The Washington herald., 1918-05-14
MONTANA now
!. :. GROWS WHEAT
Holland Says Latest Indus
try Encouraged by War
Needs Of Fighters.

Although much occupied with the
maintenance and the increase OF the
service which the American Red Cross
il now carrying on in Russia and also
with other service for the government,
nevertheless Col. william B. Thomp-
son found time to speak from the far
Northwest -. ID
Montana was Col: Thompson.s native
State. There he received his early
training and the experience In mining
life which afterwards served him so
well when he was developing some OF
the worlds greatest mining properties
which were in Arizona He was,
therefore, familiar with the Industrial
life of Montana as that was thirty
years ago and he said this morning
that in those early days Of Mon
tana's development the Industries were
exclusively mining and the raising OF
cattle.
Today reports from Montana as wen
as from those who are experts with
respect to our wheat cultivation JUS
tify in his view the belief that Mon
tana IL 1t does not become chief among
the wheat growing States Of the
Union. nevertheless it is to be ranked
with the first four or five States in
Ine production or wheat
Col. Thomson was interested in
one report which comes from the far
West in which il was said that a
Montana ranchman determined some
six months ago that he would turn
out 100000 pounds Of prime beef as
his contribution to food production for
1913. Now he finds that he will be
able to report in the fall that he has
turned out 100000 pounds Of prime
beef.
While Montana therefore Is rapidly
growing as a wheat-producing State
this report indicates that the State Is
to maintain its prominence in raising
beef for food. This is not to be the
result of chance or accident or in
dividuaIly inspired energy. but will
reflect organization woTk which is IN
progress among the stockmen In Mon
tana at this time 50 that It. will be
possible to report within a few months
a large increase in the States output
Of marketable live stock.
This organization ls carried so far
as to make it possible to put cattle
with all the small farmers in the
State. who are qualified and equipped
to feed and finish these cattle for the
market --.+- a.
Reply of Northwest.
Reports which have come within a
few days to John H. Rich, who is
chairman and Federal reserve agent
in the Ninth Federal reserve district
Of which Minneapolis Is the center.
have made it possible for him to send
word to New York that the answer
OF the Ninth district to the Kaiser's
desperate drive on the western front
has taken the form of a double Of
fensive. far behind the lines. on the
farms and ranches OF the Northwest.
This offensive in one Of its forms
reflects the remarkable subscription
10 the Third Liberty Loan in that al
most exclusive agricultural section OF
the United States. The aggregate
amount subscribed by the farmers is
considerably more than hundred mil
lions in excess Of the sum which was
paid by Thomas Jefferson when Presi-
dent to France for the Louisiana Ter
ritory, OF which these Northwestern
States constituted a part.
Almost every county. and the latest
returns may show that actually every
county, in this district where farming