The Taney County republican., 1905-05-11

the Crow reservation i opened 1here
will be no mad scram bic, no confusion,
no hardships. The nomesieader will
merely DC required to register fii- name
and Gle his application At the govern
ment land Office, which will ~ opened
in Billings about three weeks ahead o!
the opening, and await the result 0!
the drawing which decides who gets
the prizes. II be 10 fortunate enough
to get what be il after he will have
time 70 arrange his affairs before NOV
ing to his place. y homestead con
sisis Of lG0 acres 81 land, and the
hOmesteader must pay dollar an acre
down. and the balance, three dOilar=
an acre, 10 three year. II he gets an
irrigated farm he must
in addition TO this stand his share
Of keeping the ditch in repair, Uncle
Sam paying for the building Of the
ditches. Well informed Montana men
asser; that irrigated land will be worth
$50 an acre and upward- within iew
year.. To the farmer who II accus-
toned to cultivaling al eighty" or "a
quarter and has had little expert.
ence in what Is known in the northwest
as intensive farming. the raising ~
alfalfa offer the greatest induce.
ments. Under ordinary conditions three
crops can be raised each year, and
stock can be turned on the siubyie after
the third cutting. There II a ready
market for the product among sheep
men, wbO buy II il the stack and win
ter their stock On the ground. The
price runs from 1850 TO s. a ton in the
stack, and six tons il All average yield.
Though Uncle sam II going into
irrigation on larger scale than al!
body else. private enterprise pointed
the way and private individuals have
the right 10 take out water by fulfilling
the iegali requirements. Private en-
terpri-c has already done much for
the reclamation Of the northwest
Within radius OF twenty-five miles Of
Billings are seven irrigating cauai-
aggrcgating over two hundred miles
and watering over one hundred thOu--
and acres Of land The largest 0i these
il 80 miles long. II pierces blua JvJ
feet high with tunnel through solid
rock FOR l.OO feet, leaps over chasin
Uu 5000 foot nume and waters 5000
acres Of the upper portion Of Bli!iDga
fats The lower portion Df this strip
/ lies within the cedcd strip Ot the rps.
ervation, aud here the government viii
construct it, first canal, rcclaimir2 .,
900 acre. OF land. Tho crops from the
small portion oi this reservation al
ready under cultivation have been
enormous, and have proven that il !.
adapted to general farming, and cs
pecially 10 fruitgrOwinC.
Along the YELLOWSTONE river FOR 81,
miles are dozens Of smaller Citchc- and
land il still comparatively cheap
Nothing has been done TO exploit tie
country, the railroads having preferred
TO direct their powerful Influence 10
wards the settlement 81 the Pugc
Sound country and other remote rec
tiOns. Eastern Montana and northern
Wyoming are today the last Of the ole
frontier. For year, thousands Gi -et
tiers have passed through hundreds -
miles Of valleys more fertile than thCs'
at their Journey end on the coast
Private enterprise has deHOn-trateC
the feasibility o. irrigation 10 This
section, and now Uncle Sam will com
plete the work. The settlement Of th'
reservation will open the eyes Oi thr
cast to the fact that here lies vast
undcyelOpcd domain destined ~ be
come the agricultural stronghold 81 tb'
nation. The frontier town, Of icH
years ago are already putting on caster
airs and graces. In Billings, The trad
ing ccntcrsof region ball ~ large 81
Missouri, new enterprises that few
year. ago would have been laughed
down H. the vagaries Of schcmin.
promoter are gaining ready support
The hOmesteader will lind a cOuBtrl
: bristling with enterprise and inspired
. by the desire TO get ahead. While th'
, ceded strip is only fraction Of lh'
> great Indian reservation, it, se,tlemen
, and development IL bound 10 have IL
, effect on future land Legislation, AM
the remaining portion will not long b
: withheld from settlement.
RICHMOND.