The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-05-20
Montana Making Rapid Strides IN
Agriculture and Industry in Excess
of Many Other Northwest States
. FORTUNATELY $4,000 cars Of
Montana dairy products moved
westward during the last year"

A FORTUNATELY $4,000 cars Of
N Montana dairy products moved
4 westward during the last year"
says c.. A. Norris, chief OF n
dairy division of the department. OF agrt-
culture, labor and industry. This is al
most a trainload a week. Carload snip
ments of Montana products to u
California ave increased 700 per cent
since 1920. AS the population on the
coast continues to expand, opportunities
for selling our goods there will increase.
This opportunity is most apparent In
the case Of dairy products. CallIornla
cannot produce more than half her
needs in dairy products. Dairy products
are concentrated. This concentration
permits long shipments. Forty carloads
of alfalfa hay are required to produce a
carload of butter. Is 1T better to ship
the hay or the butter? transportation
costs do not figure with manufactured
dairy rOduc to the same extent as In
the case of many other farm products.
The high figure in dairy costs is food.
Our Montana alfalfa is the equal OF that
raised anywhere in the world and we get
a heavy forage production per acre. hi
is the great advantage that the Montana
dairyman has-cheap forage Of the best
quality. If we can build up our herds to
efficient production records we can COM
pete with any state in manufacturing
dairy products. When the coast Market
is not good we can ship to eastern mar
MUS la q ~ LAGNF 80 -
that dairy products are concentrated, and
will stand p~resent-day shipment costs OF
approximately three cents per pound IN
carload shipments"
Winter Wheat Best In Years
Winter wheat, in spite of the cold
weather which prevailed during the last
two weeks, is in frst-claSs condition, ac-
cording to ]. G.. Diamond, federal crop
statistician, who completed a field tour
of the winter wheat belt of Central Mon
ana
'"The wheat has the best root develop
ment 1 have ever seen at this date in the
past three years. says Mr.. Diamond.
Top growth is short, but with the pres
ent condition of the plant and soil IL
should make a remarkable response with
the first warm weather n should STOOL
The effect of the cold weather has ap-
parently been very Slight. In the CANA
tin, fields were amply protected by a
light snow cover. In the Judith Basin
the only effect observed was a slight dis
c~oloration of the tip of the leaf. On the
other hand, winter wheat, due TO the
cold weather. has been roofing down and
any loss of top growth has been more
than compensated by the best root
growth that the crop has shown at Chls
date in recent years"
MIR. Diamond believes that h warm
weather now prevailing n the state will
snow a big Improvement in the appear
anCe Of the crop.
Keen Interest IN Fair Plans
There is more interest in Montanas
twentv-ffth annual state fair, which
opens on Sept. 5, than for a number OF
years. according to w. F. Casey, secre-
tarv. County commissioners in q
counties nave already made definite ap-
pointment of members of the fair d
visorv board and in 10 other counties II
is stated that appointments will be mad
at the next meeting of the commission
ers slated for the first week in May.
The first duty Of the advisory board
member is to see that the county repre-
ented pEcDares a proper and compre'
hensive exhibit. Last year only 10 coun'
ties were represented with exhibits a
the fair. This year it is hoped that al
least 80 will participate in the eXposi'
ton. Members of the advisory boarc
coming to the fair with exhibits from
their respective counties are allowed al
expenses and a modest compensation pc.
diem.
Members of the board already appoint
ed are.
George Lowell, Beaverhead; James Grit
i'm. Blaine: R. E. Cameron, Cascade
George McCone, Dawson; ]. o. Hembre
FallOn: j. w. Hensleigh, Garfield; Alv1l
E.. Cleveland, Golden Valley; E. B. Dun
can, Hill: Burke Clements, Lewis n
Clark: Pat Carney, Madison; Robert loot
ell, Powell; F. A. Givan, Ravalli; Ralph
D. Mercer, Rosebud; George A. Helterline
Sanders; M. P. Ostby, Sheridan; Charlie
A. Greenfield, Silver Bow; w. H. Jones