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AGRICULTURAL SERIES N°2 AGRICULTURAL SERIES N?2

UNITED STATES RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION UNITED STATES RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

MONTANA

S

FOREWORD. “N\ov

Helena, Montana.

Montana offers many advantages and induce-
ments to the man or the woman who is looking west-
ward for greater opportunities than may be found
in their present location. Comparatively a new
country, Montana is a state of vast undeveloped
resources. The farmer who comes to Montana will
find that he can engage in that business on less capi-
tal than is required in the Middle West or in the
East. He will be able to grow crops without the
use of fertilizers, and his production per acre will
equal and in many cases exceed the output in less
favored parts of the country.

Montana has provided liberally for the education
of-its boys and girls; there are on its statute books
laws designed to protect and aid the farmer, stock-
grower, homemaker, and business man.

Montana welcomes the patriotic, home and coun-
try-loving men and women who cast their lot with
us.

a

Governor.

Bozeman, Montana.

Montana is a new state in the agricultural sense.
Only recently has she moved forward from an
exclusively range-stock section to a farming section.
The farming possibilities of the State are only at the
beginning of their development. Intelligent, pro-
gressive farmers, with sufficient capital to properly
equip themselves for work, are needed to turn these
farming potentialities into realities. A good start
has been made and the Montana State College of
Agriculture, which was organized some twenty-five
years ago, has been a conside.vable factor in the for-
ward agricultural movement. For many years
specialists in this institution have been studying
Montana agriculture, so that now the institution is
particularly well equipped to serve the farmers of
the State.
find new facts about Montana agriculture; second,
to carry these facts and other farm experiences and

Its field of service is threefold: first, to’:

practices to the farmers of the State; and finally, to
give to the young men and women who come to its
halls the training and outlook that will enable them
to better fight the battles of life.

The Montana Experiment Station, with some
twenty or more specialists, is carrying on experiments
in soils, field crops, fruit, garden crops, live stock,
poultry, and other lines of agriculture. Study is
centered not only on improved methods of produc-
tion, but also upon the reduction of losses from dis-
ease and pests. The results of these observations
and studies are published in bulletins and circulars
and are sent free to any person requesting them.

The most effective agency employed by the college
to bring the results of its work home to the farm
people is the Agricultural Extension Service. In
twenty-four counties agricultural agents give their
whole time to educational and service work in their
counties. The home demonstrators in nine counties
are rendering an equal service to the farm women.
These agencies, together with the extension special-
ists, carry a message of better agriculture and of
helpful home suggestions to all parts of the State.
Send for the program of the extension work.

The State College is the center from which all this
work radiates, but at the institution an even more
important work is carried on, viz., the preparation
of young men and women from Montana homes for
larger living and for larger success in life. Here
they may equip themselves for community leader-
ship and for service in the many special lines of
work which the ever-expanding field of the farm
makes necessary. Those who would know more of
this service should write for further information.

I heartily approve of this booklet and we are
willing and anxious to codperate in every way pos-
sible with the Agricultural Section of the United
States Railroad Administration. .

Dean and Director,
Montana Agricultural Experiment Station.

2 2 oL ide
HOY 26

1919

This field of winter wheat yielded over 46 bushels per acre on benchland of Central Montana

Montana is the third largest state in the Union.
It has an area of 147,182 square miles with an esti-
mated population of less than 800,000. While a
great portion of Montana is mountainous and an-
other portion is suitable only for grazing, yet there
are in the State, valleys containing thousands of
acres of farm land; valleys larger than some of the
noted agricultural states of the Union.

There was a time when Montana generally was
considered a mining and grazing state with little
agricultural land. That this opinion is erroneous is
indicated by the fact that in the past ten years
30,000,000 acres of public lands within the State
have been filed upon for homesteads. In 1918 there
were assessed in Montana almost 40,000,000 acres
of land, a large part of which was improved farm
land. Incomplete statistics indicate that there are
83,000 farms in the State.

Montana offers many opportunities for a man to
obtain a farm home at comparatively low cost,
with opportunity to sell his products at a remunera-
tive price. Unirrigated farms with wheat produc-
tion records of from twelve to forty bushels per acre
and which are within a reasonable distance of a

railroad and a town with school facilities, may be
purchased for $15 to $40 an acre, while irrigated
land sells for $40 to $150 per acre.

The United States Government has in operation in
Montana a number of reclamation projects where
the man seeking a home may purchase irrigated land
on long-time payments and at a most reasonable
figure. In addition to the Government projects,
there are the Carey Land Act projects. These latter
are under state control and supervision.

The farmer who comes to Montana and settles
within a reasonable distance of the town or railroad
has as many conveniences and as great an oppor-
tunity to enjoy life as does the resident of the Middle
West. Montana is among the leading states in the
development of hydro-electric power, with the
result that i,_many sections electric power can be,
and is, utiliz7d 2ichy operations on farms. Montana is
most liberal in the support of its public schools. The
result of this policy is that one finds in the country
school with a few pupils, teachers as well equipped
as those in towns of 40,000 or 50,000 inhabitants.

In a majority of the counties of the State there
are well organized farm bureaus and county agri-

Many good farms are being created in Montana. The homesteader’s “shack’’ and straw shed are rapidly being replaced by

comfortable homes and large barns

cultural agents. The extension department of the
Montana State Agricultural College carries on in
the State a most extensive work, so that the farmer
who comes to this State finds the agents of the
National and State Governments ready to assist
him.

One of the big opportunities offered the settler
in Montana is in connection with the dairying busi-
ness. In four years, from 1914 to 1918, the number
of creameries more than doubled. In every valley
where the creamery business has been started, it
has been a success.

In many sections of the State conditions are pecu-
liarly favorable for the cattle and sheep business,
due to the fact that a considerable quantity of land
is designated by both the State and Federal Govern-
ments as grazing land. Where land is classified as
suitable for grazing only, a man may take up 640
acres under the homestead laws. These grazing
lands afford fine pasturage throughout the summer
and for a considerable time during the winter.

