41 



■.which have been used with marked success. In this State I was told that 

 ■$6V2 might be taken as the cost per acre of producing wheat on an average 

 > dry-farm. This sum would include ploughing, harrowing, and harvesting. 



During my journey through the West, I made enquiries in regard 

 to steam cultivation, and on several occasions saw traction ploughing. In 

 .Montana, Professor Atkinson, whom I interviewed on this matter, said : — 

 In regard to steam cultivation w r e advertised for breaking up and double- 

 'discing two sections — 1,200 acres — and the bids ranged from $1% to $8 

 per acre with ordinary ploughmen and teams. We then decided to buy 

 .a traction gasoline outfit : Hart-Parr engine (Charles City, Iowa), 22 

 horse-power, costing $2,250 cash ; and an Emerson 14-disc plough 

 (Emerson Company, Springfield, Illinois), costing $450, and a tank at $75 ; 

 including freight the total cost of this outfit ivas $3,054. We broke and 

 disced 900 acres at a cost of $2. 16 cents per acre, and we are now doing 

 it for under $2 per acre. This machine is giving entire satisfaction. We 

 ploughed four and five inches deep, but later we intend to buy mould- 

 board ploughs and go down six and seven inches. This type of traction 

 engine moves over the ground at the rate of two miles per hour and does 

 twenty acres per day, and burns sixty gallons of gasoline daily. The tank 

 •is filled once a day and costs 22 cents per gallon. The gasoline is delivered 

 at the farm once a week. We could not afford to use coal as it is too far 

 to haul, but we believe there is a great future for the gasoline traction 

 .engine on the dry-farms of Montana." 



I left Bozeman on the Union Pacific at 7.20 p.m. and arrived at 

 ilforsythe, Montana, at 3 a.m. Next morning Mr. J. B. Nelson, 

 Superintendent of the State Dry-farms, very kindly accompanied me. 

 We drove out to the Forsythe Station, which is situated six miles from 

 the railway. The soil is a good loam, two to five feet in depth, resting on a 

 .clay subsoil. This farm consists of forty acres, which is held on a five years' 

 lease. The land belongs to a neighbouring farmer, who, in consideration 

 >of taking charge of the farm, receives a grant of $75 per month from the 

 railroad company, and in addition he obtained his own section of land — 

 640 acres — from this company at a greatly reduced rate, that is $2._50 per 

 .acre. This farmer carries out the instructions * given him by the State 

 Superintendent of Farms. At the time of my visit the experiments in 

 progress were principally connected with tillage, such as methods of 

 fallow for the conservation of moisture, the growing of drought-resisting 

 •cereals, and a determination of rates of seeding. The aim is rather to 

 concentrate on a "few main points of dry-farm practice than to dissipate 

 over too many — in a word, to be able to tell the farmer, as soon as 

 possible, one or two things of practical value to him. At this station, 

 the land was in good tilth, but the wheat was backward owing to the 

 inclement spring. As yet, no trees have been planted, and there is only 

 one small building on the place — that is a soil laboratory. 



I examined a steam-ploughing outfit — direct traction — near by, 

 which was engaged in breaking up five sections of land (5 x 640 — 3,200 

 acres). It seemed to be giving great satisfaction. The engine — 22 horse- 

 power — was drawing twenty-two disc ploughs, which were cutting from 

 three to five inches deep. I saw 600 acres of fall wheat on land 

 which had been broken up by this outfit, and it was doing nicely. After 

 ploughing the land is disced, harrowed, and levelled, and then seeded. 

 "The engineer in charge — a bright young felloe — seemed to know his 



