The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-03-30
WEDNESDAY, MARCE;8 1910.
WARNING TO SETTLERS.

on Montana bench lands is given by
Professor Thomas Shaw. the well
known agricultural expert, who ad.
vises them that the fund smeotal prin.
ciple Of dry land farming contemp.
lates proper preparation of the soil.
The settler who proposes to raise
crops the first season on newly broken
land is inviting disappointment and
disbursement, according to PROBES.
sor Shaw, who discusses the subject
% follows:
The rush of homeseekers 20 Mon
tans at the present time may be said
TO be unprecedented in the history Of
the state. The vacant lands are being
taken up with . rapidly that brings
with it concern 80 those who are in.
terested in their success.
It is more than probable that many
homeseekers who locate on land will
undertake to farm the same by meth.
DDS which they followed in the locality
from which they came; If 60, it is q
foregone conclusion that they will
fail.
Farming in Montana must be con.
Quoted sl%ong.certsin lines and it is
absolutely useless to try and conduct
It in any other way. The moisture
that falls must be conserved by the
methods Of tillsge that are followed.
II this islnot done, the crops will fail.
1t is to be feared that some persons
whose sole interest lies in the revenue
that comes from locating settlers are
making extravagsnt claims regard.
ing the crops that may be grown on
new breaking or on stnbble land re.
gardless Of the season.. These claims
will not prove true in q dry year.
Nor should undue attention be given
TO extravaganza representations made
by those parties regarding the yields
that may be expected.
Thelsubject of this circular. there.
fore, 10 to war; settlers against the
blowing up of large areas of land
during the present spring season and
sowing them with small grains. 1t Is
all right for the homeseeker to break
up some land, and after preparing It
with great care, to SOW a limited am
cunt of the different small grains.
Should the season prove to be q dry
one, the safest grain crop to SOW is
fax and the more perfectly the ground
has been prepared for this crop, the
more likely it is to succeed. It should
be reasonably safe to plant corr OF
suitable varieties; also beans, and in
fact almostlany crop that can be cul.
tiv ated throughout the season of
growth, butieven for these crops the
more perfect the preparation of the
newly broken land, the better will be
the outcome. III: the land cannot be
we'll prepared, do not SOW it.
There Gamble no reasonable doubt
that success will Iattend the farming
OF these lands II properly farmed, but
II will be evident to those who reflect
. little that when the settler locates
on his land intthe spring, and breaks
up prairie sod and sows It with grain,
come of it perhaps unduly late, he has
not much opportunity to prepare the
land in such q way as will enable him
TO conserve moisture. OF course, the
land that he prepares for the crop the
next year by summer following, or
growing q cultivated crop, will bring
with it the assurance of At least req.
sonable success the following year.
Those who are commencing farming
10 Montana, the present season,
should not fail to secure q copy OF
Scientific Farming in Montana, which
has been written for the Great North.
ern railway and it can be obtained OF
any of the commercial clubs, chamber
of commerce, and station agents OF
said railway.
A A1@A0 A1-s~AA s.-.~.a-~