A very large portion of Montana is especially
adapted to, and is being utilized in the growing of
grain. In the past ten years tt Fyroduction of
wheat has increased from 3,000,000 bushels to an
average annual production of more than 29,000,000
bushels; flax from 104,000 to 3,000,000 bushels; oats
from 10,000,000 to 22,000,000 bushels; barley from
875,000 to over 2,000,000 bushels; corn from 94,000
to 2,100,000 bushels.

Climatic conditions in Montana have been as
little understood as have the agricultural possi-
bilities. Like all sections of the country, the State
at times has extremes of temperature, but it must
be remembered that Montana is a region of magni-
ficent distances and of great variation in temperature
and precipitation. Possibly the following account,
written by Randall J. Condon, superintendent of
public schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, and who resided
for a number of years in Helena, Mont., will give
an understanding. ‘‘As in any extreme northern
state, the thermometer occasionally records a low
midwinter temperature but the cold spells are short.
The ordinary outdoor occupations may be carried
on in winter with little inconvenience. The summer
temperatures never are oppressive and heat pros-
trations are unknown.”

Precipitation comes generally during the grow-
ing season, when it is most needed. Taking the
State as awhole, it may be said that the annual
precipitation will average from thirteen to nineteen
inches, with a larger part of this during the growing
season.

Markets for the grain crops are found locally at
the mills and elevators, there being in Montana more
than 1,000 elevators and flour mills. What is not
milled in the State is shipped to eastern or western
grain markets. The market for vegetables, poultry,
and creamery products is furnished by the mining
and lumber camps and the larger cities of the State.

MONTANA

ee Sn

Flax is one of the most important crops in the dry ae sections of Eastern, Central, and Northern Montana

Production of these products in the State falls far
short of the demand.

All grains do well in Montana, some sections being
more suitable for winter than spring wheat. In
recent years, Eastern Montana has produced corn
on a commercial scale. Montana oats are noted the
country over and the yield per acre is exceedingly
large. In all of the irrigated sections alfalfa is a
principal hay crop. In the irrigated valleys of the
higher sections timothy is grown, while in all sections
e the State the wild native grasses are available for

ay.

In the older sections of the State diversified farm-
ing is being followed, much attention being given to
dairying, hog raising, and to the poultry industry.
As in all new countries, greater attention has been
and is being paid, in Montana, to the production of
wheat.

In irrigated sections the production of sugar beets
has attained considerable proportions, three sugar
beet factories having been constructed in the State.

Montana has soil and climatic conditions pecu-
liarly adapted to the production of peas. In several
sections peas for seed are grown on a large scale under
contract with eastern seed dealers. In addition to
the production for seed a very large acreage is
devoted to production for canneries, of which there
are several in the State.

In the Yellowstone Valley the growing of beans

‘on a commercial scale has developed into a large
business the past two years, the shipments from that

section in 1918 aggregating seventy-five or eighty
cars.

The western part of the State is the most success-
ful fruit-growing section, particularly in the numer-
ous mountain valleys. However, in nearly all sec-
tions except the higher valleys the hardy tree and
bush fruits for home use are grown.

The following report of the field agent in Montana
of the United States Department of Agriculture
shows the production of the more important crops
grown in Montana in 1918:

PRODUCTION BU.

IMPORTANT CROPS TOTAL VALUE

Spring: wheats coche cattecavte bis s tise 17,250,000 $33,465,000.
Winter inhedts. occurs tietesiae creo F 8,184,000 “ 15,877,000.
Cloriting- nt soa D ACN OUNOUAODOOOBoNS 20 2,100,000 “ 2,835,000.
Oats oes eat Sop cas, atte ik caeetee ites iota 20,400,000 “ 16,320,000.
BATE WS i crcres cg esti hvcte suasess a) ple receteinlsve toon 1,914,000 “ 1,914,000.
Sa ites GA ROMO AC stone Ges oe ESO 300,000 +“ 432,000.
Hlaxseed ype pre are fai eames 2,844,000 “ 9,613,000.
Potatoes...... 7,020,000 5,616,000.
Hay (tame).... 1,277,000 TONS 24,049,000.
Hay (wild).... 362,000 “ 5,973,000.
Apples (total) Sere 790,000 BU. 1,659,000.
ANON 556 cel AS PHA pA Ah AOC OI0 ODS $177,753,000.
EASTERN MONTANA
Consists of the following counties: Carter, Fal-

lon, Wibaux, Richland, Sheridan, Custer, Prairie,
Dawson, Valley, most of Rosebud, Phillips, Blaine,
Hill, and Toole. Its chief rivers are the Missouri,
Yellowstone, Milk, Powder, and Musselshell.

In topography it is very distinct from the rest of
the State. It is classed as the plains section, and
is a part of the great plains of the United States,
which extends over Kansas, Nebraska, and the

Sugar beets are one of the most important and profitable crops‘on irrigated land in Montana.
of the Continental Divide.

They are now grown on both sides

One sugar factory has been in operation a number of years at Billings, and two new factories

have recently been constructed at other points in the State

Dakotas. This area has a generally rolling surface,
broken at intervals by tree-fringed creeks and
rivers and by occasional low hills or “‘buttes.”’

Before the days of the white man it was an un-
broken expanse of rich, nutritious prairie grass, and
was the favorite pasture ground for great herds of
buffalo. Even ten or fifteen years ago its prairies
were hardly disturbed. To-day it is dotted with
homesteads and broken up into many fields of wheat,
flax, and other crops. Where the prairie sod is still
unturned the settlers’ horses and cattle now range
and fatten upon the native grasses.

Eastern Montana includes the great spring wheat
and flax-growing area of the State. In fact, 60 per
cent of the spring wheat and 90 per cent of the flax
grown in Montana are grown in these counties.
These crops have proved so generally profitable
that they have hindred the establishment of more
permanent general farming. The chief corn-pro-
ducing counties also lie within this section.

According to soil conditions and crop possibilities
this plains region is rather definitely divided into
re parts, the Missouri River forming the dividing
ine.

North of the river the land is more generally level,
not so broken, and the soil is black in color, deep,
rich, and productive. It is well adapted to large
scale tillage and the use of tractors is common in this

section. Spring wheat and flax are the leading cash
crops, though there is some winter wheat grown.
Barley and oats are grown for feed.

