, be able to take larger bites. but
when il comes to a realization of the