The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-05-20

benjamin Dagget, Sweet
Grass; j. C.. Morgan, Teton; Fred Weigel,
Valley; Charles H. Ruzicka, Yellowstone.
Rapid Progress In Dairy Industry
Da1ry1ng in the Bitter Root valley has
now reached such proportions as to JUS
THY the dairy division of the department
Of agriculture in establishing there an
official cream tester. The Office was es-
tablished upon the request of the Ra-
vallt creamery, the Bitter Root Valley
Cheese company, the Bitter Root Valley
Cooperative Creamery company and W..
G. Wells, and these. concerns bear the
expense connected with the Office. In
the future others permitted to make use
of this. official will contribute a monthly
payment Of $12 for each cream station.
1t will be the business Of the cream
tester to impartially test all milk or
cream delivered to any OF h contribute
ing companies in their course of opera
ton in manufacturing or shipping. The
agreement states that said test shall be
final n decisive as between said manu-
facturers n their patrons" Appoint
ment OF the Ravalli inspector will b.
made within a few days by B. A.. Norris,
chief of the dairy division.
Scale Testers to Cover State
w. A. Bachelor, chief Of the scale-test-
ing division of the department Of agri-
culture, and two deputy scale inspectors,
j. j. O'Connor and G.. T. Baxter. have
started the annual statewide tour of in
spection made by the division.
The state is divided into three districts,
the state scale expert covering one dis
trict and the deputies the other two. The
work covers a period OF approximately
six months during h year. During last
season 1884 scales were tested.
AS a result Of a measure passed at the
last session Of the legislature, the scope
OF activities Of the scale-testing division
will be enlarged this season. In the fu-
ture, scales for coal, wool, beets and other
products will be tested as well as grain
and elevator scales.
1t is the opinion of the men in the
field that both the public and the own
ers of scales realize more and more the
value derived from having their scales
inspected and tested each year by this
department, and each season shows an
increase n the number of requests for
scale inspections.
Oil Production at Cat Creek
There are ITO producing wells in the
Cat Creek oil field which in 1926 pro-
duced 998, 239.48 barrels Of crude oil val
ued at S2,230, 1859. Cat Greek is one
Of the six major operating oil fields in
Montana. 1t was the third field in the
state to discover oil and the second real
commercial producer. 1t entered in the
producing rank in the spring of 1920. In
1925 there were 164 producing wells, 121
of which were in the first sand and 43
Of which were in the second sand. The
Cat Greek field now stands second in the
Sct ~ aAA4ONAAAS u OA PAONhOC0g III
Kevin-Sunburst wells being first. Dur
ing the last six years there has been a
total of 1895, 161.02 barrels of oil taken
from the Cat Greek field.
Cost of Raising Montana Wheat
The cost Of producing wheat in Mon
tana is about the same as in North Da-
kota n Kansas, the two largest wheat
producing states in the Union, according
to. the forthcoming issue of the Montana
Farm Review, published by the United
| C%aL-- L.-o.--
and the state department of agriculture,
labor inc industry.
Harvest and threshing costs in the
state of Montana are being lowered in the
last two or three seasons, as are also land
preparation and planting costs. This is
accomplished by a more efficient use OF
labor and machinery. The costs Of these
items ave in past years been higher
than in North Dakota and Kansas. Mar
keting expense is another item in which
Montana, by reason Of her geographical
position, has exceeded the other two
states. Authorities are Of the opinion
however, that as the western population
grows, Montana will u a closer anc
more easily accessible market for heI
wheat.
AS the Farm Review points out, com
parative statistics as to relative average
costs Of producing crops are still toe
! limited to permit definite conclusions al
to detailed production cost. However
annual surveys on production costs made
by the u. S. division Of crop estimates
have provided a basis from which com
parsons may be made more closely as TIT
records increase. A summary Of the re-
suits of the 1923 and 1924 surveys TO
Montana, North Dakota and Kansas SHOW
that 283 farms in Montana in 1923 aver
aged a lower production cost per bushe
Of wheat than did All farms in Nortl
Dakota and 545 farms in Kansas.
Variations in yield per acre from yea
to year naturally greatly affect the cos
per bushel. The yield also influences II
some extent the cost per acre as when
heavy yield increases the expense Of har
Shingle Output for Five Years
Single production in the state o
Montana during the last five years aver
aged 1,427,000 pieces, according to tn
state publicity division. At the begin
ming OF this period a large percentage o
the shingles were manufactured from
western red cedar, u there has been
very apparent decline in shingle produc
ton, and most Of it has been in tn
manufacture Of cedar shingles. Lum
bermen and forest officials give two fac
tors as responsible for this situation: ex
haustion Of the easily-accessible ceda
which is suitable for shingle manufac
ture, and the great increase in the us
of wood substitutes for roofing. TIL
present shingle production is that b
small sawmills, from such species q
J lodgepole pine and Douglas fr.
= Orchard Products are in Big Demand
Montana orchard products are maxim
a place in eastern markets by their I'm
u quality, according to Edward Dicke,
e state horticulturist, who recently re
ceived word from New York that a ca
: of Elgin Heights Montana Mcintosh ar
pies from Stevensville were sold at auC
ton for a high price in h New Yor
market. The report stated that eth
popularity of Montana Mcintosh apple
in the New York market found expires
sion at a sale Of a car Of the Elgi