Southward from the Missouri, the topography is
more broken, giving more grazing areas, and hence
this part is more adapted to live stock and diversified
farming. The soil shades off from black to a choco-
late colored loam, with occasional areas of heavy land
approaching gumbo in texture. It is a very fertile
soil, yielding heavy crops of all small grains. In
addition, the climatic conditions are more favorable
to corn, and it is in this section that the bulk of
Montana’s annual 2,000,000-bushel corn crop is
grown.

Corn growing in Montana may seem odd to some
“corn belt”’ farmers; yet Montana’s corn crop has
steadily increased. It is now twenty times as large
as in 1908, and the yields compare very favorably
with those states lying along the northern part of
the corn belt.

The seed used is acclimated seed of early flint and
dent varieties, which have through careful selection
become adapted to Montana conditions. The stalks
are shorter than eastern corn, and much more leafy.
Planting is done about May 10th to 15th, and
methods of planting and handling are about the
same as in Other states.

MONT

Spring wheat in Eastern and Northern Montana. Over two-thirds of Montana’s total acreage is spring wheat. The acreage of
all wheat in the State has increased from 150,000 acres in 1908 to over 2,000,000 acres in 1918

The farmers in this section have found that corn
fits admirably into crop rotation, and that it pro-
vides the best of winter feed for their stock. The
yields of small grains are about 30 to 40 per cent
larger on corn stubble.

Flax is a leading crop on new breaking. During
the past few years many farmers have harvested
flax crops whose gross returns have equalled the
first cost of the land upon which it was grown.

Spring wheat, however, is the chief cash crop and
the acreage devoted to it has increased at the rate
of 50,000 acres per year for the past ten years.
Marquis and Durum are the chief varieties grown.
The yields range from six to forty bushels per acre,
depending upon the season and the tillage methods
use

Sugar beets are a profitable crop in the Yellow-
stone Valley and are promising well in other sections
of the State where they have been tested. In general,
they do well under irrigation anywhere in this
section.

Beans as a commercial crop have developed rapidly
in this section during the past five years, about
8,000,000 pounds being produced for market in
1918 —doubling the 1917 crop.

Montana’s population is growing so fast and her
agricultural resources are being developed so rapidly

- that it is hard to keep a record of them all, but no

part of the State has grown more rapidly than the
eastern section.

Blaine County, which is in the northern part of
this section, is crossed from west to east by the Milk
River, from which the Government is taking water
to irrigate a large part of the valley. Sugar beets
do well here under irrigation. Heavy fields of
alfalfa also are obtained on irrigated land. All the
small grains are grown on the unirrigated uplands,
which comprise a large part of the county. Irri-
gated land may be purchased for $35 to $85 an acre;
dry farm land from $10 to $30, and grazing land
from $1.50 to $5.00

Carter County, in the southeastern corner of the
State, is well underlaid with coal, thus fuel is abun-
dant and easily obtained. The county also contains
the Sioux National Forest Reserve of 40,000 acres of
pine. Sawmills operating here furnish all necessary
building lumber. The climate is good and _ the
growing season long. Only one-tenth of the tillable
land is under cultivation at present. Stock raising
is general and profitable. Auto trucks are being
used for hauling wheat to market. Dry land may
be purchased for $10 to $20 an acre and grazing land
for $1.50 to $5.00.

Wheat, oats, barley and corn are the leading
crops of Custer County. Alfalfa produces two cut-
tings per season and the acreage devoted to this

MONTANA

Alfalfa, Corn, and Range Pasture make stock raising profitable in a large portion of the Eastern part of the State

crop is increasing rapidly. Miles City, (the county
seat) is the largest primary horse market in the
United States, and also ships more horses, cattle,
sheep and wool than any other city of its size in
the State. Farmers producing commercial alfalfa
seed are organized into a growers’ association which
markets several carloads of seed annually. Irri-
gated land may be purchased for $75 to $100 an
acre, grazing land for $2.00 to $7.00, and dry farming
land for $10 to $35. In Dawson County, flax, wheat,
oats, barley, and potatoes are grown for market.
From Glendive, as many as seventy-five carloads of
potatoes have been shipped in one season. Corn,
in this county, is growing rapidly in importance
and the better farmers use it to rotate with their
small grains. Dry farm land may be purchased for
$12 to $40 an acre, irrigated land for $50 to $75, and
grazing land for $2.00 to $5.00.

The prairies of Fallon County are noted for their
wheat production. Flax, oats, and corn also are
grown commercially. Alfalfa raising and silo build-
ing both are on the increase in the territory along
the railroads where dairying has been found excep-
tionally profitable. Dry farm land may be pur-
chased for $15 to $35 an acre and grazing land for
$2.50 to $6.00.

Soil and topographic conditions in Hill County
are especially favorable to the use of tractors, mak-
ing large scale farming common. An exceptionally
large percentage of the land is tillable. Wheat,

oats, flax, and barley are the chief crops. Livestock
raising is important. A substation of the State
Agricultural Experiment Station is located at Havre.
Irrigated land may be purchased for $40 to $65 an
acre, dry land for $10 to $30, and grazing land for
$1.50 to $5.00.

Phillips County, like all others in the northern
tier of counties, has been settled rapidly; in fact,
the larger part of the land has been taken up since
1913. There is little government land left, but some
state land is yet available. There is some moun-
tainous territory in the southwestern corner of the
county that has producing mines of gold and silver,
ranking second in the State. Livestock raising is
common. Land prices run in about the following
figures per acre: irrigated land, $30 to $70; dry land,
$10 to $25; grazing land, $1.50 to $5.00.

Prairie County is named for the broad prairies
of which it isa part. It lies in the heart of the State’s
corn section and produces all the cereals, wheat,
oats, flax, barley, rye, and corn. Many silos are
being built. Dry land for farming may be pur-
chased for $10 to $35 an acre, grazing land for $1.50
to $5.00.

