The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-28
MONTANA'S FERTILE.
Irrigation by Private Cooperative
Enterprise About Billings
Proves It Thoroly.
Government to Be Interested in a
Great Project for the Yellow
stone Valley.
From a staff Correspondent.

eral w. B. Hazen returned from his trip
over Montana, following the Yellowstone,
rolling thru the country where Billings
now stands, he said In his report to the
war department, that 1t was the most I'M
promising territory he ever had visited
Speaking unofflcially, he said to his
brother officers that even the jackrabbit
when getting ready for a trip across the
great plains stretching on either side of
the Yellowstone, had to pack his grip with
food and drink. General Grant came In
later years. when the golden spike was
driven in the completion Of another great
railway enterprise. He met here several
old time Galena friends. to whom he spoke
in the most skeptical words Of the future
of the country. He thought 1t could pro-
duce absolutely nothing along agricul-
tural lines, and that it's value for grazing
was being overestimated. Standing near
the track where the golden spike was to
be driven, was small shed covered
artistically with wheat, freshly cut Grant
asked where the wheat was raised; how
far away it was from home; and what 1t
had cost to bring it to Billings. When
told that 1t was raised on farm not far
from where he was standing, he thought
1t joke. Finally he was put into a
buggy and driven out to the farm where
he saw the new stubble. I acknowledge
the wheat, if not the corn he said. II
didn't think you could do It..
I And that has been the prevailing feel
Ing regarding agriculture in Montana for
years-in fact, from the beginning. Colo
sibilities Of irrigation beyond dispute, and
were extending their irrigated territory
year after year, and producing the finest
crops ever grown west of the Missouri.
But this meant little to Montana. for the
great lines Of railway ran east and west,
and Illinois was nearer neighbor than
Colorado. The early settlers here outside
of the mining counties were stockmen,
and the state has ever since shown the
trend which they gave it.. Billings, for
instance, the seat of Yellowstone county,
one Of the richest agricultural counties n
Montana, Is at the same time the largest
primary wool market in the world, and
since 1891 has sent more than 14,ooo,Ooo
pounds OF wool to eastern centers. Agri
culture has been making Its way slowly,
but It's progress Is now to be more rapid.
Grazing is not to be abandoned wool is
still to be shipped in large quantities. but
irrigation Is to develop the small farm.
Already about $4,000 acres are under trri-
cation, for agriculture, in the rich valley
of the Yellowstone, near Billings. Next
year 1t is said that $4,000 more acres are
to be reclaimed. When the time comes for
the opening of the great Crow agency to
settlement, many thousands more of rich
land will be available for irrigation. The
country around Billings gives promise Of
supporting large population.
The Washington correspondents We're
entertained in very handsome manner
half Of last Sunday by the business men OF
Billings, at the Commercial Club rooms
There was a drive about town and over
some of the beautiful farming country.
Notwithstanding the party had seen SO
much of irrigated land since their entrance
;,,fn To1o do fho frun yoolro No
fore, and were PRETTY we'll exhausted as
the result of strenuous trip thru the
great mountain states, they manifested a
real interest here. To begin with, irri-
cation here has none of the physical diff
culties which add so heavily to it's expense
in the other arid and semiarid states
In this part Of the state, for example,
and the same condition prevails else
where owing to the liberal water supplies,
the Yellowstone gives many times as much
water as can possibly be used, even If all
the available land were put under cultiva
ton. All that the people have to do Is
to construct their bitches and turn the
water on. The process is simpler and
much less expensive than in Colorado
Utah, Idaho or Wyoming, and irrigation
here ought, therefore, to offer peculiar at
fractions.
Yellowstone Gets Minnesota Varieties.
In the rooms Of the Commercial club
were a few samples of orchard fruits,
grown in Yellowstone county, and exhib-
tied at the county fair. Minnesota may
be interested in knowing that cuttings
from that state were used in growing
the first fruit in Yellowstone county. The
names Of apples are the names SO familiar
to Mnnesotans, and among them the
Gideon appears conspicuously. For years
the Bitter Root valley thought it was
to grow the best fruit in Montana, and its
people were not long in building up a
steady market for all they could produce.
They have now a large export trade.
Yellowstone county went into the fruit
business as an experiment only a few
years ago. The first harvest was satisfac-
tory. Year after year the orchards were
carefully attended to, and now the county
grows enough fruit to supply its home de-
mand. Recently it came into competition
with the older and better-k known Bitter
Root country in fruit exhibit at local
fair, and carried away the honors. Since
then Yellowstone county has been won
dering If 1t would not be a good thing
to go into the fruit business on a larger