THE -PROGRESS OF WESTERN AMERICA. 



49 



held at Lawrence. It had a bier attend- 



, . fe 



ance and was a success in every way. 



The papers were interesting and instruc- 

 tive. 



It is understood that the Standard Oil 

 Company has acquired almost undisputed 

 possession of the Kansas oil fields. 



The commissioners of Shawnee county 

 have decided to build a bridge across the 

 Kaw river into Topeka. It will cost 

 $150,000. 



Among the new topics introduced at the 

 meeting of the Kansas Dairy Association 

 was that of Pasteurizing milk and cream, 

 and the process is finding considerable 

 favor in other States, according to the re- 

 ports. 



The Rock Island is putting in a dam at 

 Phillipsburg and next will put one in at 

 Smith Center. The latter will cause an 

 extensive lake to form. 



Martin Mohler has taken a fancy to 

 English Berkshires. He will raise no 

 more wheat. Instead he will plant Kaffir 

 corn, sorghum and other forage crops for 

 hog feed. 



The Kansas corn crop for 1895 is about 

 201,457,496 bushels. 



N. H. Stidger is the father of irrigation 

 in Ness county, says the Ness County 

 News. He urges that it will pay any 

 man to irrigate a garden spot, if he has to 

 pump water by hand. 



O. P. Updegraff, secretary .of the Kan- 

 sas State Swine Breeders' Association, 

 says: "The foundation swine stock in 

 our State has already given us a great 

 reputation, and careful attention to our 

 business will put millions of dollars in 

 our pockets. Let us put forth a grand 

 effort to further the interests of our asso- 

 ciation. It's like that household neces- 

 sity, the baby buggy ' a good thing, 

 push it along.'" 



The farmers of Stanton county were 

 never in as good shape financially as now. 

 The past has been a year of plenty with 

 them. 



In 1894 Kansas had 90,825 acres in 

 alfalfa, and in 1895, according to official 

 returns, very close to 125,000, which is an 

 increase of 88 per cent. 



The Osage Carbon Company's pay roll 

 on Saturdays is $20,453.29. They also 

 pay $869 to the Scandinavian Company. 

 At Scnmton their pay roll is $6,889.73. 



Finney county farmers are. paying their 

 taxes promptly. Irrigation did the busi- 

 ness. 



Stafford county farmers have discovered 

 that a profitable crop for them is celery. 



Fourteen extra fine spring pigs raised 

 in Chautauqua county weighed 4,280 

 pounds. 



Liberal is becoming noted as a health 

 resort. 



MONTANA. 



" It is only during the last two or three 

 years that the people of Montana have 

 turned their attention to gold mining, and 

 this period has been characterized with 

 discoveries and developments of gold belts- 

 which, judging from their immensity and 

 richness, will eventually place Montana at 

 the head of gold-producers, as well as 

 that of copper." This is the claim of the 

 State press. 



The most important recent mining deal 

 in Western Montana was that which oc- 

 curred in Deer Lodge, whereby W. A. 

 Clark became the owner of Willard Ben- 

 nett's interest in the Royal Gold, which is 

 one of Granite county's biggest gold-pro- 

 ducers. The transfer includes all of Mr. 

 Bennett's stock, consisting of 120,000 

 shares, at a price of about $1 per share. 



A batch of thirty-one patents for settlers 

 on homesteads within the Helena land dis- 

 trict was received at the land office in one 

 week. 



It is a fact not generally known that 

 Bntte produces 2,000,000 tons of copper 

 ore annually. 



The Helena mineral land commissioners 

 have examined and classified 2 16,600 acres 

 of land, and but one protest has been filed 

 in the local land office. 



Deeds transferring the site of the State 

 School of Mines, which will be built in 

 Butte, have been recorded, and the neces- 

 sary buildings will be constructed in the 

 spring. 



The Belt and Sand Coulee coal mines- 

 of Cascade county now produce nearly 

 5,000 tons of coal a day. The pay rolls of 

 these two companies aggregate $125,000- 

 every month. 



The Last Chance Ditch Company at 

 Joliet, Carbon county, has been incorpo- 

 rated; $5,000; Andrew Nerlin. 



The crop statistics of Gallatin county 