Richland County lies extended along the valleys
of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. It includes
within its borders the lower Yellowstone irrigation
project, where alfalfa, corn, potatoes, and sugar
beets are grown. One thousand acres of sugar beets
were produced last year and shipped to the factory at

Low-priced grazing land in the foothill and plains regions, dependable production of hay, alfalfa, and corn fodder, have opened a new
era of stock raising in Montana

Billings. Large crops of small grains are grown on
the unirrigated bench lands. Coal is abundant
throughout the county. Irrigated land may be
purchased for $50 to $100 an acre, dry land for $15
to $35, and grazing land for $1.50 to $5.00.

The largest body of land completely under culti-
vation in one farm, in the State, is located in Sheri-
dan County. It is a 3,200-acre ranch, all in grain.
Four large engines are used in the tillage operations
on this farm. Flax is the great new-ground crop
in this county. Dry land sells for $15 to $50.

Toole County is mostly level prairie, giving a
large percentage of tillable land. Much live stock
is raised and some alfalfa is now being grown.
Wheat, oats, barley, and flax are the chief crops.
Dry land sells for $10 to $25 an acre and grazing land
for $1.50 to $5.00.

Valley County produces good crops of wheat, oats,
barley, and alfalfa. The county consists of prairie
land covered wtih dense sod. Irrigated land sells
for $30 to $70 anacre, dry land for $10 to $25, and
grazing land for $1.50 to $5.00.

Wibaux County is one of the smallest counties
in the State, but has a large production of wheat,
oats, barley, corn, flax, and potatoes. Dry land
ranges in price from $17.50 to $45 an acre, and graz-
ing land from $2.50 to $6.00.

The central part of Montana includes some of
the most productive areas of the northwest. Here
we find soil and climate favorable to the profitable
production of a wide range of agricultural products.
Winter wheat, spring wheat, oats, barley, sugar
beets, peas, corn, alfalfa, clover, grasses, live stock
and a variety of fruits of surpassing quality are
generally grown. In this great area there are still
millions of acres of excellent agricultural land which
may be purchased at a comparatively low figure.
Thousands of farmers may establish and maintain
comfortable homes in this central part of the
“Treasure State.”

Considering first the conditions and opportunities
of the western portion of Rosebud County, which is
in the southeast of the central region, we find favor-
able conditions for a wide range of crops. Along the
streams many thousands of acres of irrigated alfalfa
are raised. These return profitable hay and seed
yields. Stock feeding is general in this section. All
kinds of spring grains do well under irrigation.
Much of this county is farmed without irrigation,
and on these “‘dry farms’ winter wheat and corn
are most profitable. Rosebud County is one of the
corn-raising counties of the State and the crop
matures in good shape. Spring crops, such as spring

MONTANA

This picture shows better than words can describe the difference between “‘bottom land,”

wheat, oats, barley, and flax, are all successfully
grown in Rosebud County. All of the hardy varie-
ties of the larger fruits and vegetables find favorable
conditions here.

There is much land available at a reasonable
figure. The average price for non-irrigated land is
between $15 and $40 and that of irrigated land
between $75 and $125 an acre.

In Yellowstone County, alfalfa, the great stock
fattener and soil renovator, is widely grown. Three
and four crops, ranging from three to four tons per
acre, are cut each season and it is a staple crop on
practically every farm. Most of the hay raised is
converted into meat or dairy products.

The Yellowstone Valley was the first sugar-beet-
producing section of Montana. Here upwards of
25,000 acres of sugar beets are annually raised and
converted into sugar. On the best farms yields up
to seventeen tons per acre are obtained. The aver-
age yield for the entire acreage ranges around
eleven tons. The price per ton at the present time
is $10, which makes sugar beets highly profitable.
Even at the pre-war price of $7 and $8 per ton sugar
beets are an excellent crop.

General grain-raising conditions are favorable in
this locality; spring wheat, oats, barley, and corn
all do well both with and without irrigation. Such
fruits as apples, plums, and cherries and all classes of
small fruits do well in this area Land values range
from $100 to $200 an acre for irrigated land and
from $15 to $40 for dry land. There is still much

“bench land,”’ and “foothill land”’

good land available at the low figures.

Big Horn County, lying southeast of Yellowstone,
has splendid natural conditions and offers large
opportunities to incoming farmers and business men.
A small portion of the county is under irrigation and
very profitable crops are raised. The large area not
irrigated awaits only the incoming of settlers to
insure enormous productiveness. Winter wheat,
corn, flax, spring grain, and fruit do well. Some
sugar beets are raised and the conditions are very
favorable. Dry land ranges in price from $10 to $30
an acre and irrigated land from $75 to $125.

Carbon County is a district with favorable condi-
tions for profitable agriculture. The seasons are
long and a wide range of agricultural crops are being
raised. Sugar beets and all classes of grains and hay
do well. Fruit, especially apples of superior quality,
are raised in a commercial way in parts of this
county. Prices of dry land vary from $15 to $35
an acre, and irrigated lands from $75 to $175.

Stil water County conditions closely resemble
those of Yellowstone County. In the county, and
extending into the latter, is a fertile district known
as the Lake Basin in which the wheat yields average
25 to 30 bushels per acre. The same types of
agricutlure are common. Sugar beets, alfalfa, and
grains, with a good variety of fruits and vegetables,
find favorable conditions. The land in this county
ranges from $15 to $40 an acre for unirrigated land,
and $75 to $150 when irrigation water is furnished.

MONTANA

Copyrighted
Two to three cuttings of alfalfa, totaling four to six tons of hay per acre on rich bottom land of the central part of the State

Conditions in Sweet Grass and Park counties
differ somewhat from those previously mentioned
‘in the central section of the State, in that the altitude
is higher on the average and there is a larger per-
centage of range land. In both counties, however,
there are large tracts of excellent farming land, and
profitable crop and stock raising is well established.
Alfalfa and all kinds of grains do well. Stock raising
is carried on extensively and the splendid native
pastures make this a most profitable business. In
Park County the Shields River Valley, lying north
of Livingston, is well known as a winter wheat-
raising section. The annual precipitation is high in
this part of the State and high yields of spring grains
are harvested.

