The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-05-14

Rye
The estimated acreage Of rye IS
$4,000 acres, or % per cent less than
Tor last year. and a little over half
the 1922 acreage. The condition Of
he crop or May 1 is IS. an improve
d ent If three points over April /,
md compares with 70 a year ago, and
to % the average condition for the
rast ten years. Its present condition
forecasts a crop CT about l,247, 900
bushels. The production for 1929 AMI
1922 was 2,112,OO0 and 3,360.OO0 bu
shels respectively. Rye was much
aided by spring SHOWS and rains, which
stimulated stoOling and terminated
some that had not yet shown above
ground.
Field Work
The extent that spring work is de-
layed is shown by the fact that farm
ers report only 46 per cent of the
spring blowing was done by May l,
compared to As per cent last year and
TO 81 per cent the average amount
done by May l for the past ten years.
Seeding and planting was reported as
% per cent completed by May /, as
against AZ per cent last year, and SIS
per cent the ten year average. Only
twice in the past ten years have
farmers been forced to delay their
spring work so much. An exception 70
the delayed progress of spring work
is noted in the district west of the
Continental divide, where there has
been little precipitation this spring
and consequently field work has been
pushed further along than usual. Cold
weather there, as elsewhere, has de-
layed crop growth, however.
Hay Left on Farms
About II per cent, or Ais, 900 tons
of the 1923 hay crop was still left on
farms on May /. This compares to a
IA per cent carry-over last spring, 6
per cent two years ago, So per cent
three years ago, and to about II per
cent, the average percentage carry
over for the past ten years on May
l. The amount Of hay left is not as
! large as was expected a few weeks
ago, due 10 the necessity Of much
: feeding during March and April, but
! the amount on hand is larger than
: for any Of the past ten years, except
1921 and 1914. Quite a number Of
localities have no hay left, while
others report a big surplus. From the
s~tockmen's viewpoint, the %carry-over
of hay is looked upon %favOrably. since
past experience has shown that it may
be needed the next winter TO supple
ment the current crop.
Mortality of Livestock
Montana stock have gone through
the past year with very light losses
There have been very few long severe
storms, and diseases have not beer
bad. Blackleg has caused consider
abb loss in some localities, and has
probably caused more deaths amone
cattle than any other disease. 1t is
also true that stockmen as a whOle
arc giving better care TO their herd;
and focks. end losses on the range are
distinctly less an average. Reporte'
losses from d.-eas. and exposure ar;
as follows:
Cattle % per 1000 compared to q
the previous year and to 81 the ter
wear average; sheep % per 1000 com
AIRED to 40 the previous year. and t
80 the ten year average; lambs 10 Pc
1000 compared to so the previous yea
and to 81 the ten year average; hog,
from disease only. 1S per 1000 com
|, pared 10 20 the average FOR ten years
|. With the exception e Butte anC
Anaconda, every city in the state re
ports a surplus Of labor. according Il
reports received nv the division o.
labor. Several of the city employment
agencies report that men are looking
for white collar and mechanical
jobs, such as truck driving, but re
fuse = consider farm work.
BOezman wants ten farm workers
and adds Plenty men on road but IN
less a employer is waiting for then
they come and go on