The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-07-12
BY III. L. LANTZ,
County Agricultural Agent

merchant in discussing conditions a
few days ago. "Of course, we had
more money when the homesteaders
rushed into this territory and spent
some of their hard earned cash
which they had brought with them.
The trouble was, most of the fellows
who filed on land were not real,
horn-fisted, Woodworking farmers,
but school teachers, bank clerks,
BARRIERS, store clerks, factory work
ers and men from every conceivable
vocation seeking a fortune.
'Many of these people brought
enough cash with them to buy their
few necessities till they could get
their final proof and sell their home
steads to the loan companies, or in
other words plaster the homestead
with a mortgage. Then, too, a few
years of good crops on the small
acreage cultivated made the loan
companies willing patrons to stake
the homesteader for $1,000 or
$4,000 on his property, providing
they could get a mortgage on the
homestead and from 8 to 10 per cent
I . VI dCL l4OA4CI 4AAO CCbo
ed the farmers to become real plum
gers and use every dollar they could
get their hands on to gamble in
wheat and flax.
"Slip-shod methods of farming
were practiced. Wheat was "stub-
bled in soWn on new breaking, any
way to get a large acreage in wheat
everyone expecting to get a bump
er crop, make their stake and spend
the rest of their days in sunny Cali
fornia. A few good wheat years set
everybody wild and tractors, auto
mobiles, farm machinery and all ne
cessities were bought on credit,
everyone expecting the big wheat
crop to pay for it all. The wheat
prices rose and everything else in
proportion during the war.
'"Three years of drought during ,
this period and nothing else to fall
back on ruined many of these would
be farmers. Many left the farms and
back to their old %vocations.
The men who brought lots of money !.
them and plunged in wheat
were the ones to go under first. I,
Some Were Successful !
"However, there were many eX-
perienced farmers who were seeking !
homes among the original home !
steaders. Many of them had very !
money and found it necessary
to make a living first and plunge in =
to wheat growing more cautiously. 7
These were the farmers who bought l
a few COWS, a few chickens, planted :
potatoes, a small truck patch, ex- I
perimented with corn and found out 8
they could raise it and in general y
managed to have something to sell :
every time they went to town. =
"These are the ones who have been y
able to stick. They are the mes who !
have made money and some of it was |
made with wheat, too. Instead of :
expecting to make a fortune they 9
to make a living and when 8
he wheat was sown they figured if &
hey got a crop well and good and d
f they didn't they still had the COWS
hogs and chickens, potatoes and y
vegetables to fall back IN to
AIRY them over another year. y
'"These farmers today" the mer- d
hant continued, care the ones that =
re bringing the money into town, y
it's money produced right in this L
ounty which gives US a real pros y
-
The first crop of farmers in Phil ID
ps county has now passed the ex- a.
stage. Some have sue I
eeded, some starved out long ago, y
are badly in debt trying to pay d
at 10 per cent by raising u
rain, others are realizing that div "
ratification is the only safe method
follow, but alas! too late-because q
county farmers are hit just u
S badly by the slump in prices for d.
gricultural products as the farmers ~
q any other part of the United 81
tates. ~
They find it very difficult to get pii
ut from under a heavy mortgage, y,
aging high rates of interest when :
he cost of production equals the "
Otal amount received for their pro- III
ucts. With this condition existing )"
county offers very good OPP DS
for homeseekers. Land 81
alues are lower than they have been
Or years. Good dry land farms can
e bought at from $40 to $40 an
ere. Agricultural economists are a
redicting better times for the farm tie
r and when that time arrives Phil OIL
ps county farm lands will double in m
alue. co
The Start With Corn u
In 1919, the third dry year, farm
rs, county officials, merchants, and, -
| fact, everybody, became desperate. r.
ONE farmers had played a straight
heat game and lost; many of them
ad no money to buy seed, so the
,unty bonded itself for $4,000 to
used in purchasing seed. Expert
lents had been conducted with corn
the county agents office and
pod results had been obtained in
lch of the dry years.
The farm bureau, county commits
oners, and the county agents office
,~-operated in laying plans for dis
ibuting the seed loans. Many had
st confidence in straight wheat
rming and the necessity for a de-
,ndable feed crop brought up the
of possibilities in raising
- - 1.,-hn1 ALL