New-York tribune., 1918-10-27
Rapid Progress Is
Reported ON Great
Indian Wheat Farm
Thousands of Acres Sown
to Winter Plant; New
Units Started

UNITS OtarteQ
Reports received here by the bankers
who are financing the project indicate
that almost phenomenal progress is be-
ing made by the recently organized
Montana Farming Corporation. inns
corporation was formed last spring for
the purpose of developing wheat lands
on Indian reservations in Montana and
Wyoming.
Thomas D. Campbell came East from
California last spring with an idea he
was called to government service IN the
food administration when the thought
struck him that if he could get the
United States government and the
Crow Indian Nation together on the
matter of using rich waste reservation
lands fer growing new food crops he
might do more for his country. llc
suggested as much to Franklin X. Lane,
Secretary of the Interior, and Mr.. Lane
agreed with him.
Indians Approve
The result was that Frank NJ. Thack-
cray. who has been in the Bureau OF
Indian Affairs for more than thirty
wears, went out to the Little Big Horn
with MIR. Campbell and called the chiefs
,opethor for a powwow. He told them
that this young man had made bar
Gain with the Great White Father IN
WASHINGTON. When the Indian mad
leased land along the rivers he mad
usually received 25 cents an acre, and
from 6 70 IL cents for the uplands.
This paleface offered to plough and
harrow and seed the land and to give
the Indians one-tenth Of the crop dur.
ing the first five years and one-htth OIL
the crop during the second five years:
He would fence all the lands planted
10 wheat; he would put up new build
ings; he would give all this back to the
Indians after ten years and cnaLSe
them nothing. They nord not work 1oT
him unless they wanted to. If they ava
they would get good wages lie eNpccteo
to raise mary, many thousands OF push
els of wheat and wheat sells tor more
than s. bushcl now. The chietss
thought of all these things and looked
long at the young palcface. Then they
said they would do it. Chief Plenty
Coos put his name down first. Then
John Frost and Pretty Coyote and
Robert Ycllowtail and Ben Spotted
Horse. One Star and James Carpenter,
George Hogan and Russell White Bear,
Jim Nil and Sists Down Spotted
shows His Coos and Shobc Little-l'ght,
Thomas Medicine Horse and Old horn,
each for his district made his marx.
Thercupon the corporation was of-
ranized. with Mr.. Campbell. VINO mas
had considerable experience IN farming
en- large scale in the Northwest, as
president and general manager The
directors are j. perppnt Morgan,
Charles H. Sabn, James A. Stillman,
Francis H. Sisson, Charles d. Norton
and Maxwell Upson, of New York; j. 5.
Torrance, of San Francisco, and FRED
crick W. Stevens, of Ann Arbor, Mich.
100000 Acres Eventually
Under his contract with the govern
ment Mr.. Campbell is ultimately to put
under cultivation 100000 acres of land
on four Indian reservations, all III Mon
tana. and the Wind River Reservation,
in Wyoming. The work of development
is being done under the unit system,
each unit having its own buildings, ma
chincry and working forces. The entire
mechanical equipment OF tractors,
ploughs, harrows, etc, is OF the latest
model No horses or mules are beng
used, and the several forces of me
chanics employed to take care Of the
machinery are carefully selected. All
Of the big tractors used are equipped
with electric lights, so that If neccs-
sary to maintain the schedule of plough
inc. two shifts can be put to work COW
crng twcnty-four hours. Experiments
arc being made with light oils. on the
theory that they can be used instead of
water. and thus eliminate the necessity
of draining the radiators every night to
keep them from freezing, as is Gus
tomary during the late fall, when the
engines arc not working. Many OF the
small army of field workers employed
are young men below the draft age, or
those who arc otherwise not called for
military service.
The first tractor plbugh took the field
on June 80. 1918. This was at Unit l.
which is located near Fort Custer, on
the flats between the Big Horn and
Little Big Horn rivers. About 6,200
acres on this unit have been ploughed
dsked, narrowed and sowed to winter
wheat. The wheat is up here on more
; than 1900 acres, and the entire tract
will be covered with the growing wheat
before the end of this month Several
of the unit buildings have been erected
the others being delayed while water
is bored for. Fencing of the unit is
under way, and the government is aid
ing the company to procure the barbec
wire necessary for the fifteen miles OF
fence.
Much rivalry has developed among
the men engaged in seeding on this
unit. There arc four outfits of three
drills each Two Minneapolis Y. NJ
c. A. boys seeded 1875 acres in one day
with one outfit OF three drills and ar
engine. Mr.. Campbell declares such Al
accomplishment extraordinary, and its
repetition is not to be expected under
ordinary conditions. Nevertheless, va
rous crews have tried to exceed it.
cash prize has been offered to the sue.
cessful crew
Little Lost Motion
Twelve miles south of this tract is
Unit No. =, comprising about 5000
acres. Ploughing operations began here
in September, but. because of the lack
of moisture, were suspended. When
the machinery had all been moved the
rain came, and this is an instance, anC
the only instance, where lost motion
has resulted from the company's opera.
tions. Eight buildings are erected or
the place and the 5000 acres will be