VOL. XXIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., MARCH 2,1889.
NO. 9
MONTANA.
Its Olimate and Productions,
By J. B. C.
Several correspondents have asked how
< . it was, that, lying so many degrees north
ot here, the climate of Montana conld be
so mild. We have frequently said it was
caused by the warm Chinook winds from
thePaoiflo, caused by the Japan current
Bat as farther particulars are asked for,
we promised in this article to enter into
fuller explanation of . the causes of this
warm climate so far north.
ORiaiN OF THE CHINOOK WINDS.
What is known in physical geography
as the equatorial current, starts some did
tance off the coast of the peninsula of
Southern California, and flows west nnder
the equator for nearly 10,000 miles, warming up to 80 to 90 degrees. It is deflected
toward our north Pacifio coast by the
islands and c >ast of Japan, and hence
takes the name hore of the Japan current
Lieut. Brent of the Japan expedition of
onr ocean survey says that this current is
equal in size to the Mississippi river at
flood hight, multiplied 3,000 times. This
great warm tide touches our coast at Alaska, where the average yearly temperature
is about that of Washington, D. C. From
here it fllows south along our Pacifio coast
f to the mouth of the Columbia river, and
-J the warm winds from this current sweep
y up the valley"V the Columbia north and
through the passes of the Cascades, reach-
. ing even the 631 parallel, in the British
possessions, greatly modifying the climate
of the Saskatchawan valley, where wheat
matures so well. The numerous passes
in the Cascade range admit the warm
winds, and in Montana the Rooky mountains are more than 3,000 feet lower than
in Colorado, and even further north. Thus
the warm winds,called Chinooks,pourover
the eastern slopes and down the valleys of
northern Montana, greatly modifying the
climate of that country. Prof. Agassiz, a
great authority on the philosophy of climate, says that a point 300 feet lower than
another in same latitude, is equal to one
degree of temperature. So it these regions
of northern Montana are 3,000 feet lower
than those of Colorado, that makes it
about 10 degrees warmer in Montana than
. in the latter, and the number of degrees
north is not much over half that. And so
we have the philosophy of the warm ell
mate in the Northwest Of course there
are some very cold days, but such spells
do not last long. Men miss it in theory
.sometimes, but this philosophy is sustained by the facts. The gentle, balmy
Chinook comes rustling over the tops of
the low Bear Paw mountains, to the south
of the Milk river, like a maiden robed in
the flaffy folds of her white summer
gowns, on the way to a May party. The
first appearance of the coming of a fresh
wave of the Chinook, we saw in light,
• , warm fleecy clouds rolling and dancing
over the brow of the Bear Paw range, 25
* miles to the south, from the new town of
: Chinook on the Milk river. In tbe winter
: season a snow storm, in miniature as i
looks, ensues on the mountains, and in
Bpring and summer the rain comes pattering down.
STOCK AND CBOrs.
In this  northern  climate  during the
j   growing months of  May, June and July,
there are over 200 hours more of light and
sunshine than in the latitude of  Indiana,
and this is the reason for the rapid growth
and maturing of the crops.   Last week we
,      alluded to the live stock industry in that
oountry.   In this immediate valley, only
opened by  the government last year to
:      settlement, there has been  but little op-
|      portunity to  test the growing crops on a
)     large scale.   But near Benton tothe west,
■     In the same valley of soil-and climate, we
talked with farmers who said that 40 bush -
ls of wheat, 45 to 50 of barley, and 70 to
90 of oats were considered only fair crops.
Potatoes and all root and vegetable crops
Sf em to grow to great perfection. We
talked with a gentleman who said that bnt
little attempt had been made to grow
corn, though he had grown 40 bushels per
acre of the small eight rowed Canada corn,
and believed that the smaller and early
varieties would do well. He thought there
was little use for corn there, as oats, wheat
bran and bailey, with the root crops, supplementing the grass of the ranges, was
better for live stock than corn. The
growth of corn, above all the great staples,
requires warm nights during the growing
season,and the nigtits are not warm there,
as in the great orn belt. Tomatoes and
melons mature well, and so do garden-
vegetables generally.
VALLEYS AND TABLE LANDS.