There is much good land that may be purchased
at a low figure in both counties. Non-irrigated land
averages from $10 to $30 an acre in Sweet Grass
and from $15 to $50 in Park County. The land
under irrigation ranges in price from $50 to $100 an
acre in Sweet Grass County and from $75 to $125 in
Park County.

Gallatin County lies just west of the Bridger
range of mountains. The valley land in this county
‘is one of the largest and richest irrigated tracts of
the State. Around the valley and in the western
part of the county there is much excellent dry farm-
ing land. Though this district has been settled and
parts of it farmed for more than half a century,
there is still a large quantity of good land available
for the newcomer at a moderate price.

11

Spring and winter wheat, oats, barley, peas, clover,
and grasses are the principal crops raised in Gallatin
County. The output of winter wheat from the non-
irrigated land is large and the yields range from
20 to 45 bushels per acre. “In the valley, under irri-
gation, oats yielding from 75 to 125 bushels per acre
and weighing from 38 to 44 pounds per bushel are
commonly raised.

A good many thousands of acrés are devoted to the
growing of canner’s variety of peas. These are pro-
duced under contract for the canners of the Central
West. The natural conditions in the Gallatin
Valley are favorable for peas.

Land values vary between wide limits. Good
irrigated land may be purchased for $75 to $150 an
acre while non-irrigated land sells for $15 to $80.
This wide difference in price is due to the location
and development of the land.

Madison and Jefferson counties present widely
varying conditions agriculturally. They include
considerable foothill and mountain land, which
affords profitable grazing. In both are rich irri-
gated valleys and productive dry-farming areas.
Alfalfa finds favorable conditions in these counties
and unusually good returns from native and range
grasses are harvested. All types of spring grain,
such as spring wheat, oats, barley, and flax, are
successfully raised and in sections of both counties
potato raising is extensively followed. The unusu-
ally large potato which has found such general favor

Just bench land in Central Montana

is raised in large quantities, especially in the Ruby
Valley of Jefferson County.

The large extent of rich, natural pasture land,
combined with splendid alfalfa-raising possibilities,
make this section of the State one of the best natural
stock-raising sections.

There is much good farming land in these
counties open to settlement. The prices for non-
irrigated land may vary widely, but good tracts
may be purchased as low as $10. The irrigated land
ranges in price from $50 to $125 an acre.

Broadwater County, lying north of Madison and
Jefferson counties, is a county of excellent conditions
and large opportunities for the newcomer. There
is much level land and good natural conditions for
dry and irrigated farm development. The raising
of pedigreed stock has already attained considerable
prominence and the Broadwater County show-herds
of cattle and hogs especially are well known. Al-
falfa, clover, and the natural grasses do very well
here and this has attracted leading livestock breeders.

All kinds of grains are profitably grown in Broad-
water County. On dry land good yields of winter
wheat are produced. Spring wheat, oats, barley,
and flax are raised on both dry and irrigated lands.

There is much land open to the incoming settler
at moderate prices. When irrigated, the price of
this land runs from $50 to $100 an acre. The dry
land price ranges from $10 to $35.

Beaverhead County, in the southwest part of the
central district of Montana, is well known for its
superior grain and for the very extensive livestock
production. Here will be found more irrigated land
than any other Montana county. There is also
considerable range land, which affords cheap pasture
for stock. The hay-producing possibilities are
excellent. This combination accounts in a large
measure for the extent and quality of the stock
raising in Beaverhead County.

In grain growing, especially oats, the county
has an excellent record. There are many irrigated
valleys where oats averaging 40 to 45 pounds to
the bushel yield over 100 bushels to the acre.
Other kinds of spring grain give good yields and
are profitably raised.

Beaverhead County offers good opportunities for
the purchase of cheap land. Good land for dry
farming ranges in price from $10 to $40 an acre,
while irrigated lands range between $50 and $100.

Turning to the consideration of the central and
north central parts of the State, we find a vast terri-
tory of excellent land awaiting only full settlement
to insure rich returns. The counties of Musselshell,
Meagher, Fergus, Cascade, Lewis and Clark,
Chouteau, and Teton are possessed of magnificent
possibilities.

Musselshell County is a favorable county both in
point of location and in natural possibilities. This

Favorable conditions are found on many farms of the Central Montana Region for a combination of stock and grain growing.

Many

of the most successful farmers follow this system

county is abundantly supplied with streams, making
possible large irrigation development. Already con-
siderable irrigating has been done and excellent
crops are being raised. Again, there are broad
stretches of non-irrigated benchland where dry
farming may be profitably carried on.

Alfalfa is generally raised in Musselshell county
and three or four crops are annually cut. Winter
wheat is the leading benchland crop, though spring
wheat, oats, barley, flax and corn are all being
profitably grown. The fruit raising conditions are
good for apples and all kinds of small fruits.

This county offers attractive possibilities to the
homeseeker. Good nonirrigated land may be pur-
chased for $15 to $35 an acre, and irrigated land
for $50 to $100.

Meagher County, with an average altitude some-
what higher than that of the surrounding districts,
is especially well suited for stock raising. Hay of
all sorts, particularly alfalfa, is raised in profitable
yields and the broad expanses of rich native pasture
favors stock growing.

The growing of winter wheat, spring wheat, oats,
barley and flax is carried on in sections of Meagher
county, and there are many other localities which
may be developed. The price of land in moderate,
ranging between $15 and $35 an acre for dry land
and $50 to $100 for irrigated land.

Fergus County, which includes a large part of

the well known Judith Basin, is the great dry farm-
ing, winter wheat raising area of the State. Here
you will find millions of acres of unsurpassed dry
farming land, where the soil is rich and the surface
practically free from anything that would inter-
fere with cultivation.

The soil is a-rich loam, possessing abundant
humus, and is intermixed with particles of limestone
in such a way as to insure permanency of produc-
tiveness.

Winter wheat, leading crop, is commonly grown
under a plan of alternate wheat and fallow. The
type of wheat is the hard red winter variety, and the
quality is of the highest. The yields range between
18 and 50 bushels an acre with an average of 25 to
30 bushels.

Other grains do well, and spring wheat, oats, bar-
ley and flax are all good crops. Alfalfa is raised
quite extensively and yields from one to three tons
an acre on dry land.

