THE IKKIGATION AGE. 



15 



each acre planted. He states that land can not stand 

 that sort of a bumper crop each year; it is necessary to 

 summer fallow, keep ground clean and work it thor- 

 oughly. He also states that the theory that irrigation 

 keeps soil up is a fallacy. Mr. King has acquired 

 more land and has one 200-acre farm rented to the 

 sugar beet factory for a period of five years at an an- 

 nual rental of $10 per acre. 



In further conversation with the writer Mr. King 

 stated that his old or original ranch is now sown to 

 alfalfa, with the exception of sixteen acres, which is 

 an orchard. He raises alfalfa for seed and can usually 

 harvest about five bushels of seed per acre, sixty pounds 

 to bushel; this sells for 12 cents a pound, or about 

 $36 per acre; the only cost in raising alfalfa seed is in 

 the harvesting and hulling. 



In 1891 Mr. King made a record in potato raising 

 for the Yellowstone valley. He selected an acre of 

 ground and put on it in piles sixty tons of well rotted 



so that all that was in course of preparation near the 

 hills went into the potatoes. 



Mr. King is a typical Western rancher, but is a 

 good bit of a student as well. In showing the writer 

 a fine bunch of apples taken from his orchard he said, 

 "I know every stem on those apple trees; I watch the 

 apples grow in clusters and crowd each other for place 

 just as do grapes in a bunch. I know," he continued, 

 "every horse on my ranch and they know me and will 

 come at my call as far as my voice will carry." 



Mr. King, whose picture is shown in the half-tone 

 standing back of the cultivator, said, in concluding our 

 very pleasant and interesting visit: "A farmer's life 

 may be a little lonesome sometimes, but it has its com- 

 pensations." 



If any of our readers visit Billings they will do 

 well to meet and become acquainted with Mr. King. 



Our December issue will tell more about the farm- 

 ers near Billings. 



Scene near Billings, Montana. 



cow manure; this was distributed in piles ten feet 

 each way. He then plowed the land and made fur- 

 rows with a two-horse walking plow eight inches deep 

 and planted seed in every third furrow one foot apart, 

 selecting large seed with two "eyes." He then covered 

 the seed with manure and plowed under. It took a 

 long time for the seed to sprout and come to the sur- 

 face, but about all of the seed grew. The crop was 

 then plowed, hoed and irrigated when he thought nec- 

 essary. The vines made remarkable growth, were long, 

 thick and large, and covered the ground so that culti- 

 vation was stopped. Mr. King states that an early 

 frost nipped the ends of the vines, and as a matter of 

 curiosity he dug one hill to find how much the pota- 

 toes would weigh, fearing that they had all gone to 

 vines. The potatoes in the hill opened weighed about 

 three pounds. A remarkable change was found after 

 the frost, as every hill opened later in the season after 

 the vines were frost killefl showed a weight of over ten 

 pounds. He attributes this remarkable difference in 

 increase of weight after the frost to the fact that no 

 more plant food was required by the tops after the frost 



AN ANNEX TO WONDERLAND. 



Proposition to Build Wagon Road to Yellowstone Park by Way 

 of Red Lodge Meeting with Favor. 



The Eed Lodge route to the Yellowstone Park may 

 be a reality within another year if the united efforts of 

 the Red Lodge Board of Trade and the Montana Busi- 

 ness Men's League bear fruit. In order to demonstrate 

 the feasibility of this route, an overland trip was made 

 a short time ago by Albyn Buchanan, secretary of the 

 League, in company with a newspaper man, a photog- 

 rapher and several business men of Billings. The Red 

 Lodge organizations furnished the guides and Sheriff 

 Potter acted as host. Over 100 photographic views were 

 made en route and data collected that will be presented 

 to the congressional representatives and the Department 

 of the Interior. As the road will pass through the Ab- 

 sarokee Forest Reserve and connect with the Soda Butte 

 road in Clarks Fork Canyon, the aid of the government 

 is necessary. Some opposition at the hands of interested 

 parties is expected, but as both Red Lodge and Billings 



