The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-09-10
DIR. suDDuTH TELLS OF GREAT
WORK AT THE eRoADvlEw
FARM.
IMMENSE YIELDS
VIII Break Large Tract 81 Land T.,is
Fa.! and Winter With Steam Plow
for Wheat-coIony to Locate on the
Nonllrrisated Lands Of that Sec
tion.


ton.
DIR. w, x. sudduth, proprietor Of the
Broadview farm, located some 20-odd
miles north Of Billings. was in the
city yesterday, and while here gave
out an interview as to the farming
situation In that locality from a non
irrigated standpoint.
1The crops in the locality of the
Broadview ranch and on that place
we're highly successful and contrary
to the general idea were not caused
by excessive precipitation" said Dr.
Sudduth. sThe actual rainfall for
the first six months, according to the
readings of the government 1nsrru-
ments, which are located on the farm,
was LOG inches, which insured the
small grain crop during which time
wheat and other cereals filled The
precipitation was deficient in some
parts of the state and was very un-
even. The government report for
Billings showed 1.21 inches The rain
fail during June being less than oc-
CURED during that time one year ago.
Con Poverty Flat, Just across the
lower bridge, on Mr.. Hoes ranch,
crops were raised that are as fine
as could be found anywhere, which
consisted of oats, wheat, barley, sod
corn and all kinds of garden truck,
which made an excellent yield. The
sod on this ranch was only turned
over two years ago and the crops
were raised without irrigation, as the
ground lies above the ditch and also
above the river.
"The exhibit made in the Billings
Land & Irrigation company's Office
and also in Austin North's office, were
all raised at the Broadview expert
rent station without irrigation and
cover p wide range Of produce as peas.
beans. lettuce, onions, radishes, cab
bage, tomatoes. squash, beets, car
rots, parsnips. turnips and potatoes
have made excellent yields and while
not remarkable for size, the flavor and
quality are better than from vegetables
produced under irrigation, while the
flavor to the potatoes was of a finer
quality than those raised in the fam
GUS Greedy, Col, district where non.
irrigated potatoes bring from one-half
cent to a cent more than those raised
by irrigation. This may also be ap-
piled to the grains raised above the
ditch and while they do not yield the
quantity, the vitality and quality are
so much greater that 1t makes up for
the lessened Yield.
Another point in favor of unirri-
gated land is to be found in the les
sened expense There are no bitches
to keep up, no irrigators to hire and
It as an open question Of whether
farming on non-irrigated lands is not
a better proposition than that Of irri-
gated lands when attempted on q large
scale. Eighty acres OF irrigated land
are the most that any one man can
handle and make the most OF It, while
with the unlrrigated lands large tracts
can be handled. especially IL they are
sown to small grains and alfalfa
ssThie years yield Of alfalfa at the
Broadview farm consisted Of one and
one-half tons per acre for the first cut
ting, with fully ton for the second.
The third portion was left for seed
purposes and Is setting a heavy crop,
which win be threshsd and reports
made on the yield at a later date. We
have broken 500 acres of land this year
and after growing two or three crops
and Just as soon as the wild nature
is killed out we will SOW alfalfa, some
of which will be drilled in rows. three
and one-half feet apart. so as to permit
of cultivation one season out OF three.
During the other two years grain
will be drilled in between the rows
and the whole crop cut together, while
the alfalfa seed win be separated from
the zNSsin In the mill. By this method
OF ktsAdling the alfalfa viii be used as
an inter.tillage crop, getting one crop
of alfalfa alone and two crops OF
grain and alfalfa together. Without
an inter-tillage crop OF some kind 1t
wculd be necessary to leave the land
lie failow at least one year In three.
which would entail a loss Of SO per
cent of the use of the land
I'VE have recently completed
threshing ON the Broadview station
with very satisfactory results. Cats
gave a yield Of SIS bushels per acre,
blue stem and red chaff wheat. az
bushels each per acre: or Speltz, 81
bushels; barley and macaroni wheat,
SO bushels each. The threshing ma
chine has been moved TO the Brings
bench, where we will do considerable