The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-09
STOP
! AT BILLINGS
CHANGE IN ITINERARY OF GER
MAN FARMERS.
SIDE TRIP TO The pARv
Tourists Conclude They Would Rather
See Geysers Than More Farms
and Stock.

$Nr-Ha Z. TEI-"a" "|N@ ##5N .HMuaG Ft &.
IN preparing the itinerary Of the
German agriculturalists who are max
ing a tour of the United States the
man connected with the department
of agriculture at Washington seems
to have taken it for granted that the
visitors did not care anything for
sightsee ing and wished to devote the
entire time at their disposal to look
ing at farms, packing houses and
kindred institutions connected directly
or remotely with farming. For. that
reason every day that the Germans
would remain in the country was
scheduled for a visit to some place
where they might see all that the
farmers, feeders, irrigators and pack
ers of the country had to show them
that was new and different than to be
eel in the land Of the kaiser and
Francis Joseph, as all r subjects
of Germany or Austria.
The visitors, however, 1t appears,
had notions Of their own, and after
they had seen how farms are titled in
the eastern states, how hogs and cat
tie are slaughtered and packed at
Kansas City and how irrigating is
done in the southwest and far west
and they had become filled with won
der and amazement at the p%rOdigous
ways and Incompatible thrift and in
genuity of the Americans in every line
of particular interest to them, they
| concluded to see something else. Bill
ings was among the places of the most
Importance named in the itinerary
sent out from Washington, but that
made no difference to the ..ouristsl
The fact that this is the center OF
the greatest sheep feeding territory
in the world did mot appeal to them.
| Neither did they care that over on
the west side, in the Deer Lodge val
ley, much that is unusual and inter-
esting is to be seen. They cut both
out. Instead of stopping they con-
tinued on to the Yellowstone National
park. They had read and heard so much
of the way nature has in that charmed
spot of surprising and aweing poor,
insignificant man that they deemed it
would be neglecting the opportunity
of a lifetime not to stop there and
see if what they had heard was true.
They may have thought it to be
another of the marvellous inventions
of the Yankee that their Teutonic cau-
| ton and prudence had Taught them
to take it with a grain of allowance,
| but being so near they decided to take
chances and see for themselves. II
their phlegmatic natures will permit
they will probably say upon their re-
turn home that as a show place the
park excelled anything they saw on
their entire trip, even though they
may with true German practically,
| deplore the fact that SO much energy
and power cannot be utilized, instead
| of being permitted to go to waste.
So the park and not Billings and
Deer Lodge had the pleasure of filing
their minds with new thoughts and
gratifying their vision with sights
never before beheld. 1t is undoubt-
eddy true that the park contains more
natural wonders and novelties than
the Hesper or any of the other farms
which it was intended to show them
in the Yellowstone valley, but it
is unable to give them the informa-
ton they might have obtained had
they carried out the trip as planned
| for them by one CT the hired men
of the secretary of agriculture. Spe-
cial arrangements had been made by
Mr.. O'Donnell and others for their en-
| tertainment and diversion. Several
| thousand sheep were to be rounded
up and herders in their portable
houses had been kept within easy
call, so that they might drive in and
| let the foreigners see how they live
| and care for their charges, while the
feeding pens were to be shown them
/ and the manner of fattening sheep
| for the market was to be explained.
| The irrigating bitches are now all
running full and the alfalfa is about
ready for the first cutting. Then there
was to be a big dinner under the q
| of a magnificent grove, with just a
| little beer, and a drive OF several
miles over the country. But all this