From the new town of Chinook, (formerly Dawes) the valley and table lands are
most accessible. The. latter are called
bench lands in that country, and are very
fine for grazing purposes, the luxuriant
grasses showing their great fertility. On
our recent trip we went to the bench lands
south from Chinook toward the Bear Paw
range, and also to the table lands north of
Chinook, and the grasses greatly impressed us with the fertility of all these
lands. To the east and west are the rich
valleys of the Milk river and its numerous
tributaries for scores of miles. The streams
coming from the north have their source
in lakes and springs, partly in the British
possessions, while many putting into the
Milk from the sonth flow from great
springs in the Bear Paw range. The valley is well watered in all directions.
GENERAL NOTES.
In this northern latitude the June and
July days are about 18 hours long and the
nights about 6 hours. In December and
January this order is reversed, and the
nights long and days short.
There are a great quantity of deer,
grouse, and other wild game. The deer
are found in the timber along the streams.
All Northern Montana, for hundreds of
miles, is supplied with good coal, only a
few of the mines being yet opened to any
extent. One of the best of these being
about three miles north of Chinook.
People should not go to that country, or
any other, till satisfying themselves that
it will suit them, as what suits one won't
another. We remember that the "Haw
Patch," and other sections of Indiana,
were at first denounced by some people as
"terrible mean" sections, but are now the
most desirable and wealthy sections of the
State. It takes a great many kinds of
people to make a State.
In our opinion, the section of Montana
which wo have twice visited and described,
is the place for energetio young men,
whose fathers have a little money to help
them get a start in sheep, cattle or horses,
or general farming and stock growing.
Here are free government lands for their
improving, and put off thus to depend on
their own industry and resources, is the
way to make good citizens of such young
men. Tne splendid citizenship of this
oountry was made ln that way, except
that the pioneers had to buy their lands
for $1 25 per acre,and these Montana lands
and free for homesteaders.
Persons should not go out till after the
middle of March to see the country well,
though prospectors will probably go earlier to some extent.
The country only being opened last sea
son, there is but little accommodations yet
for prospectors, but a new hotel is to be
completed at Chinook, in the Milk river
valley in March, from which point people
can see that country to advantage. The
Manitoba railway has special rates to that
and other points for round trips for persons to see the conntry.
Bheep Laws.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In lo'okingover the Farmer of February
9 I notice a piece on Needed legislation,
and another by Miello, in which he describes his sheep that were killed and injured by nobody's dogs. I know how to
sympathize with him, but not how to express my feelings on the subject, so as to
do it justice. When a man goes out in
the morning and finds his best sheep with
the flesh torn from their bones, and they
yet living, or mangled so they cannot
walk, it makes him wish that all dogs
had shared the fate of the swine that we
studied about in the Sunday-school lesson of February 10.
Wilson Cory wishes for a more efficient
dog law. When I left Ohio the law was
that every owner of a dog was responsible for all damage done by his dog. The
trouble then was to prove ownership. If
you charged the dog with killing sheep,
the owner could tell exactly where his dog
had been all the time for the last month,
and that he had the dog' in bed with him
at the time your sheep were killed.
If the evidence was so strong that there
was no denial then the mau would deny
ownership. It was a dog that came there
and could not be driven away.
While living in Indiana there was a law
In force for a short time requiring every
owner of a dog to pay a dollar to the township trustee. When paid the owner received a tag, with a number on it. He
was required tb keep this tag on the dog.
If any dog was found without a tag it was
taken as evidence that he had no owner
and it was the duty of the constable to
kill it. Any one could notify the trustee
of any such dog, and the trustee was required to send the constable and have him
kill it. In less than one year there were
over twice as many dogs listed for taxation as before and 10,000 worthless dogs
were killed. The next Lsglslature preferred dog hair to wool, and dog meat to
mutton,and repealed the tax law and gave
more protection to a dog than any other
animal. If we remember right, there is a
heavy fiae for a farmer to kill a stray dog
on his own farm. If there could be a law
like the old Indiana law requiring the tag,
and then the Ohio law giving the owner
of a farm the right to kill any dog found
at large on his premises, it would give
some protection to sheep. Here in Kansas we are not troubled by losing sheep
by dogs. The tariff reduction wiped out
every flock in this part of the State. Five
years ago there were large flocks of sheep
here; now, I do not know of a flock in
Sumner county. D. M. A.
