The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1928-07-06

which precedent and "grandfath-
er's way of doing things" could
not solve.
Agricultural history repeats it
self wherever men leave the old,
well-settled farming regions, where
methods of cropping and soil Gull
tivation are we'll established, and
then vainIy try to transplant these
same familiar ways to a new SOIL
climate.
Homesteaders have found out,
some by bitter experience, that
growing grains on Montanas
bench lands, raising alfalfa and
fruits on her irrigation projects,
summer following and "dry-farm-
ing on her semiarid lands, and
herding sheep and feeding cattle
on rolling plain and mountain side
are altogether different problems
from raising orn and hogs on
Iowa's. black loans, or milking
dairy COWS in Wisconsin or Mime
sofa.
Old Methods Fail In New State
Much of the distress through
which Montana passed in by-gone
DAYS was due to the fact that n
old methods of farming, SOUND anu
good in eastern states, fall down
and do not work at all in Montana.
Success does not come until
Montana farmers find out-some
of them by bitter experience-that
Montana soils must grow Moh-
tana crops, not those OF the corn-
belt: that Montana cattle must be
fed Montana feeds by Montana
methods, not those of the DAIRY
belt: that grass lands which sus-
tanned the buffalo and antelope
for centuries + often better
adapted even today for grazing
than for grain-growing.
Those who have the Interest," OIL
the treasure state at heart are
now determine that the man OH
the soil shall no longer grope III
the dark, make costly mistakes
that discourage and break him, or
find it necessary to bear the whole
burden of experimenting to flhd
the right way to farm in Montana
This determination resulted IN a
series of meetings, termed asri
cultural economic conferences
hat are being held in Montana.
An effort is being made to sur
vev accurately the states farming
and ranching resources, n then
70 decide upon the best methoos
for developing them.
District Meetings
ga meeting held in Bozeman' aC
the state college early in the year.
was followed by half a dozen
others in as many different parts
of the state, which has now beef
zoned into six definite districts
Each of these has practically the
same general problems.
s'The series of general district
gatherings is being followed no"
by another representing smaller
divisions of the states territory, to
give more intensive and intimate
local study to the farming prob
lens.
Especial agricultural economic
conferences have been held to con-
slider irrigation problems, since
these include many which apply
to some particular area or project.
Special conferences have already
been held for the projects in south
eastern Montana, the Flathead
valley and the lower Yellowstone
valley.
arrangements are about com
pleted for the two conferences to
be held at Great Falls and Malta
this month. The Malta meeting
will be held November Is and 16
to draw up a program of develop
ment for the Milk River valley.
The Great Falls meeting, to draw
up a similar program for the irrl-
gated areas of central Montana,
will be held November II and IS.
In both the central Montana and
The Milk river irrigated areas in