Combined Consolidated and Village School, Outlook. 



Poultry and Bees. 



More and more the farmers of the state are coming to realize that the products 

 of the dairy, poultry yard and apiary are important sources of profit that often make 

 success on the farm. Accordingly a larger number of farmers are keeping poultry 

 and a few hives of bees along with the dairy cows. Poultry does well in Montana, 

 being practically free from disease. There is a good market for dressed fowl and for 

 fresh eggs. The. income from poultry amounted to about $1,600,000, from nearly 

 1,000,000 fowls in 1917. There is also a large demand for honey, at a good price. 

 The income from bees amounted to about $50,000 in 1917. 



Orchards Produce Well. 



While apples and other fruits are grown in all parts of Montana it is in western 

 and northwestern Montana where the business is conducted on a commercial scale. 

 Apples and cherries from Missoula, Ravalli and Flathead counties are shipped each 

 year to all parts of the United States, certain varieties grown in these sections having 

 a national reputation and commanding fancy prices. In almost every county in the 

 state strawberries and other small fruits are grown on a limited scale, but the small 

 fruit industry has never been actively prosecuted in any section, save in the Bitter 

 Root country. This is a field which offers great opportunities for the person who 

 has a liking for the business, as the home demand is supplied almost exclusively 

 from outside the state. 



The total apple crop in 1917 was 911,000 bushels, which had a market value 

 of one dollar per bushel. The pear crop was 11,000 bushels. 



Irrigation Reclaims Land. 



At a tremendous expense many reclamation projects have been constructed in 

 Montana and are supplying water to the farmers. The private companies, the federal 



