Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-08-31

ed that would come under the ditch.
He knew It would pay him to do that.
He believed IL would pay to put the
water on the land even If IL cost
more than that, but he did not believe
that IL would cost more.
I. l.. Brady was called upon and
stated that he did not believe that
a man could make a living ON 100
acres in this country unless it was
under irrigation. He was not par
ticularly enthusiastic about farming
hereabouts. and while he believed
that eventually a very large part of
this country would be- irrigated the
stock industry was The best here now
and that should he encouraged. The
markets for other products we're poor.
So far as the land laws were concern
ed he believed thar they should be
left inst as they were. The desert
land law was a good thing. he
thought.
Senator Gibson was asked to say
something, and he spoke in his usual
enthusiastic manner about the posi-
bilities for farming in Montana. He
said that the markets here were good.
That farmers haG got bigger prices
for their grain and other agricultural
products than in Minnesota or the Da-
kotas. That the Royal mill here had
done a great deal 10 build up grain
growing in this noighborhood. and he
believed that il had treated the farm
ers al least fairly. AS a matter OF
TACT the principal source of growth
and prosperity for Great Falls lay in
the farming industry. II had been
growing constantly for the last two
years. and he appealed To Mr.. Strain
10 say whether il was a fact that the
trade of the farmers was not more adj
vantageous to the merchants of this
city than the trade that came from
the smelter. IL used 10 he said that
farmers could not make a living on
the bench lands In Cascade county.
after year. with only a very exception
al failure from lack of moisture, like
the present year. was profitable land
to till. He predicted the time would
come when great stretches of land
that are now thought 10 be only use.
full for grazing would be growing mag
nifcent crops. His views on the land
laws were so well known that he
would 10 take up the time of the
meeting with them.
X. y. Sutherlin spoke about his ex.
pericnce in the Smith River valley
That was all taken up by big stock
men. a ranch of 10000 acres being a
small n These stockmen had done
well, but the result was that there
was very little settlement in the val.
ley. the towns had dwindled down,
and as all the land was now taken up
there was no further chance for set
tiers. He was a firm believer in small
farms. and he thought that the Nor,
thern Pacific railway company had
made a great mistake in selling its
land. IL had sold it in large tracts
but he believed that If il had given
the land away in small parcels, with
the stipulation that IL must be i'm,
proved. thar the revenues 10 the road
would be far in excess of the amount
il received direct from the sale of the
land. He was an advocate of irriga
ton. and while he knew that in some
parts of Cascade. Fergus and Tetor
counties crops were growing wei
without irrigation. that he believed
that on these small lands the yielt
would be increased by ten bushel.
per acre through irrigation.
Ira Myers spoke enthusiasticall,
about the advantage of small farms
When he came To this country stool
had been about the only thing. ant
he himself had regarded the cattle
men as entitled 10 about all that Their,
was in the state. But Of late year.
he had changed his views very ma
terially, He believed that if the coun
try was going TO be built up and b,
prosperous we must have small farms
and the government should do wha
ii can to encourage this.
I. f. Collins also spoke of the ad
vantage of small farms. and he ven
tured the prediction that in twent,
years from now the opinion would b,
quite general that the government ha,
made the farms too large when 1
gave TO each man 100 acres. He re
ferred TO the Cache valley in Utah
He had gone through there man,
years ago when the land was divide,
up into large tracts, but now the farms
there were very small. Forty acre,
was a very large one. and there wer,
many of only two or three acres il
extent. TIL opinion there used TO b,
that a man could not make a Twin,
on less than 100 acres. but experienc,
had shown the folly of that belief.
After the formal meeting close,
thase present remained some time II
conversation with the visitors regard
ing the objects of their visit.
How's This?