Livestock raising is being developed rapidly
under regular farming conditions. The number of
cattle and hogs on the average farm is rapidly
increasing.

Around the foothills and mountain areas near
the borders of the county, stock raising is generally
followed. The average rainfall, which is close to
17 inches annually, insures good natural pastures
of high quality.

Purebred Herefords

Many small ranch homes in mountain valleys, surrounded by open range or forest reserve, offer opportunities for cattle pro-
duction on a very profitable basis

Land values in Fergus County range between $25
and $75 an acre for dry farm land and between
$60 and $100 for irrigated land. While settlement
has been active, there is still a lot of good land
available, at a moderate price, awaiting settlement.

Cascade County offers attractive and varied
agricultural possibilities. Here we find good dry
farming land suited to profitable wheat raising, good
irrigated land where alfalfa, grains and other farm
products are raised, and foothill and mountain land
where stock -raising is carried on. The dairy
industry of the county is an important one.

Winter wheat raising is extensive and profitable
and the conditions are very similar to those in
Fergus County. The yields average from 20 to 30

bushels an acre. Spring grain, including spring
wheat, oats, barley, peas and corn, are raised
successfully.

There is considerable good irrigated land in Cas-
cade County. The well known Sun River project
is in this section and is rapidly being developed.
_ Land values range between $20 and $45 an acre
for dry land and from $75 to $125 for irrigated land.
There is still opportunity for extensive settlement.

Chouteau County, lying directly north of Cascade
County, is great in area and rich in agricultural
possibilities. The Missouri River, with its tribu-

14

taries, flows through a part of it and provides water
for the irrigation of considerable land. In the
range days this was a rich stock raising section and
the soil which produced the native grasses is now
producing excellent returns of cultivated crops.

Alfalfa, winter wheat, spring wheat, oats, barley,
and flax are the crops most commonly grown. There
are many broad benches where dry farm grain
raising is well established and where excellent grain
is being produced.

Stock raising is still important in Chouteau
County. There is considerable foothill land avail-
able and the prices are moderate. The dry farm
land price ranges between $15 and $20 and the
price for irrigated land from $60 to $100 an acre.

Teton County, occupying territory extending from
the border down one-fourth of the distance to the
south line of the State, presents widely varying
agricultural possibilities. Here there is good natural
range land, fine dry farming localities, and con-
siderable good farming land under irrigation.

The west line of this county follows along the main
range of the Rocky Mountains. This means that
there is a lot of good foothill and mountain grazing
land available for stock-raising purposes. There are
also many mountain streams which provide good
water for stock and for the irrigation of alfalfa and
other feed crops.

One of a number of Montana Power Company’s plants. This one develops 60,000 horsepower

There are many broad benches and level prairie
stretches where the natural dry farming conditions
are good. Winter wheat and spring grains are suc-
cessfully raised and all classes of small fruits and
vegetables do well.

In Teton County the well known Conrad-Valier
irrigation project and a number of other good irri-
gation tracts are located. On this land excellent
yields of alfalfa, clover, and all classes of grain,
fruit, and vegetable crops are raised.

Because of its large area and percentage of level
farming land, this county offers excellent oppor-
tunities to incoming settlers. Good dry land may
be purchased for $10' to $40 and highly productive
irrigated land for $50 to $100 an acre.

Lewis and Clark County, situated in the central
part of the State, is one of the oldest and wealthiest
counties in Montana. A considerable area in the
northern part of the county is in the Sun River basin.
The Prickley Pear and Sun River valleys embrace
most of the land under cultivation. Stock growing
has been a leading industry from early days, although
farming development has been stimulated by the
recent completion of a large irrigation project.
Wheat, oats, barley, flax, potatoes, and hay are
profitable crops.

WESTERN MONTANA

West of the main chain of the Rockies and reaching
to the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains is Western
Montana. The main chain of the Rockies may be
defined as extending from the northern boundary
line of the State southward through Helena and
Butte. This part of the State is a small empire in
itself—250 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide. It
is made up of rich mountain valleys, watered by
great rivers and including great areas of national
forests. The soil is most productive, fuel is abun-
dant, the climate is mild and delightful, and the
scenery generally throughout the section makes it
most attractive.

The climatic conditions are favorable for fruit
raising. Apples are grown commercially in five of
the counties; sweet cherries and pears, in two.
Peaches and apricots are grown on the north shore
of Flathead Lake. Small bush fruits and straw-
berries do well throughout the entire section. The
elevation varies from 1,800 to 2,000 feet in western
Lincoln and Sanders counties to 5,100 in Granite
County. The principal crops include oats and hay
in the higher altitudes and wheat, peas, corn, pota-
toes, and fruits in the lower valleys. Live stock
raising is profitable generally throughout this sec-

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Winter wheat is one of the surest and best crops in the Western part of the State

tion. Alfalfa is a profitable crop in nearly all the
counties.
territory and large crops of potatoes are raised in the
Bitterroot Valley.

Western Montana is the oldest farming section of
the State. Farm bureaus are organized in Sanders,
Ravalli, Flathead, and Missoula counties.

Flathead County, has a great variety of farming
land. Wheat, oats, seed peas, potatoes, and apples
are the principal crops grown. A large section of
the county is Indian reservation, where some federal
irrigation work is being carried on. Good yields
of wheat are raised under dry farm conditions.
Dry farm land may be purchased at prices ranging
from $15 to $30 an acre.

Powell County is known for good yields of wheat.
Hay crops of unusual value also are found in this
county. Live stock raising is general and profitable.
Considerable farming is done on irrigated tracts.
Dry farm land may be purchased for $10 to $20 an
acre, irrigated land $60 to $100, and grazing land
$2.50 to $5.00.

Missoula County is widely known for yields of
grain and fruit. Dairying and stock raising are
growing steadily in importance and sugar-beet grow-
ing is gaining in proportions each year. Lumbering
and agriculture in this county are about equal in

Sugar beets are grown in the Missoula.

importance. The University of Montana is situated
at Missoula. Dry land may be purchased for $15
to $30 an acre; irrigated land between $75 and $125,
and grazing land between $3.00 and $7.00.

