Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-31
DIG POSSIBILITIES
ALONG MILK RIVER
ARE BROUGHT OUT
Officials Think Value of Soil
Is Not Appreciated
by Owners.
(Tribune's Washington Bureau

Hd~Su1uBtyu, SCt. co-~1AP a&IA10iT
turai possibilities of the Mix river
valley have never been thoroughly ap-
preciated, largely because the lands
have been in the hands of large own
ers who are more interested III cattle
feeding or wheat raising than IN the
cultivation of more valuable crops. ac-
| cording to government officials. who
have studied the situation.
There has not been as yet a dem
o%nstration and full understanding Of
the type or system of agriculture which
is most profitable: nor has there been
a general understanding of the fact
that with the great diversity of soils
different methods of farming must be
| adopted. The soils range from the
light, rich, a~lluvial, sandy loan to very
heavy clays, or adobe. h owners
of these lands have not taken sufficient
pains to discriminate between these
different types of soil, and have tried
on the heavy soils, and in some cases
have neglected the lighter soils, be-
coming discouraged and condemn1ng
further efforts. largely because they
have not succeeded in raising on the
heavy soils the crops which might De
very successful elsewhere.
Alfalfa Successful
Fer example, even on the heavlest
soils, when skillfully handled. alfaiIa
has been highly successful, but upfor-
tunately some of the farmers have at
tempted to raise potatoes or sugar
beets. and have found that the cost
of blowing and preparing the soil mas
exhausted the value of the returns.
In short. in going over the situation,
the slow development of irrigation val
lev lands may be attributed not so
much to the soil and climate as 70
the lack Oh activity cautiously dlrested.
Fundamentally this can be traced BACK
to the greater land ownership ana tne
! desires of these owners to speculate
in the land and in cattle, rather thar
TO inform themselves through results
obtained by agricultural experiments
and carry out the laborious WORK OF
well-directed farming. 49,.
Whenever these lands are placed
consistent with their true value. d
upon the market at prices and terms
homeseekers are correctly informed as
; 10 these values and the methods OF GU
ttivating the soil, there should De no ali-
,~ficulty in building up along
the Milk River valley. There are op-
norfunities for thousands of small. sen
snnnorting farm homes. The soil, CHI
mate and transportation facilitles are
favorable. There are no insurmount-
able obstacles %interposed by nature
which have not been. or cannot pc:
corrected by the use and extension OF
NJ fAe irrigation systems already existing.
The obstacles to be overcome are nor
nhysical: they are wholly mental ana
ri human origin. resulting from the
gacE of morale, or will to win, on the
mart of the people now holding or n
trolling the land. When once these
people can be brought TO see the grea.
possibilities of the future, anu reaiiAe
that these possibilities cannot ne AT
tanned until the lands are in the hands
of people who will live upon them
progress will be delayed.
Right Prices Needed
The present wners must also appre'
ciate that to get the right kind OF PEG
Die, prices and farms must be made
attractive. No one is going to the
Milk River valley to buy land at hisf
prices in order to enrich the preseni
owners; they will buy only because tne1
believe the prices are over IN 1h'
valley than for equally good lands else
where.
When the merchants, bankers ant
others who now hold these irrigated
lands out of use really appreciate tht
situation, they will see that their con
~tinuance in business and increase II
their prosperity would be bettsr pro
, NOTED by actually giving away thf
lands to the right kind of people thai
by trying to sell them at prices whcf
will destroy the ability of these people
to get a foothold on the soil and cult
yate it properly. While there Is NJ
necessity of literally giving away tn
uand. vet, to attract the right kind o
people. the prices and terms must b'
| such as to let the prospective pur
ehasers believe that they are getting
! a bargain or a square deal.
Discussion has already been had o
; the practicability of giving to some or
ganization interested in the develop
, ment of the valley an option for, say
five years, on these lands. This vii
, enable the lands to be broadly adver
tised, and prospective purchasers Il
study the actual demonstration of sue
= cess. Without such binding option, ex
perience has shown that it is useles
. to advertise widely the advantages o
q the valley. because of the fact that /
the past when the home makers hav
appeared upon the grsnnd the price
have been doubled. or eyen trebled-
thus frightening the would-be purchas