Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-15
TO The Tribune.

lSpecl3l TO Line Tribune. 4
Bozeman, June 14.-Chancellor e. c
Elliott Of the University of Montana
Wednesday conferred the degree OF
bachelor of science upon 70 members
Iof the class of 1922, Montana State
college. Five others were granted ad'
vanced degrees in engineering. Candl'
dates were presented by President Al
fred Atkinson Immediately after the
commencement address, which was CIV
en- by the Rt. Rev. John Carroll, D.. D..
Bishop Of Helena.
Commencement exercises were held
in the Emerson school auditorium here,
Faculty members, speakers, alumni
and members of the class of 49,
were in the professional. The lower
floor Of the big auditorium was re-
served for friends and relatives OF the
graduates. Graduates in this class rep
resented six states of the Union and
SO towns and cities of Montana.
Four From Great Falls
Among those from Great Falls to re-
ceive degrees were: Ray Edison Cam
eron, agricultural education; Arbrose
Alexander Ryan, electrical engineering;
Opal C~linkenbeard and Dorothy Alta
Noble, home economics.
Tuesday was given over to meetings
of the alumni with the members of the
members. On Tuesday evening the
alumni and graduates attended the an
nual alumni banquet and dance in
Bridger canyon.
In the commencement address, Bish-
OPP Carroll congratulated the many
young men and women who had
finished a four years course in engi-
neering. chemistry, art, secretariai
work, agriculture or home economics.
Men who graduated in engineering and
young women who graduated in home
economics made up the largest part
of the class.
Montana Agricultural State
Following a discussion of the op-
%portunities ahead of these engineers,
agriculturalists, chemists and others,
the bishop went into some Of the ag-
ricutural problems of Montana, saying
in part:
II may be told that Montana is not
an agricultural state. | resent the
statement. In 1918. the products of
Montana's farms surpassed the total
value of her mineral products and Mon
tana is the greatest mining state in
the Union and r~ejoices in the greatest
mining camp on earth. In 1918. Mon
tana's farm products were valued at
$50, 900, 900.
at the state fair in 1909, James J.
Hill %prophesied that Montana would
Iyet become the greatest of the agri-
cultural states. His prophecy formed
the thesis of the most important adj
dress IN agriculture ever delivered in
the west. He proved his thesis by this
simple argument. Leaving aside her
81. 100000 acres of grazing land and
her 100000 OO acres of mountainous.
or forest land, Montana has 10000, 0OO
acres of arabic land that can be
brought under the pillow and made to
produce nearly everything that any
other state can produce.
Compared With Iowa
This is about the area of Iowa,
which is now considered to be the best
of the agricultural states. Now, turn
to the report of the United States de-
partment of agriculture, and you will
find that Montana produces about twice
as much per acre of what it now grows
as does Iowa. Therefore. when the
whole 30,000.0O0 acres are brought
under cultivation, Montana will produce
in the aggregate about twice as much
as Iowa and, hence, will take her place
at the top of the list of agricultural
states.
You may say that Mr.. Hill did not
calculate on the drouth and the cut
worm. If he were here today, he
would answer that these are only
temporary setbacks and do not invaG-
date his argument and will not make
times burned out by drouth. The bot
u-inI1 p,nro than npoc hnrnaJ E-.,.
to n crisp. Again. the army worm and
the grasshoppers came and literally
destroyed every green thing. Yet
Kansas and Nebraska recovered, and
today they are great and prosperous
states. Although, unlike Kansas and
Nebraska, Montana did not suffer TO
the extent Of being obliged to call for
outside help. still she has been sorely
tried by drouth and insects. This.
however, has not been her whole
trouble.
inexperienced settlers, who were
unacquainted with any kind of farm
ing, much less with scientific culture
of the soil under adverse moisture
conditions. were responsible for not a
little of our agricultural misfo"tunes.
These will in time be replaced BY in
dustrious and intelligent formers who
through the. scientific knowledge Mon
tana's agricultural college is propagat-
ing in lecture room and laboratory, IN
the press and in farmers institutes,
will literally make the desert blossom
like the rose.
Blessing In Disguise
81 believe the drouth of the last
few years is a blessing N disguise.
Whom He loveth. He chastiuetb.' /
believe it will prove to have been a
kind disposition of providence Urging
US to use the means that will make
the prophecy of Mr.. Hill come true.
These means are more irrigation and
diversified farming.
'NNhile we need settlers on about
one-fourth of the 2,136,974 acres al
ready irrigated, still if we had water
on the 5,2SS,5i7 acres that can now be
irrigated, the very publication of this
fact, coupled with the announcement
that the average price per acre is
lower than in any other state. except
Mississippi and Alabama, would draw
to Montana a vast influx of settlers.
With the maximum amount of irriga-
ton and cheap land we would not have
to beg people to come to us. Immi-
grafton would pour in at flood tide and
in two decades Montana would easily
have a population of 100000 people.
More irrigation Needed
81 am glad providence visited US
- -r-I -o, o1~n