The Havre herald., 1907-11-29
CONRAD DISTRICT
PROSPEROUS

W. 6. Conrad, who has Just re-
turned from visit Id Conrad, where
he shipped over 500 head OF very
choice steers, reports ;nct the shipping
of cattle is practically oYer this sea
son, although he ae has about 700
head of beet cattle LETT 4, his Dascu1 g
which he may ship later il the market
conditions Justify it, says the Great
Falls tribune. He is extremely we'll
pleased with tho agricultural condt-
lions around Conrad this year
Joe Helms, whose land lies about
three miles from Conrad, is new
threshing MS crops. He has about
$4,000 bushels Of grain this year, aud
Is farming On q large scale, owning
his steam pioW, which turns over a
bout 30 acres per Gay and his own
threshing outfit He has field Of
800 acres Of winter wheat, which is
now five or six inches high, and MT
Conrad says It is one Of the prettiest
sights he has ever seen In Montana
in the way Of verdure at this time Of
the year.
One rancher is now threshiag a
crop of oats that goes about 80 hush
els to the acre, This crop was not
planted until between July and S,
and Mr.. Conrad accounts for the suc-
cessful crop planted SO late by the
fact that the altitude at Conrad is
1900 fee, lower than the Gallatin val
ley, and only about zoo feet lower
than at Salt Lake.
Mr.. Conrad. is also greatly pleased
with the progress made ON his new
dam. They have gone down to bed
rock in its construction and plan to
build it at least so feet high. This
will hold body OF water covering
5000 acres, so feet deep in its deep
est portions and will furnish suffi-
cient water TO irrigate at least 150,-
600 acres Of land, There is already
sufficient water in this natural lake
Or reservoir to irrigate tabout 10000
acres, and with the accunlulations be-
tween now and the time the water is
needed, Mr.. Conrad is confident it will
be filled 10 its fullest capacity. i'ney
workmen and their hroses so that the
are building houses and sheds for the
Workmen and their horses so that
the construction work can be contiu-
ped all winter.
Mr.. Conrad hopes soon to arrange
matters SO that sugar beet plant
will be constructed at Conrad, which
will make the land. in that section
still more valuabl than it now is, and
that is going some, surely, for many
of the ranchers this year in the vi
cinity of Conrad have cleared about
$35 an acre on their grain crops Con
sidering that their land and a per
petual water right cost them about
500 an acre DON the average, it is
hardly necessary to comment on
north Montana irrigated land from an
investment point of view. However,
Mr.. Conrad firmly believes that the
raising Of sugar beets, where a near
by market is ready to take them, is
still more profitable than are grain
crops. In this connection a recent
Billings dispatch thus describes the
crop returns from sugar beets real
iZed by the ranchers of that section:
Work of harvesting the immense
crop Of sugar beets which was raised
during the season just passed in the
Yellowstone valley is rapidly nearing
completion, and it is believed that the
end of the present month will see the
entire crop within the yards of the
sugar factory The crop has been a
record breaker, the average yield hav-
ing been about 20 tons to the acre |
The price received for the beets at
the factory is S. per ton, and the av-
erage price yield per acre for growing
and delivering the crop with Aineri-
can labor is approximately $50 an "a
ere, leaving the net profit to the grow
er of $50 an acre, almost, and in many
instances the entire cost of the land