Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1911-05-23
Louis ]. Lehman Presents Few Facts
and Figures to Show Why the Ju-
dith Basin Leads the World.
PROMISE BIG TONNAGE
Will Require Couple of Thousand
Freight Cars to Haul Product
to the Markets This Season.

big department store on the corner
Of Main and Fifth avenue, has been
doing little figuring recently on the
acreage and prospective yield OF grain
in the Judith basin this year and his
conclusions are interesting, not to say
astounding. Mr.. Lehman also shows
what we may expect when the entire
Basin is brought to state OF lnten-
sve cultivation, and this result is also
something for those good railroad
friends, Messrs Earling and Hill, to
ponder over, as it involves question
dear to the heart Of every transporta
ton man, tonnage.
Two Hundred Thousand Acres.
1t is computed that there is now
growing in the Judith Basin 10000
acres OF winter wheat q 900 acres Of
spring wheat, 10000 acres of oats and
1000 acres Of fax, or total Of 2O9,-
600 acres Of grain. This is con-
servative estimate, gathered from re-
turns made by the owners of steam
and gasoline plowing outfits. 1t
stands to reason that then smaller
fields OF from ten acres up to forty
which have failed to come within the
notice Of those making up the figures
will increase this acreage materially.
Nine Thousand Cars Of Wheat.
With an ordinarily good year, the
wheat Of the Judith Basin yields an
average of 80 bushels per acre. That
means we will produce this year, in
round numbers, 100000 bushels or
36O,OOO,OOO pounds OF wheat. The or
dinary freight car holds 20 tons or
10000 pounds OF wheat. The engines
on the Montana Railroad pull on an
average OF 900 tons. Hence, to get
the wheat crop from the Judith Basin
| to the eastern market, it will require
1900 freight cars, to pull which it
will require 200 engines, and all OF
which, being strung out together, will
make train ~ miles long, not count
ing engines.
Twelve thousand acres OF oats will
produce easily 100000 bushels or TO-
100000 pounds Of that cereal. To gel
this out Of the Basin will require SOC
cars Of 20 tons each, and such train
drawn by IL locomotives, would be
over three miles long Nine thousand
acres Of flax at l8 bushels per acre
the average yield for the judith Basin
as shown by government reports, will
be 10000 bushels, weighing 7,2oO,OOt
pounds and requiring 1872 cars and
locomotives, all of which would make
train more than mile in length
On 1000 acres of potatoes, we shoule
grow easily 24,OOO,OOO pounds, OF
enough to fill 600 freight cars, requir
ing Is locomotives to pull them
Without the engines, the "spud' trair
would be five miles long.
No mention is made here OF hay
sheep, cattle and coal, all of which
will fill up thousands OF "empties" a
the various stations in the judith
Basin this year. While not much TO
tonnage, our gold and sapphires ado
greatly to the total value of thing
actually produced this year in th
Judith Basin, a total which, con
servatively figured, will amount t,
fully S7,O0O,OO0 OF the product
mentioned, fully six-sevenths will b
exported and the cash will go int,
the pockets of the laboring men, TIL
farmers, the stockmen, the merchant
and professional men of the Judit]
Basin.
Record-Breaking Per Capita.
The United States census gave Fer
gus county population Of 1900, o
which 5000 were lost when a por
. ton was segregated to become par
of Musselshel county. With a pro
duction OF 100000 worth of prod
ucts from ranch, farm and mine ther
t would be sufficient to give every mar
woman and child $500 each. Whe
it is shown that the report of tn
United States treasurer gives tn
E average per capita OF circulation i
the United States at $37, it is realize
! just what sort OF lead the Judit
Basin has over, possibly, any othe
: section of the entire globe in that re
spect.
:, Figures Are Staggering.
. When one attempts to put into col
e figures what the future holds forth t
+ the people of the Judith Basin, tn
e totals are really staggering. Accord
f ing to plats in the United States Ian
$ office the Judith Basin contains som
: 100000 acres Of land, all told. G
S this, l,225,OO0 acres is grain lant
: capable OF growing in single yea
100000 bushels of wheat. Thu
y means l.90O,O0O,OOO pounds or enoug
n to fill $4,000 cars. That number :
d cars would string out tor distanc
of over 80 miles and require 900 er
e gines to move it.
el Bread for the Multitude.
The United States governmel