An Abundant Harvest

The Friday August 8, 1913 Philipsburg Mail expounded on the hay and grain harvest of the Flint Creek Valley in the following article: “Winter wheat is ripening and almost ready for the reapers. J.W. Duffy has banner wheat fields which will yield upwards of 40 bushels to the acre. Grain not hurt by frost. New fields are seeded. The harvest season in Flint Creek valley is now fairly on. Everywhere in the fields the ranchers are busy cutting and stacking hay and aided by favorable weather, good progress is being made. Haystacks are springing up all over the valley, almost like mushrooms overnight. In this part of the valley the crop generally is about like last year-in some places the yield is more and in others somewhat less. But last year was a banner year. In the lower valley, the yield on the bottom lands is thought to be lighter than the last season but on higher ground it is heavier, The condition is probably due to too much rain and cool weather which retarded the growth of the grass in the bottoms. But the bench lands are yielding heavy crops in both hay and grain. 

The Philipsburg district will again excel in Turkey Red wheat which is now ripening rapidly and is almost ready to cut. The binders will likely be started in several fields in this vicinity by next week. The finest stand of winter wheat-Turkey Red- is west of the city on the ranch of John W. Duffy. He has 100 acres, almost ready to cut, of as fine a grain as any country has ever produced and the yield is estimated to be at not less than 40 to 45 bushels per acre. …it is sure to go for 15 bushels an acre more than last year. The grain is full and heavy and shows no sign of damage from frost. It is in a locality where frost does not touch. The Franz brothers at the six-mile ranch have fine growing crops of wheat, rye and oats, all of which will yield heavy. 

Fine fields are to be seen west of the city at the ranches of C.L. Schoonover and C.F. Drewry. The grain is ripening evenly, is full and heavy and soon will be ready to cut. Heavy crops of hay are being put up at the ranches of John Kaiser, J.J. McDonald, the Degenhart place, M.C. Durfee, Eric Johnson, Mars Mohr and at the Groth ranch, farmed by C.L. Owen, where the yield is considerably more than last year. There has been little rain to interfere with the work in the fields and none to damage the hay which is of superior quality and being put up in fine shape. 

In the upper valley the usual big crops are in evidence and within two weeks the haystacks will be more numerous than a year ago. Much new ground has been broken and seeded in winter wheat. which is just beginning to show green. Just south of the city Fred Kroger has a fine field of about 100 acres which looks promising. Frank Goodman at the Hynes place also has a large tract and at Fred Burr Creek, Albert Budel has quite a field of tall wheat. Across Flint Creek on the bench John Kaiser, J.J. McDonald and Thomas Mitchell have seeded large tracts in wheat which should give a large yield next season as the soil and location are favorable.” 

As I have stated many times, the ranches kept the county surviving during the periods that mining was not profitable. Ranches, really have never been profitable, but provide survival when hard work, strategy and credit are available. These factors and good soil have fattened cattle in this valley since Thomas Adams brought herds into it in 1858.