Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-03-06
Montana Yields OF Staple Crops a Compared With Other Sections.

In yields OF wheat rye. barley and
flax Montana leads every state in the
union in oats and potatoes oaly one
state Is ahead Of her and in bay her
yields are heavier than those OF any
eastern state. Her average wheat and
potato Yields AZ IS and iT6 bushels
per acre respectively are more than
double the average for the United
States. Az q matter OF fact many
Montana farms run 40 10 so bushels OF
wheat and $50 and 400 bushels OF po.
tatoes 10 the acre.
Senator Gibson's farm Is situated a
few miles from Great Falls In north.
western Montana. The senator grows
wheat and alfalfa but his speciality Ia
breeding fine dairy cattle. and his is
a fine type OF the highly improved
western ranch. Az much az forty
bushels Of wheat per acre, four tons OF
alfalfa. and sixty bushels Of heavy
oats are yields which have been pro.
dueed on his land. when Senator Glib
aon first moved into Montana, agricul
ture was unheafd OF. nor was II ever
thought thcre could be such a thing In
that country. last year his county Of
Cascade took the prize at the state
agricultural fair-an exhibit which
might have won prizes II II had been
In competition with the entire United
States. This year the state fair az He.
lena was one Of the most wonderful
and varied exhibits Of grains. forage
crops, vegetables and fruits which the
writer has ever Witnessed In any state.
An index Of Future Wealth.
Yet this magnificent showing OF
Montana agriculture is but an earnest
Of what is TO follow. The vast bench
lands Of the state aggregate millions of
acres Of the most inky black soil, the
grist Of the mountains. capable Of pro
dueing great crops, while irrigation.
carried oat by private enterprise and
under the great works contemplated
by the national government will bring
under extensive cultivation other mil.
lions of acres OF bottom and table
lands, rich and deep, which yield alb.
normal crops OF wheat. oats, rye, bar.
ley, alfalfa. flax, sugar beets and all
OF the vegetables and fruits Of the
temperate zone. Montana Ii not a
land OF bleak mountains and wind
swept plains its agriculture viii in
due time surprise the country.
The great rivers Of the northwest
which make up the flow Of the Mis-.
souri,, the Columbia and tho Colorado
come out OF the Rocky mountains Of
this state and her water supply Ii
enough for an empire. The govern.
ment engineers ARE working on big Ia.
rIgation projects on the MIR river. the
Yellowstone, the sun aud other rivers
capable OF adding tens OF millions an
naally to the farm products of Mon
tana The projects 1T the government
already practically decided upon Will
cost between tour and five million dol
lars one If the most promising cf
these which Senator Gibson has been
working 70 further IL oa the sun river
an important tributary Of the Nilsson
ri which empties into tina, river al
Crest Fails Cut OF the steep canyon
ioftFcsHeN az the main chain 10 the
Rockies, where gray granite and white
limestone pieree the clouds tlowiBg
eastward from the Continental divide
poays down me sun river. 4 crystal
ic> Msbing torrent, leapinr over pre-
cipttate heights ana urging through
n2frow and impaseahla eorecs 4 oula
man aftfle ANA harness sach an an
teamed bronco u the Mild western
country running ts Getce unchecked
conrfa an,l make u Do plebcan daty
% the agricultural plains and valleys
lsloWf S4cb is The plan tor three
hundred Thousand acres ot fertile des
eF7 loam await emily inc touch of fhe
san waters 60 spnhr into green. Ia
eunct vita Isle and erodattivraess
Government to curb the icy Flcod.
III The spring time WAea NE great