The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1921-01-14
By CHARLES d. GREENFIELD
State Commissioner of Agriculture
and Publicity.


State Commissioner of Agriculture
and Publicity.
No state possessing the resources
that Montana does, but can only 90
forward and become prosperous when
normal conditions are restored. Three
years OF drouth coupled with a farm
ing population, the majority of which
was inexperienced and underfinanced,
gave agriculture a temporary setback;
and all its basic MISUNDERSTANDING,
mining, and stockraising - were hit
hard in 1920 by the deflation process,
which compelled the marketing of pro-
ducts in most instances at less than
the cost of production.
These conditions are temporary.
Confidence in Montana can only be
lost when confidence is lost in the de-
mand of the world for copper, zinc,
silver, gold, sheep, wool, beef, hides,
pork, wheat and other staples. It is
upon these staples that the foundations
OF Montana have been laid. In addi-
ton, it has vast forests, unlimited hy-
dro-electric power, tremendous coal
deposits and potential oil fields which
in their development to date are the
wonder of the oil industry. In addition
Montana has two national parks and
unrivaled tourist possibilities.
Rapid as has been the development
of the state in the past decade, the
commonwealth is still in its infancy.
During the past five years over 12,OOO,-
600 acres of public domain were filed
upon. Practically all homestead lands
worth while have been taken up, but
the percentage actually farmed is
small. Experts classify 10000, 900
acres of Montana's SO, O0O, 900 acres
as farming land, 81 900, 900 acres as
grazing land, and &c, 5000 900 acres as
mountain and forest land. Of it's
farming ground, however, less than
5,OOO.0 900 acres are actually under cul-
tivation, according to the Uuited
States department of agriculture.
With 10000 900 acres of grazing land,
Montana's wealth of livestock is less
than that of the industrial state of
Pennsylvania. Its developed coal
mines supply the local needs of the
state, the railroads, and considerable
of the fuel used in North Dakota and
Minnesota, but the development today
is negligible in comparison with the
~undeveloped easures The Bull
Mountain coal field in Musselshell
county, which is practically undevel-
oped, alone contains five billion tons
of good marketable coal, according to
the United States geological survey.
Montana's production of silver and
zinc is greater than that of any other
state, and it's ranks second in the out
put of copper, but in comparison with
the available workable mineral depos-
it's in the state, the development up to
the present time is small. Montana,
incidentally, leads all other states as
a gem producer. There are many good
clay beds in the state awaiting devel-
opment. 1t has large deposits of sand
especially adapted to the making Of
glass, and a big natural gas field. Vast
beds of gypsum and mountains of good
limestone, now lying idle, will some
day be turned into commercial pro-
ducts.
Montana has a tremendous indus
trial future, and no less so in an agri-
cultural way. According to the United
States department of Agriculture,
Montana's average production per acre
for the decade of 1908 to 1918, inclu-
sive, (Which includes two years Of
drouth), of wheat, oats, hay, potatoes
and rye, exceeded the average produc-
ton per acre of Minnesota, Iowa. Wis
consin, Illinois, South Dakota, Ohio
Nebraska, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan,
Missouri and North Dakota. as we'll as
the average for the United States.
The fundamental value of an acre of
land is its productive power, not for
a single season, but year in and year
out. When drouth stricken Montana
can surpass for a decade what are con-
coded to be the premier agricultural
states of the union, none need be con-
cerned over its future. In comparison
with these other states, Montana
ranks second in the average production
Der acre of barley, third in the average
production of flax, and eleventh in the
average production per acre of corn.
Witness to the dawning of the indus
trial decade in Montana are factories
now turning out copper wire and rods,
super-phosphate fertilizer. ferro-man-
ganese. cement and stucco, tile and
miscellaneous products.
A new agricultural era is dawninp.
Incompetent and inexperienced persons
who came to Montana to become land
owners rather than farmers, have been
weeded out by three years of adver-
sity; the real farmers. who in every
community raised crops during the
doruth years. are content and will re-
main, and their experience will be
drawn upon and utilized by the influx
of real farmers that is now beginning:
drawn from the high priced lands Of
the middle west to Montana's acres
which are more productive and cost
one-half to three-fourths less.