Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-12-11
MECCA FOR HoMEsEEKERs.
SUn River Valley IN Montana Draw
ing the Farmers.

Sun River Valley m Montana Draw
ing the Farmers.
Special to the Enterprise.
One of Montana's most beautiful
agricultural valleys is now the scene
OF unusual activity, as hundreds of
homeseckers from all parts of the
country are going there to take UP
their new homes.
The Sun River Valley, which is To-
Gated little west of the center of the
state on the eastern slope of the
Rocky Mountains and near the city of
Great Falls, was selected several
years ago by the Reclamation Service
as a. choice area for the construction
OF stupendous irrigation work. The
work has progressed rapidly and sew
eral farms have been thrown open to
settlers on very liberal terms.
These farms will be obtainable un-
der the homestead law, subject to the
charges of actual cost of water upon
the number of acres actually supplied
with water from the system. This
charge has been fixed at $50 per acre,
divided into not less than five nor
more than ten annual payments. The
sum of $3.50 will be due and payable
at the time of making entry. The
second instalment will be payble
March 1, 1910. thus allowing early
settlers nearly two years before sec
ond payment is due. In this period
any industrious settler can get his
land in shape to earn its own repay
ment of the charges.
An interesting and unique feature
in connection with the project is the
proposed establishment of model rur-
al villages every six miles. In all
there will be 20 OF these, so that no
farm will be more than three miles
from a post office and school.
All the crops which can be grown
in northern countries can be raised
here. 1t is probable that the princi-
pal crops raised will be alfalfa, sugar
beets and potatoes. Usually three
cuttings of alfalfa are made annually.
Others have cut four but the average
is three. and the average yield about
five tons per acre. The present price
varies from S. to SIS per ton in the
stack. according to location and de-
mand. 1t is not probable that the av-
crage price will drop below S. for
many years. The cost OF putting the
hay into the stack is about SI25 per
ton.
The average yields per acre are. po-
tatoeS. e2S bushels; wheat, aS BUSH
els: oats. 90 bushels, sugar bccts, 20
tons.
All garden truck is easy to raise cx-
cept tomatoes and some kinds easily
affected by frosts. though these with
care may be grown sufficiently for
family use.
An ordinary ranch garden about
two miles from Simms in 1905 pro-
duced a net profit of S22s per acre
from the following kinds of vcgcta-
blcs, viz: cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes,
SQUASH. onions, pumpkins, carrots,
turnips, bcets and parsnips.
The sugar bcets grown in the vi
cinity have analysed over % per cent
sugar. The beet industry promises
great things and a sugar factory is
assured upon the completion of the
works necessary to irrigate an area
large enough to guarantee fvc-ycar
contracts on 5000 acres of bccts.
Past experiments prove that the
farmer should average net profit of
SO per acre on sugar bects.
1t is probable that the Sun River
Valley will prove an excellent dairy
country. A creamery was COMPLETED
in Augusta in January. 1907. and the
three or four others already in oper-
alton in ncighboring towns show that
the industry is profitable and will be
permanent ana growing. -Four and
third million pounds of butter are
now imported annually from other
states. This means that over a million
dollars ought to be kept in Montana
each year for butter.
Full details relating to terms. size
OF farm units and other information
regarding the method of securing
lands will be furnished on applica-
ton to s. 3. Robbins. Engineer U. S.
Reclamation Service, Fort Shaw.
Montana, or Statistician Reclamation
Service, Washington. D. c.