Ravalli County, bordered on the west by the Bit-
terroot Mountains, is one of the richest and best
improved counties in the State. The famous Bitter-
root Valley, 75 miles long and from 2 to 15 miles
wide, has a most fertile soil and a delightful climate.
Dairying, horticulture, and general farming are the
chief occupations. Abundance of irrigation water
is at hand for crop production. Large fruit farms
are found throughout the valley, apples being raised
commercially. Experts have pronounced this sec-
tion as ideal for the dairy industry. Coal is found
within the county. Large metal mining and lum-
bering operations are carried on in the mountain-
ous sections. Dry farm land may be purchased
for $12 to $25 an acre, irrigated land between $75
and $125.

Granite County, just east of Ravalli County, is
chiefly noted for its mineral wealth although farming
and stock raising are growing in importance. Much
attention is being paid to the breeding of improved
strains of horses. Some choice irrigated land is
found in the Hellgate Valley. Hay is the most
important farm crop although grain growing is
increasing. Improved irrigated land ranges in price

MONT

ANA

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Ce

Pure mountain air and pure water, excellent pasture, alfalfa hay, sheltered surroundings, and mild climate, combine most favorable
conditions for dairying in the irrigated valleys of Montana

from $50 to $100 an acre. Unimproved irrigated
land ranges from $20 to $40 and dry farm land from
$10 to $20

Mineral County is generally composed of pic-
turesque ranges of mountains, bisected by the
Clark’s Fork of the Columbia River. In the valley
of this river is found some rich land that makes agri-
culture steady in its growth. Hay is at present the
principal crop, although live stock raising is becom-
ing a very profitable industry. It is believed that
the county will develop extensive and profitable
dairying farms in the coming few years, the condi-
tions being ideal. There is considerable land that
may be purchased at a low price. Unirrigated land
sells for $10 to $20 an acre, and grazing land for
$3.00 to $7.00.

Sanders County, just north of Mineral County, is
largely devoted to agriculture. Wheat, clover,
timothy, alfalfa, oats, potatoes, peas, and barley are
the principal crops. Some of the best orchards in
Montana are located in the valley near Plains.
The western half of the county is mainly cut-over
lands and natural meadows. Land in this part of
the State sells for $10 to $50 an acre, while in the
prairie section the prices range from $25 to $75.

Lincoln County, at the extreme northwestern
corner of the State, is possessed of very fertile soil.
The rainfall here is abundant, making dairying and

19

farming profitable. Fruit growing is important,
while hay raising has always been an important
farm occupation. All the spring grains do well.
The Tobacco Plains district is well known for its
live stock raising and grain growing. Dairying is
growing in importance. Dry farm land sells for
$8.00 to $25 an acre, grazing land for $3.00 to $7.00.

CLIMATE

Montana has three fairly distinct climatic belts.
West of the Rocky Mountain divide, the country is
mainly mountainous but is interspersed with fertile
valleys of larger or smaller areas. Here we find a
modification of the coast climate, due to the western
winds. The altitude gives a cooler climate than
farther west, but it is equable, the temperature
seldom rising above 95° in the summer or going
10° below zero in the winter.

Precipitation in this section is somewhat greater
than the average for the State, but varies in the
different valleys.

The central part of the State is sometimes spoken
of as the Chinook Belt. This district, like that west
of the divide, has a climate modified by the coast
winds. Thus there are on the average less extreme
temperatures, both summer and winter. Again,
many of the valleys are protected from the cold
winds by the mountains, which appear to deflect

Apples are grown commercially in the Western part of the State

the winds to the eastward. In the higher valleys
and plateaus of this section we find longer winters
and shorter summers than in the lower valleys and
plains to the east. The summers are generally cool
but the winters seldom bring severe weather.

The months of greatest precipitation are the crop-
growing months, a very important factor in crop
production. Fully 50 per cent of the rainfall of the
year comes during the months of April, May, June,
and July, when it can best serve in starting and main-
taining the growth of grains, grasses, and vegetables
of all kinds. September and October, it should be
noted, have sufficient rainfall to start the winter
wheat, an important crop in this district.

Eastern Montana has a climate of greater ex-
tremes, being colder in winter and warmer in sum-
mer than the districts farther west. This is a
ene plain country and therefore more subject to
wind.

The annual precipitation of this district will
average from thirteen to sixteen inches, varying in
the different sections. Here, however, we find the
greatest precipitation during the growing months,
nearly one-half the rainfall of the year coming in the
months of May, June, and July.

A feature common to all parts of the State is the
large number of sunny days both in summer and in

20

winter. The air is dry and temperatures that would
be extreme in lower and moister districts are not
uncomfortable here. Some years see very low tem-
peratures recorded in certain parts of the State.
These extreme temperatures, however, are usually
of short duration and a study of the mean tempera-
tures for these sections shows a very much more
equable climate than recorded extremes would lead
one to expect.

VYTAGES

Montana common schools received an endowment
of nearly five and one-quarter million acres of land
when the State was admitted to the Union. Less
than 1,000,000 acres of this land has been sold up to
the present time, yet the income from the money,
which is invested in bonds, warrants, and farm loans,
was sufficient in 1917 to provide $5.50 for each child
of school age.

No community is so remote as to be without school
facilities. There are now more than 3,000 school-
houses, many of them country consolidated schools
giving partial or complete high school instructions.
Liberal use is made of the schoolhouse as a gathering
place for all kinds of community meetings. They
are, in fact, community centers.

MONTANA

Agriculture Building, Montana State College of Agriculture
and Mechanic Arts. Here will be found the officers of the
staff of the Montana Experiment Station

Special support for high schools was provided some
twenty years ago when the State adopted the county
high school law. A later amendment has tended
toward building up better high schools in the smaller
towns and strengthening the high school work in
the rural consolidated schools. There are 165 high
schools in the State.

For some years the work of higher education in
the State institutions has been unified under a sys-
tem which gives to the people many of the advan-
tages enjoyed, in states where all the institutions
are consolidated in one.

