The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-03-27
DRY FARMING IN MONTANA.

"A Oulletlo prepared Oy DlrectOr r.
B. Linfield and Professor Atkinson,
agronomist, of the Montana expert
ment station at Bozeman, contains a
great deal of valuable information as
to dry land farms as it is in reality a
history Of dry land experiment station
work in various sections of the state.
This bulletin, which is listed as No.
63, can be procured by writing to the
experiment station. In the %introduc.
tory Director Linield says:
Montana is the third largest state
of the union, with an extreme length
along the Canadian border OF about
$40 miles and an extreme width, north
and south, of about 300 niles, with an
are perhaps of las, $40 square miles
or about 90, 99S, 400 acres. OF this
area perhaps $4,000, 900 to $1,000, 900
acres are classed as mountain and
forest land and about II ,345, 900 acres
of this is forest reserves. About 49,
600 900 to As, 600, 600 acres in the state
may be classed as grazing lands-that
is, lands too rough or toe rocky to be
cultivated yet capable of producing
good range grass for pasture. The
remaining $1,000, 600 to 80, 900, 900
acres may be classed as farming land
areas which are comparatively level
with a soil rich and deep enough to be
cultivated. 1t is probable, however,
that because of the lack of portable
water and because in many districts
the farming land is limited lin area,
million acres will be avail able for dry
land cropping.
The result is to yet leave nearly two
thirds of the area of the state as graz
ing lands, and the income from this
large area will continue to be, in the
future as in the past, livestock and
livestock products. 1t is becoming
recognized by all our stockmen that
the days of the free open range, the
days of the large livestock holdings
are passing away.C1n those passing
days there was little or no investm ent
beyond the investment in cattle or
sheep. No provision vas made against
a dry season or a hard winter. If ev.
erything was favorable the profits were
large, but with adverse conditions the
losses were also very large-it was
risky business.
We are coming to the time when the
range will have to be handled on an.
other basis and the dry land methods
OF soil guilty alton are going to help
solve the range problems and help to
put the range stock business on a safe
and conserv alive basis. The profits
may not be as large but the losses
may be very largely eliminated. The
dry land farm in goings to provide
winter quarters and winter feed for
the livestock of the range and provide
this feed where the stock is, right out
on the range. The largest amount OF
success on these dry farms will come
to those who make livestock the main
market crop Of their farms, the ad'
joining range providing the summer
aud the farm, the winter feed.
1t is perhaps worthy of note that In
some thirteen years residence in the
arid west the writer has had an Op'
portunity to visit nearly all the states
making up this part of the country
1t would appear that, on the average
Montana has a heavier sod and {
better growth of grasses than any o
the states to the south. This very fin
growth of natural vegetation has bee,
frequently commented on by men Wit
have visited US, especially those from
Utah and Idaho.
The inauguration of the work ha
been fraught with many discourage
ments. In some places where "
planned the work to do there were n
settlers and men and teams had to b
hired and farm equipment purchaser
to carry On the experiments. At al
of the the places it has been Difficult
to get the work done as SATISFACTORY
as we would like. In view of thes
facts this is but q report OF promis
and progress, and we must wait fO
the accumulation of data for SON
years before we can hope to reac
satisfactory and conclusive result
In this report We aim to show why v
think this line of experiments is in
portant, to show what our future pla,
along this line are, and what are Il
results of our start.
Prof. Atkinson takes up the subje
Of "Dry Farming Principles al
Practice" He shows how necessal
it is to preserve the moisture in Il
ground and says that the way moi
ture may be held 10 by continued CT
tiv alton of the surface soil.
WILL DEVELOP THE WEST.