DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



141 



DRY LAND FARMING IN NORTHERN MONTANA. 



(F. A. Carnal, Fort Benton, Montana.) 



It was not many years ago that dry farming was considered an im- 

 possibility in ^Montana, but the development of the past few years has 

 proven be3"ond question that it can be conducted successfull}' and I pre- 

 dict that twenty more years of progress in ^Montana will find all the better 

 class of lands, considered worthless a few 3'ears ago, because of absence 

 of water, the homes of settlers who will make a comfortable income from 

 their efforts. 



Erroneous Contention. 



A\'ithin the memory of even the tenderfeet of the state the assertion 

 has been made that no crop could be grown without irrigation. Later 

 years have pro^'en this contention to be erroneous. Northern Montana is 

 the pioneer in the movement for dry farming in Montana and the crops 

 which liaA-e been grown throughout Chouteau and Cascade counties without 

 a drop of water save that which falls down from the skies, during the past 

 few 3-ears have proven without a doubt that dry farming has come to 

 Alontana to stay. Wh}', it was nothing uncommon to record 50 or more 

 bushels of wheat to the acre last fall upon unirrigated farms and 80 bushels 

 of oats was a common occurrence. True, the year was an uncommonh" 

 good one. with an abundance of rain, and this helped out materially in the 

 good crops that were har^-ested. 



In the Gallatin \"alley. along the high bench lands in the section 

 where the ^Madison and the Gallatin have made their efforts to come to- 

 gether and help form the ^Missouri, I am told, phenomenal crops have been 

 raised this 3-ear. in a few instances 100 bushels of oats to the acre having 

 been threshed. That is out of the ordinary, but it is a good assurance that 

 dr3'--land farming is here to stay. 



The coming of ranchmen who will take their chances on a good yield 

 of grain, as the farmers of Dakota and other western states are doing, 

 means much to the state of ]\Iontana. Naturalh' these ranchmen are all 

 tree planters: the3- aim to surround their places with trees to use as wind 

 breaks and help beautitV their holdings. Ever3' tree planted is conducive 

 to a greater rainfall — that has been the histor3- ever3^where. When the 

 trees disappear the rainfall also disappears; and the restoration of the 

 forests means renewed rainfall and a greater storage of the snows of the 

 winter. Ever3' drop of water thus stored means additional moisture for 

 the crops of the summer, for none of it is wasted, as it percolates through 

 the soil, feeding the hungr3^ plants, even when the surface appears parched 

 and dry. 



Benefit Expected. 



I expect much good will come from the dry-land farming conference. 

 Experiences will be swapped and the delegates from ^Montana will be 

 given the experiences of the farmers of older sections of the countr3^, 

 where the practice has longer been in vogue. You can truthfully say that 