Rome, Kan.
 » ♦ »	
On the Road Question.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The gentleman of Gibson oounty, who
speaks of farmers using roads in proportion to their wealth, surely has a neighborhood much unlike the majority in the
State. For most districts contain many
kinds of people as to wealth. And a law
to tax according to wealth will increase
the farmer's burden. Is that to the farmer's interests? No, but it is the cry of
agents of all kinds, peddlers, log and
heading haulers, and the people of incorporated towns who wish to have pleasure
at the farmer's expense.     *
Will some one tell me through the
Farmer, how those I have mentioned
would help to keep in repair such roads?
1 mean direct aid. There are some people
who have no real estate  that will  travel
10 miles to a farmer's one mile. For example widows and heirs of estates. As to
the lost time of hands working under
supervisors, surely he is to blame. • If we
have the money it would.be better to
pay it, but four days' work is easier : got
from many who have but little to tax,
than one dollar ia.
Hendricks Co. A Subscriber
ANOTHER OPINION.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I would like to have a law to tax all
land for one mile on each side of the road
proposed tobe Improved, the sum of 10
cents per acre yearly for say five years,
upon petition of a majority of the land
owners interested. I would have the
work done in the fall, and would allow
men to work out their tax for the whole
five years if they wanted to the first year.
This would give us gx>d roads at once.
Montgomery Co. T. S.
—Mr. S. says much more on this plan,
but our space is  limited.—Eds.
One of the Luxuries They Must Have,
f-dlf-g Indiana Farmer:
Being very short financially, I told my
folks we would have to do without the
Farmer for a time, but my better half
comes to the rescue In the nick of time,
and says: "I will sell some chickens and
pay f>_r it myself, and then I can claim
the right to read it first." S> herewith I
inclose postal note for renewal of mv subscription. There are many luxuries we
are willing to do without but not the
Farmer. J. G. O.
Sueldon, Vernon Co., Mo.
Thanks to Mrs. J. O. O. and her chickens. We hope that other good wives will
Imlta.e her example, and secure the first
reading of the Farmer.
%ttxo g&pnxtmtxxX.
BY VINSON CASTER, ESQ..   THIS CITY-
The responsible tax payers of Orange
county have just finished piying their 2
per cent railroad tax, now can they make
ns pay the delinquent tax that thev have
failed to collect? A Subscriber.
No.
What is the law relating to fees and
mileage of witnesses subpoenaed before
the grand jury? Please state section and
page of Revised Statutes of Indiana where
found. J. W. B.
There is no Statute allowing witness fee
before the grand jury.
A buys a place of B, gives his notes and
secures the same with mortgage. B sells
the note to another party, and leaves the
State. A pays off the notes as they become due, but does not have the mortgage released. Now, can B or his heirs
foreclose the mortgage?
No.
1. Can an error in deed to land be cor-
rooted, by the party taking acknowledge-
mend of deed and the county recorder?
2. Can re3l estate belonging to the wife,
be held for payment for fruit trees purchased by her husband and planted on
the wife's land? L. B. C.
1. No.
2. No.
If A pays B for a pass on his gravel road
can B compel A to pay extra toll when
hauling wood or logs or lumber, if so, can
he compel A to pay on his road home,
with an empty wagon ? C. H. R.
This would depend on the terms expressed in the pass. If it were general
withont any reservation, then he has the
right to use the road for any and all purposes.
A having had two wives, had children
by each wife. His first children come of
age and he gives each $3,000 worth of property. A dies before the other children are
grown leaving no will. How must the estate
be divided? Will the children all get equal
share of property left, or will the younger
children first each get $3,000? As first
wife had property given her at the time of
marriage but it was always kept as one
fund, can her children get what was
once hers out of A's estate. S. C. M.
If the $3,000 was at the time intended as
a mere gift tothe first wife's children then
the property left mnst be equally divided
among all the children. But if the $3,000
was intended as an advancement out of
the father's estate then the younger chil-
dren would first be entitled to $3,000 each,
and the residue only would be divided
among them all.