Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-07-14
EVEN IN THE "GOLDEN WEST"
There Arc Clouds that Rise to Shut
Out the Glowing Brightness.

OuC inc GLOWING br1gntncSS.
Denton, Mont, June 3O.-Editor
keowee Courier: AS the few lines
that you published that l wrote when
renewed our subscription to your
paper have brought me letter Of
inquiry as to the opportunities in
Montana, l will try to give a few Of
the main points. | am no scribe, so
will tell things just as sec them, as
perhaps there are others wondering
just what there is over here in the
Golden West"
The principal crops here are wheat
and oats, rye and barley, alfalfa and
timothy; also some sweet clover,
Irish potatoes, navy beans and some
corn, though the latter looks very
puny to Southerner, as one can
make better corn back there and
plant it the 4th of July. There is
some garden truck, though the sea-
sons are too short for much. At pres
ent there are raddish, lettuce, onions
and turnips. The man who worte me
said that corn was $2.25 per bushel.
We pay s cents pound for corn
meal, SO cents for bacon, 33 cents for
lard, and 6weeks old pigs are IS
each. Canned fruit is from 80 to IS
cents pint, and fresh fruit Is al
ways scarce and high. Common labor
gets $500 a day and board on con-
tract work, and on the ranches $50
to $50 per month. Farming tools
are higher than Pixies Peak. Wagons
500 to $3.50, binders $3.50, headers
$500, and other things according.
Horses bring from $1O0 to $500 and
good milk cows from $125 to $50.
Our summers differ greatly. Last
year it was dry, hot and windy. and
most Of the time so smoky and dusty
one could hardly see the sun. This
time 1T Is pleasant, with showers al
most every day.
Crops last year and the two before
were very poor; in fact, last year
there was nothing made at all. We
had in 225 acres of wheat, 25 acres
of oats, and 20 acres alfalfa, one
acre of beets and a half acre of
"spuds'-and we got four messes Of
the spuds for our trouble. We seeded
35 acres Of wheat last November and
we have fine patch of rabbit-ear
mustard. The spring crops are fine,
and there never has been as fine
grass nor as much of 1T as there is
now. Alfalfa is ready to cut and the
wheat is in the boot. August and
September will be the harvest
months here this time.
There has been some hail in places
and the crops are gone, but, gener-
ally speaking, crops are good. Old
again. ! hope it is, but if those fell
lows in Washington, D. c., have any
thing to do with it, it will be long
time looming back"
My advice to man with a family
is to stay where there Is plenty Of
wood and water. Coal is $3.50 ton,
and there isn't very much wood in
reach Of the grain farmer. Numbers
of people have TO haul water from
one to five miles, and it's hard at
that. We live in what Is known as
the Famous Judith Basin" Labor
is plentiful in most places.
This is the shearing season and the
wool crop is not rs good as usual by
any means owing to the terrible win
ter and scarcity Of feed. The farm
ers are offered 25 cents a pound for
their wool. Imagine this after feed
ing $40 hay for eight months.
When you are looking at the gol
den sunset don't get in too big
rush to strike out West; just wait
till morning and see if there isn't
golden sunrise Also.
I can't see that there is much diff
ference in peoples health here and
back in the South. People with the
various forms Of heart trouble cam
not stand the high altitude, but the
asthma patients seem to feel better,
especially in dry weather.
Schools in town are as good as can
be made, but country schools are
poor-so few children, not over 7 or
10 to an ordinary school, and most
Of them have to go quite long dis
tance. There are no churches except
in town. We are 80 miles from a
Baptist church.
Game gets scarcer and scarcer
every day, though the game laws are
very strict. One cannot even fish
without license, and you can't get
stick (pole), as my little girl says,
without buying it. 1t takes a man
three years to learn how to farm out
here, or to do much else. Doctors
charge SO much a visit and mileage
both ways, the mileage charge being
$1.00 per mile.
Now, Mr.. Editor, If you see fit, you
can publish this, and If not it will be
all right with me. However, 1T may
satisfy the curiosity Of some Of your
readers. Best regards to all.
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