The Kevin review., 1923-03-08
FARMERS OF THE TRIANGLE Show KEEN
INTEREST I'm DRY LAND SPECIAL TRAIN

The dry land farm success" den
onstration trains trip through tn
lnofth central Montana triangle
has been a greater success than ii
most optimistic supporters had pre-
dicted At each point virtual hol
days were enforced during it's sta
and record d-breaking crowds of farm
ers and their families attended tn
demonstrations and listened to tn
lectures given.
Next in Importance to the large at
tendance of farmers In each town /
the manner in which these farmer
have received the information div
ulged and the principles expounded
A person cannot visit one of thu
farm success demonstrations with
out catching the spirit of optimism
and determination which seems tt
prevail here. It is safe to say tha
q majority of the farmers at eacf
Of these gatherings are men who have
mo desire to abandon their land pro
viding they can make living as wei
as home upon it, and they are anx
ious to profit by the experience Of
others in order that this most salts
factory condition may be brought
about.
The farm success train was
made possible through the co-opera-
ton of the Montana State college ex-
tension service with the Great Nor
thern railway. 1T is disseminating in
formation gathered during an exten-
sive survey Of dry land farming in
the triangle" carried out last sum-
mer under the direction of M. L.
| Wilson of Bozeman, state leader of
vice.
There are three cars in the demon
lstratiOn train, two being flat cars
which carry homemade and other
kinds of dry-land ti1lage implements,
and one being passenger coach
which has been remodeled into an ex-
hibit car. Many of the implements
are those actually used by successful
farmers in the triangle" and were
loaned for exhibition purposes on this
trip.
Everything about the demonstra-
ton train is arranged and placarded
to catch and hold the farmers eyes,
mutely driving home the salient facts
drawn from the success survey. En-
phasis is put upon certain methods
which, in majority of cases within
the triangle" must be adopted to in
sure permanent success.
Besides, Mr. Wilson, who conduct
ed the survey and gives the principal
lecture upon it at all meetings, and
two assistants from the extension
service, there are always at least two
or three of the outstanding 26 sue
cessful farmers of the triangle" with
the train to discuss their methods of
farming with the farmers who visit
the demonstrations.
At each point visited, two hour
program is given in hall. This
includes an illustrated lecture by Mr.
Wilson, two reels Of motion pictures
and short talks by successful farm
ers. Evidence of the interest in this
program Is shown in the rapt atten-
t1on given through it all and the
many Intelligent questions asked at
its close. Though real oldfashioned
farmer hospitality and sociability per-
vades the meeting, there is nothing
but most serious attention given to
all discussions.
There are close to 100000 acres
of land in the north central Montana
triangle" the base of which is the
Canadian border reaching from a
point east Of Havre to a point west
of Shelby, with its southern apex at
the city of Great Falls. Livestock
raising was the sole industry of this
territory before 1908, cattlemen,
sheepmen and horsemen contending |
that it's soil would produce only ma
tive grasses for grazing and that any |
to farm 1t would be fool
They made their money |
with livestock roaming over the free
range and they resented the intrusionl
of the homesteader
But this very thing happened, COM
with 1908, when for four
years hOme-seekers from virtually
every state in the union poured into
what is now. known as the triangle.
Up until 1915 most all of the home
steaders were fortunate in the mat
ter of crops, some years getting pro-
lific yields with little or no effort.
But after that 1t was a different
story. Droughts, hail storms and
pests came with discOuraging results.
One by one, the homesteaders lost
all of the money they had made in
their earlier operations, but they
still had confidence that everything
would. turn out all right next year"
They mortgaged their property and
borrowed at the banks. But hail and
drought and pests continued to
plague them. Finally state and fed
eral aid was given them through
loans to buy seed, etc., to put in
more crops. But this did not save
hem. Their taxes began to go de-
linquent and then followed mort
gage foreclosures.
The extension department of the
Montana Agricultural college in the
spring of 1922 decided an extensive
survey should be taken to ascertain
he exact conditions prevailing in the
triangle" and to find out why some
'armers succeeded and why some fail
I'd; to learn If the district really is
! farming section and is so, what
should be used to insure sue
:ess.
M r, Wilson moc mt In charoo |