Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1908-04-23


requiring settlement and cultivation. ,
This quotation sets forth reasons,
and the only reasons, why we have
not been pushing the sale of our lands,
and we are satisfied that everyone in
terested in the substantial develop
ment of the state will appreciate that
they were good reasons and for the
best interests of all concerned.
The dry land farming experiments
have been conducted by the state ex-
pertinent station, the railway company
paying the major part of the expen-
ses, for the three seasons of 19O5-6-7.
At the close of last years work, Di-
rector Linfield of the experiment
station expressed his opinion and that
of his associates that the company
would be safe in assuming that dry
land farming could be successfully
prosecuted in eastern Montana, where
the soil and surface conditions
were favorable. Acting upon this in
formation, the company has decided
to commence placing it's land upon the
market; last summer we examined
200, 900 acres north of Glendive and
that area will be placed upon the mar
ket in the next ten days. This year
we expect to examine at least 500, 600
acres additional in eastern Montana
ard as soon as the examination has
been completed the lands will be placed
on sale.
The examinations are being made
with the utmost care; wherever the
surface is sufficiently smooth for cul-
tivation, borings are made to test the
soil, and where both the soil and sur
face conditions are favorable, the land
is classified as f'tillable, " otherwise
as grazing, at the same time the
land is segregated into farm units,
the size of which varies with the
character of the land; recognizing
that mixed farming is necessary fol
success where dry land farming has
to be pursued we are making the farm
units of sufficient size so that each
purchaser will have pasturage for &
small band of stock. The prices viii
be made low and in order to eliminate
speculation, residence and cultivation
will be required wherever the land is
tillable, excepting that residence viii
be waived where the settler already
has residence upon lands adjoining
The results of the experiments re
ferred to have been published in bulle
tins by the state experiment station
and they can be had by anyone or
application to the director.
All of the foregoing pertains par
ticularly to eastern Montana, in cen
tral Montana the company has beer
selling land right along as fast as i
could be examined. AS an illustra
tion, since the 1st of January the com
pany has sold 1900 acres in Grant
county alone.
Another matter of general interes
to the people of Montana and whicl
is perhaps not we'll understood, it tn
condition of the public surveys. 1t il
of course generally known that all sur
veys mnst be made by the Unite
States and that until the land is sur
veyed the company cannot perfect it
title, nor can the land be taxed; tn
company can, however, to some exter
accelerate the surveys by depositing j
| advance with the United States tn
: estimated cost of the survey work. A
: this moment of writing the compan
. has so deposited the cost of surveyin
II exactly 6,O40, 160 acres in the state c
= Montana, and recently considered max
: ing application md depositing the COZ
y of surveying 8, O36, 800 acres additioEa,
~ but it seemed useless to do so as tt
- quantity for which deposits have a
ready been made is more than wi
= probably be surveyed in the next tv
or three years; certainly SO, at I'll
rate at which the survey work has bee
se going on in the past. The agricultu
j. al development of the state is beir
a N