The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-01-19
TREASURE STATE FARM AND LIVESTOCK
Sugar Beet Industry Is Making
Progress in Billings District;
Land Adopted to Culture Rises

farms. Inc company mas maze Qlll-
gent inquiry every year as to the live
stock industry in connection with the
growing of beets and it finds that for
the 10000 acres of beets taken care
of this year the growers use $500
head of work horses, W 5000 head
of mich cows and $500 head other
than dairy stock. In addition to this
they feed on beet tops and other pas
ture on the beet farms for periods of
80 to 100 days, 100000 head of
sheep, $500 head of cattle and 700
head of horses. The anu furn-
ished by these animals fertilizes
about 20 per cent of the beet ground
for next season.
Pulp Pressing Mill.
1t is the policy of the company,
however, to discourage the feeding OF
any cattle at the factory. It prefers
to have the animals fed on the farms,
thus retaining the n of all for
fertilizing purposes. With this end
in view, in designing the factory now
under construction at Missoula plans
were made for the erection of a pulp
pressing plant, which will press the
pulp so that all the water is removed
and it can thus be shipped to the
farms for feeding purposes at a mini
mum freight charge. With the same
idea in view the factory officials
have decided on the erection of the
same kind of a pulp pressing plant at
the Billings factory this year.
The sugar beet industry has devel-
oped in the past IL years into the
most important agricultural industry,
in so far as the man OIL a small farm
is concerned, that exists in south
eastern Montana. 1t has been the
savior Of the Huntley project 40-acre
farm and has brought prosperity in
great volume to the irrigated dis,
tricts. An increase of SO cents pei
ton in the price of beets it is figured
will mean at least $4,000 more tC
the pay roll of the Huntley project
farmer.
, Land Values Advance.
7 Since the Billings factory wa:
started there has been an increase il
Z the value of land from $40 in the
> beet growing districts to 500 ant
1925 per acre an : in regions close tt
Billings to as high as $3.50 and $500
The industry has also been tn
means of improving the fertility o
the farms through crop rotation AM
:. through scientific farming methods
introduced by the expert farm EN-
4 ployes furnished by the company ant
through the advice they have givel
on the growing of all crops. Anothe
i feature of the industry is the charac
ter of farmers it brings into the coun
try and the increase in farming popu
lation that follows in the wake of tn
industry. Every year the company
representative goes into the bee
e growing districts in other section
and secures one or two trainlOads O
e field workers, men and WOmen VIII
G. thin, and weed beet lands, workin
u under contract at so much pei acre
IS Some of these workers return HON
n after the season ends, but the ms
le jority remain in the district an
N secure employment in other avenue
is out of the beet growing season.
a very short time they become tel
ants and in. little longer time the
ii become owners of good farms, whic
they always improve to a high d.
gree. Some of the most successf1
beet growers of the Yellowstone an
tributary valleys are men who can
into the country to work in the be
fields.
Does Not I~mpOverish Soil.
1t used to be the theory that tt
growing of beets robbed the soil. TT
contrary is the case. t is now CO
coded that increased production
crops follows the intense cultivate
and working given the land in gro
ing beets and by proper rotation t
fertility of the soil is increased rath
than diminished.
The climate and soil of Monta.
are particularly adapted to the cul
walton of sugar beets. The succe
that has attended the Billings facto
in this and other years has demo
strated this. AS a result the offici;
of the Great Western and other co
panies have been looking over t
'" various sections of the state and t
erection of more factories is expect
to follow in the wake of the constr,
o ton of the M now being built
MiSsoula.