MONTANA CROPS 35 



APPLES. 



About 90 per cent of our apples are produced west of the Continental Divide, 

 and there conditions favored the production of a large crop in 1923. But there is a 

 considerable number of neglected orchards ; diseases were worse than usual, and rare 

 hail storms did a great amount of injury to the fruit in Ravalli county, so that the 

 amount of fancy and high grade apples was comparatively small. Most of the apples 

 sold from Carbon county orchards are now sold locally or trucked out to nearby towns. 



MONTANA COMMERCIAL APPLE PRODUCTION. 



•Partly estimated. 



OTHER FRUITS. 



Next to apples, cherries constitute Montana's most important fruit crop. Practically 

 all of them are raised in counties west of the Divide. The large sweet cherries of 

 the Flathead region, and the canning cherries of the Bitter Root Valley, are worthy 

 of mention as important sources of farm income. A considerable expansion in the 

 number of cherry trees of both types took place in 192S. 



Small fruit and pears are locally important in the western counties also, and some 

 are shipped out. 



BEANS. 



The acreage planted to beans increased several hundred per cent over that of 1922. 

 The Great Northern variety is grown almost exclusively for sale. Most of the 1923 

 acreage was in Yellowstone, Carbon, Big Horn and Stillwater counties, but many other 

 counties give promise of having comparatively large bean acreages in 192i. The beans 

 are grown on both irrigated and non-irrigated land, and the 1923 average yields were 

 very good. Market prices were such that growers would have realized a very satisfactory 

 profit on the crop had not unusually persistent fall rains caused severe injury to most 

 of the crop which was not yet threshed. 



SUGAR BEETS. 



The sugar beet acreage in 1923 was increased greatly over that for 1922. Montana 

 beets are grown chiefly in Yellowstone, Carbon, Stillwater, Big Horn, Treasure, and 

 Richland counties. Approximately 25,000 acres were grown in 1923. The average 

 yield per acre was close to 11 tons, and the returns netted a profit to growers. Several 

 thousand head of cattle, sheep, and lambs were fattened during the past winter around 

 Billings, the wet pulp from the Billings sugar factory forming the basis of the fattening 

 ration. This feeding industry is only one of the direct advantages resulting from sugar 

 beet production. There apparently will be considerable expansion in the acreage for 

 1924, including more extensive trial plantings in the Milk River Valley and on the Sun 

 River Project which were begun in 1923. 



ALFALFA SEED. 



The alfalfa seed crop for 1923 was fairly satisfactory in the southeast fourth of the 

 state, both as to yield and prices received. The production in the northern counties 

 along the Milk River was cut down on account of the June floods and grasshoppers, while 

 the conditions were unfavorable to good yields in Sanders county. Most of the crop 

 last year was produced in localities more or less distant from shipping points, such as 

 in Garfield, Big Horn, Rosebud, and Powder River counties. This crop possesses a 

 distinct advantage for such localities, because of its relatively low bulk and high value. 

 Under continuing favorable markets alfalfa seed production will probably increase. 



