The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-05-15
Montana Letter:

Montana Letter. rs7+
Editor Herald.--We have received
$50 many inquiries lately from friends
and acquaintances about the condi.
tons in Montana in regard to farm.
ing and farm lands, that we thought
a letter in the Herald would be the
easiest way for MS to answer them.
We think we are able to Judge of
conditions here as my brother and |
are actually farming $3.50 acres with
the help of husky farm hand) so
that our information is from a direct
source. nv Es
The question mostly asked is what
do yon raise in your section of Mon
ltana? We have seen the crops of
1911 and 1912 harvested and helped
several of our neighbors, and il they
were any criterion Montana certainly
needed no apologies, for they could
hardly have been larger or of better
quality
We raise corn. The Northwestern
Dent, same as in South Dakota and
Minnesota, which yields from Is to
IS bu. per acre.
we up every III the UNION IN
hard wheat, both fall and spring
wheat The yields ranging from 90
to so Blu. per acre. ..,. e.
Montana averaged q bu. per acre
in 1911 and 25 bu. in 1912; of oats
from 80 to rs bu. per acre. Flax 6 to
II bu. per acre, which is mostly sown
on breaking
According to the crop report of the
Department of Agriculture for the
year 1912, Montana averages are as
follows: a.
Winter wheat, 25.5 bu. per acre.
Spring wheat, "a bu. per acre.
Oats, 49.5 bu. per acre.
Barley, 3S Blu. per acre .
Corn, % bu. per acre.
Potatoes, 10 bu. per acre.
FLAX, II bu. per acre. -
The average for the United States
were as follows: ais SOB
Winter wheat, ISL blu. per acre.
Spring wheat, 17.2 bu. per acre.
For the state of Minnesota. 1873 blu.
per acre; for South Dakota. is bu.
Now, if you will compare these last
figures with those for. Montana, you
will understand, why we are enthusi-
astic about Montana And in add.
ton to the grain crops Montana pro-
duces the finest. of alfalfa, from / VI to
z tons per acre (without irrigation)
and in great many parts of Montana
timothy hay yields from 2 to tons
per acre. In no part of the U. S. do
they raise finer vegetables, (same
kinds and varieties we raise in Ma
haska county,. Now, add to this a
climate which is almost perfect in
summer and on an average no colder
than Northern Iowa in winter, with
three ranges Of beautiful mountains
from 20 to 1870 miles distant, and you
have a picture of our part OF Mon.
tana, and one that is hard to beat
Prices of good land range from
$1,000 TO $4,000 per acre, according
to improvements and state of cult.
walton; for raw land, from $500 to
$4,000 per acre. according to distance
from shipping points. This is an av.
Ierage OF $500 per acre higher than
a year ago, and the rush of settlers
for this season will be larger than the
Hast three years combined, so that
lands here will advance in prices even
faster than, they have done In Canada.
Our own farms are 10 miles north
of Lavina and we already have a good
school, rural mail route and tele-
phone line. Is mot that going some
for country which is hardly three
years old? ...,
An article in the St. Paul Dispatch
of April 10th states that hundreds of
land seekers are passing through st.
Paul bound for Montana, and that the
railroad companies had to leave their
coaches at many Montana stations to
furnish sleeping accommodations, for
the hotels could not take care of the
immense numbers. This paper states
that the population will be increased
100000 in 1913.
Well, Mr.. Herald, We could fill
columns OF your paper and then not
be through, but in closing will say
that Montana has a large amount of
fine land, but there is none finer than
the Musselshell and Yellowstone Val.
leys, and either my brother. N. J.,
or myself will be in ,Oskaloosa the
last Of May and we will be pleased to
give fuller information to all interest
ed parties.
We sell land direct from the owners
to the buyers (as we now have our
own office here and list the land di.
recD and pay no commission to local
agents, which enables us to save our
customers considerable money or
every purchase. stE /
We also make it a point to secure
good renters for non.residents who
buy through us.
/ samfa G. A. GESMAN.
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