The Daily Missoulian., 1912-07-30
RESERVATION CROPS
ARE SPLENDID
A. j. HRElTENSTEiN RETURNS
FROM RESERVATION ENThUSl.
Asrlc OVER SHOWING.

Secretary A. j. Bretensten re-
turned yesterday from the reservation
with an enthusiastic report of crop
conditions In the Flathead country.
Mr.. Briett nstein left yesterday morn-
ing with Il. j. White for short trip
across the reservation. The two men
were travelling in the interests Of the
Missoula Chamber of Commerce, the
organization which has in charge the
Missoula county exhibit at the state
fair. Mr.. Psetensten had to content
himself with n single day Of inspec-
ton, but he left Mr. white there to
continue the work for week. Mr..
Breitenstein had nothing but praise
for the Flathead farmers and had he.
been at liberty he would have stayed
on the reserve longer
I'VE had q splendid trip" he sGid,
when he had returned. I'VE arranged
for the gathering of grain samples
and succeeded In arousing lot of in
terest among the farmers of the sec
ton. We secured in q single day n
good many promises of entries for the
state fair In September. George and
Andrew Beckwith furnished US with
conveyances and assisted us In every
possible way.
There are some great crops In the
little farms near the Mission and
samples from that district would help
any exhibit lot. Practically every
farmer we met promised TO help us,
and, as some of the best grain in the
exhibit we sent to Helena last year
came. from these farms, we expect TO
do as well or even better this fall
The wheat and oats are exceptionally
fine this year, although not ready for
cutting In some cases.
During our little trip today We Wig
tied Henry Fesman's place. about
eight miles east of the Mission He
has a dandy little farm. His Bing
cherries were just ripe, and they We're
good, too. and he has l0-acre or-
chard In apples and plums that is
bearing heavily. He and his family
have homesteads aggregating $3.50
acres. and they raise just about ev-
erythng that the climate will stani
for. He has black cap raspberres,
currants and vegetables of all kinds.
though his principal crops are hay
and oats. He has an immense field
of splendid peas. Mr. Felsman has
lived on the reservation for IS years
and worked as carpenter on the
mission buildings when they were re-
constructed long ago
''The Mission gardens themselves
are probably the finest In the reser-
walton. They have been under culti-
walton for something more than half
a century, and have been built up un-
der the supervision of the careful.
experienced priests. Thomas Powers,
who tends the farm, will enter for
some OF the potato prizes Last year
he dug 432 sacks of potatoes from
half an acre of ground and each sack
weighed more than a. hundred pounds.
Mr.. Powers has been in the valley for
40 years, and during pur visit told US
some mighty interesting stories Of the
development of the reservation.
"E. Il. Funck. who lives near the
Mission, has an exceptionally fine
wheat field. Some of the heads we
inspected ran as high as 130 kernels
TO the stalk and he expects to average
from his field 40 bushels to the acre.
He has some oats that are wonder
fully good, too.
Robert Armstrong has 10 acres of
white beans and big flax field Mr..
Armstrong; wheat averaged AZ BUSH
els TO the acre and he expects to do
as well this fall. Gustave DuBrille
has a big vegetable garden and will
make some entries and A. J. Newton
claims he has the biggest beets on the
reservation. William McMichael has
hard spring wheat and oats to send In
and T.. c. Jenkins, timothy, oats and
wheat.
I'VE visited number of other
places during the day and Mr.. White
will spend "A week in the field SO that
to help make Missoula county's ex-
hibit prize winner
Engineer Swigert of the reclama-
tion service deserves a lot of credit
for the fine showing the Flatheat
farmers are making. He has put his
experience and his knowledge of irri-
cation at the disposal OF the rancho n
and is instructing them in the proper
use of water and its value He IL
keenly interested In our plans for NJ
exhibit and has promised TO use hi
influence toward getting as many en-.
tries as possible. He showed us {
number of interesting grain samples
illustrating the difference between
crops grown under irrigation ant
without It,"