The Western news. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1890-1977, 1906-10-24
A GREAT YEAR FOR
FARMERS
j. e. MORSE OF DILLON SAYS THE
DEElAND FOR HAY AND GRAIN
WILL BE STRONG.

nized as the leading grain raiser of
Montana, predicts a great future for
all the hdymakers and irrigationists.
To Helena Independent reporter he
| said:
The state is aprroa ching an era of
prosperity which has never been
dreamed of, and the farmers will sure
ly reap benefit in The time which is
| slowly coming onward. Within anoth-
er six months we will see the tide in
thousands of men will be working in
every section of the state to help swell
the prosperity.
Much of this prosperity is due to
the railroad extensions which are
| sch heduled for Montana and are an ac-
| tual realization. Particularly | refer
| to the extension of the Milwaukee sys-
| tc III across the state, entering at the
southeastern corner and continuing
through the central part of Montana,
| being almost constantly within 'strik-
| ing distance of the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific and still never
| touching them save where the geogra-
| ph y of the country brings them close
| together in unavoidable passe S, and
| leaving the state finally where the
Mort hern Pacific, by a branch line,
parallels the new route through one of
the best tim bered sections of the west,
| Il want to appeal to the producing
| farmers and haymakcrs of the state.
| Within few months there will be e.
tween 5000 and 10000 teams working
upon the various enterprises planned
for Montana. This will mean from
| 10000 to 20 ,0O0 horses engaged in de
veloplng the resources of the Treasure
state. Did it ever occur to you how
these horses will have to be FED? They
can not work without eating and tf1e
| farmers and hayraisers of Montana
surely have the situation in their own
| hands. The sinews which are back of
these great enterprises-the develop
ment of the various irrigation enter
| prises of the government, the cXten-
sion of the Milwaukee system and the
come citing link of the Great Northern
| from Billings to Great Falls-are all
dependent upon horsetlesh aud horse
| flesh has to be fed if it will do good
work Right here is where the farmer
comes in. 1t is imperatively necessary
that the dumb brutes which toll so
faithfully be fed and be we'll fed at
that Grain and hay will be required
in unlimited quantities. and as near as
/ can understand, millions of pounds
of grain and hay will have to be inn
ported from the east before this de-
mand can be fulfilled.
"There is considerable difference be-
tween the product of the east and that
of the west as far as grains are con-
cerned. In the east the standard bush
ell weighs 32 pounds; in Montana it is
from AZ to so pounds, showing our SUI
periority in terms that can not be dis
puted. Already, l am told, ranch
|, men of the Bitter Root section, d re-
gion where there will soon be great
railroad development, have been SELL
r ing grain at 81 hundredweight. This
: is worse than foolish, and I would ad-
! wise every ranchman in the state. to
: get grip on himself and await devel-
: opments. There is no need to sell at
: the present time. With 10000 teams
Y working in the state the demand will
r be unprecedented in the history OF the
t state. The price will he regulated by
!. the price in the east, plus the freight
I. rates. There is no place in the entire
Union which can equal Montana for
the quality of its grains. 1t can beat
Nebraska and others of the states
nearby by Is per cent and it can excel
the Dakotas by nearly SO per cent, for
that sister state raises more than one
bushel OF oats which will weigh %
pounds, against the 48 and so pounds
raised on the ranches Of Montada.
predict great times for the ranchmen
of Montana during the coming six
: months and its limit will only be ex-
celled by the quantity of the products
which will be harvested during the
next few weeks.'
Mr.. Morse is the owner of the IA
= nous Birch Creek farm, which on an
s. average produces 100000 bushels of
d oats every year. During the past few
s years considerable amount of this
e product has been marketed in other
n states, many carloads of oats going to
y Idaho and Utah last year, to be used
r for seeding purposes, and every time
the price received was top one.