The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-08-22
Con lnercial West Tells
Facts About Montana

ucdQOllh, VI CuIIout ISSUE dppodIS
article discussing the present cond
ton of Montana and its future. tn
author, who has corp of agents {
his command, gives an impartis
view of affairs as seen by an on
slider and declares in conclusion tha
there is nothing whatever the ma
ter with Montana. Says the Con
merical West.
For some weeks reports comm
from Montana have given the infol
nation that farmers of the state ar
in hard straits. The truth is that TO
three years crops have been yer.
near total failures, while early in tn,
spring indications pointed to a whea
crop of 100000 bushels A chang'
in weather conditions; in fact, sea
sons Of unusual drouth have dissi
pated hopes for crop, and the mos
optimistic crop experts Of Montana
won claim that the wheat yield will
not be in excess of 100000 bushels
Not alone this, but the state has suf
fered in many ways through the ex
cessively warm weather. Streams
were never lower in 40 years time !;
grass in the great grazing sections
has been insufficient to feed the cat
tie and sheep. Surely this appears
to be serious state of affairs, and
one of this woeful information to-
wards giving a false understanding
of really what Montana possesses in
the way of resources.
A State of Kindly Proportions.
Montana is no baby among the
states It's area is 146,201 square
miles; in other words, it is as large
as all New England, with NewYory
and New Jersey thrown in, and for
good measure we can throw in our
Porto Risan and Hawaiian posses
sions and then have several thousand
square miles to spare. While COM
Parsons may be called for here, we
will go little farther and quote Aus
tria which has 1852 square miles
and supports the population of 49,
100000; continental Italy, 110,623 SOU
are miles, with its population of SO,
100000, and Norway with 124,129 SOU
are miles with it's population of two
and half million people and a Guilt
waited area of 100000 acres. We
quote these comparisons merely to |
show the vastness of Montana which |
now has a population of approximate |
ly 100000 and under cultivation some |
100000 acres of land.
A Quarter Century of Agricultural
Advancement.
"a quarter of century, ago Mon
tana did not produce from its farms |
sufficient for home consumption. But
ter eggs, flour and various other arti-
cles of food, which are now produced
in this state with SURPRISES for other
markets, were then brot into Montana
At that period immense herds OF cat
tie grazed upon the rich Montana
lands. The mines and the timber
forests in addition to the livestock
industry, were the chief producers of
wealth Tins have changed. Mon
lana is fast becoming a farming state
40 longer are the broad ranges open
% the cattle men. The farms have
,een located in the valleys along the
streams, and it is to be regretted that
much of the rich bench lands which
seem to have been designed by nature
or strictly grazing purposes, have
,een made into farms whose produc-
iveness will always remain an I'M
ertain quantity.
'oor Crops No Preventative to Pros
perity.
Notwithstanding the Temporary ca
amity which apparently has befallen !
1ontana as to crop growing this ,
ear, Montana is all right. 1t is max
ng progress. The state is far from
ankrupt. The majority of its people
re prosperous. The banks of the
tate testify as to this. In the state
anks there were deposited in 1916,
%, 100000; in 1919 the May bank re-
orts show that deposits are about /
81 900, 900 and this increase in wealth
oes not take into consideration de-
osits in national banks, and is more
larked when it is considered that
lontana in the meantime invested
30, 1876, 900 in Liberty bonds.
The State Can Care for Its Own. :
Montana appears we'll able to take z
are of it's own. The special session
: the legislature the past week voted
Great revolving fund to buy up
)unty bonds which have been issued
assist the needy farmers. Montana
far from broke. The state in it's
easury has $1o,O00,O00 which is
for the purchase Of these .
,nds. During the past half century +
, mines have produced hundreds up Il
hundreds Of millions of dollars =
increase the wealth of the world
3 forests have produced millions
= aok< IN