Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-01-19
BUT TRUE

The past four or five years in some farming sections OF Mon
tana has been merely a dream. OF course there are a few anon
those who came into this section last fall from the arid countie
of the north to pick up a few dollars helping to harvest te Ian
ish crops of the Belt Valley who will insist the dream at tlmes
verged into the realms of nightmare, but when the United State
Department of Agriculture says that dry farming in Montana
pays, it must be right. Notwithstanding the assertions OF tn'
department in a recent circular, there is evidence that a grea1
many dry farmers of Montana have failed to find the secret o.
profits. But for all that, the circular of the department is baset
on solid facts and covers experiments OF the past nine years. Lei
us see where the trouble lies:
in dry farming at various stations of the west, under the usua
conditions common to all arid and. semi-arld sections These ex
periments, though on a smaller scale than that of the usual farm
and carried out with more attention to detail and under a more
exact adherance to schedule than is possible on the average farm,
are of value in showing what can actually be done under adverse
conditions. 1t is perhaps needless to say that exact records are
also kept and carefully tabulated SO that the conclusions arrived
at are borne out by the statistics.
ulation of results obtained at the Huntley experimental station
and cover the period since 1912 to the end of 1921 The conclu-
made to pay, but only when coupled with approved dry land meth
DDS, a system of diversified crops and a scheme of rotation, to-
gether with the raising of live stock. In short it proves that Mon
tana dry land farmers to achieve success must follow very much
the time-honored system operated by our forefathers when the
farm supplied just about everything necessary to sustain life, be-
sides furnishing a neverfaiing and continuous source for the
exercise of the virtues of industry and frugality by every member
Unquestionably the message of the departments circular
stresses the fact, which we have had occasion to mention before
that farming success is based mainly upon industry. Just plain
honest, hard work, to which may be added the necessary business
ability to provide that the work be continuous every day in the
year. 1t is our conviction that any farmer-and we might ex-|
tend it to include those of any vocation-who has succeeded in
season of the year, is on the way to beating the game. In this
section at least the soil has proven productive with proper meth
OuS II Jne nOTnndl dfnldn lot TeIldDl Indn III SecllOnS
of the state, but even with these advantages there is no safety
in specializing in farming operations as has been clearly demon
strated in the past few years.
Grain raising alone is a pleasant way to farm, but tbs a
gamble. A few months of strenuous work in the summer time
and a glorious loaf through the winter is an attractive program,
but is analogous to the system of the merchant who closes up his
place of business four or five months each year. 1t would be pleas
ant for the merchant as long as he could keep the sheriff at bay,
but extremely detrimental to his credit. Careful and conscientious
tilage, rotation of crops, cows, hogs, chickens and a good garden
means hard work the year around, but the department of agri-
culture says it can be made to pay and if necessary we can name
farmers in the Belt valley who will support the departments
contention.