At Missoula is located the State University.
Here are general collegiate courses offering wide
opportunity of selection to meet various needs both
for undergraduate and for graduate study. Here
also are the five professional schools of law, phar-
macy, forestry, journalism, and music.

The main technical activities are centered at
Bozeman, in the famous Gallatin Valley, at the Col-
lege of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, with its
extensive and well equipped experiment farms.
Here are various courses of instruction, particularly
in agriculture, engineering, applied science, and in
household and industrial arts. From the college,
as a center, the agricultural extension service, with
its county agricultural agents, its home demon-

21

Unique and attractive school buildings are the rule in Montana.
No community is so remote as to be without school facilities.

strators, and’ its leaders of boys’ and girls’ club
work, reaches out into every corner of the State.

In the city of Butte, on the richest ore-producing
hill in the world, is located the State School of
Mines, where the students are brought into daily
contact with the men who are engaged in taking out
copper ore and carrying on the work of the great
reduction plants.

For the training of teachers for the public schools
the State has established at Dillon the State Normal
College. Students have here the opportunity for
actual practice in one of the most practical and
efficient systems of model training schools, both
town and rural, in the West.

These four institutions together make up “The
University of Montana,’ whose executive head-
quarters are located at the State Capitol in Helena.

Tuition in these institutions is free to all residents
of the State, and arrangements are made whereby
excellent living accommodations are available at
very moderate cost. In the past year a most inter-
esting experiment has been carried out very success-
fully for equalizing to residents of all parts of the
State the advantages of higher education; the State
has refunded to every student all necessary railroad
fare in excess of $5.00 for the round trip between
home and the institution attended.

Meeting of one of the County Farm Bureaus

In addition to the state institutions there are a
number of private and denominational schools, such
as the Montana Wesleyan College (Methodist) and
Mount St. Charles College (Catholic) at Helena,
and the Billings Polytechnic School.

The homeseeker who appreciates the benefits of
membership in a good farm organization will have
ample opportunity to join progressive associations.

As a means of uniting both the organized and the
unorganized farmers in an association for the devel-
opment of more economic agriculture, the estab-
lishment of community ideals, and the general
improvement of the well being, prosperity, and
happiness of the country people, the Farm Bureau
has been formed in the principal agricultural coun-
ties of the State. The county agricultural agent,
who works under the direction of the Farm Bureau,
and who assist the organization in the solution of its
problems, is of great benefit to the new settlers.
Familiar with the soil, climate, and crop conditions,
and with the experience of the best farmers of the
county back of him, he receives at the Farm Bureau
office many calls for advice from the new settlers.

With the assistance of extension specialists from
the State College, farmers’ institutes, short courses,

bo
i)

demonstrations, lectures, and picnics are held under
the auspices of the Farm Bureau.

The Jesuit missionary preceded the gold seeker
into Montana. Later, and with the gold hunters,
came ministers and missionaries of the various
denominations. To-day Montana is dotted with
churches representing all denominations in America.
Large church buildings are the pride of every Mon-
tana city and town. The churches are well organ-
ized, with hospitals, charitable institutions, and
schools operated under their various managements.

Montana has long been recognized as one of the
states leading in opportunities and possibilities for
the live stock breeder. Up to the present, the
resources for the production of stock have not been
developed to anything like their maximum. The
pioneer stockman considered that this great north-
western State would never be developed as a breeding
ground; that the soil, feed, and climate were
adapted only to growing and fattening of live stock.
Led by a few far-seeing breeders, this old idea has
been completely dispelled and it has been conclu-

Hogs in alfalfa, in Eastern Montana.

sively proven that all classes and types of improved
live stock can be bred and developed to the degree
that they are second to none when placed in the
show ring, on the race courses, or on the commercial
market.

Montana, the range state, has been greatly
changed in the past twenty- -five years. Much of
the land has been taken over for farming purposes,
and as a result new fields are opened for both the
live stock feeder and breeder. Greater development
in general farming will come in the next few years,
but this State will always offer great opportunity
for live stock production under both farm and range
conditions.

In the pioneer days cattle were bought in the
Southwest and trailed across the country to the
natural feeding grounds of Montana. Here on the
native grasses and good water they grew and fat-
tened. Seeing the natural advantages of the cli-
mate, soil, and feeds, breeding herds were soon
established on the open ranges. From these early
established herds cattle have been sent to the lead-
ing markets by train loads and command the top
prices, both as feeders and as finished beef. Mon-
tana bred range cattle have won many ribbons at
the International Live Stock Exposition where they

23

This farm produces from two to three car loads of hogs for market each year

compete with cattle from all sections of the United
States.

Range cattle are and will continue to be a large
factor in the live stock industry of the State. Onthe
60,000,000 acres of mountainous and broken prairie
lands capable of growing grass are yet found thou-
sands of cattle. The large herds of the past are
gradually disappearing, but thousands of small
owners are keeping up the average number, the
range providing the summer feed and the farms
adjoining those summer ranges providing winter
feed. The evolution of the range cattle business
has changed from an exclusive feeding to a breeding
industry.

Feeds adapted to breeding, growing, and fattening
of cattle can be grown abundantly in the different
sections. For winter feeding the corn, oats, barley,
alfalfa, and clover hay of the Yellowstone drainage
area; the clover, alfalfa, blue joint, and native hays,
combined with the oats and barley grown in the cen-
tral, northern, and western parts of the State, give
equal results in growing and fattening cattle with
similar feeds in the older American farming sections.
In fact, native hay produced in some sections of the
State has such feeding value that cattle can be fat-
tened on hay alone.

Se

MONTANA

ge Rr Oe wets
Lytiga te om f =,

Or ae

Sheep on open range in Montana.

Exceptional opportunities are offered for small bands of sheep on open range

The forest ranges, native grasses of the cpen range
and irrigated pastures, afford summer feed that is
second to none, while in the irrigated valleys pasture
can be established that compares favorably with the
century-old pastures of England and Scotland.

As farming develops in the State, the demand for
good, well-bred cattle for foundation herds will
increase. Beef cattle can be wintered to good advan-
aes on the coarse forages and straw produced on the

arm.

As in the older farming sections, the silo is coming
to be part of the beef cattle breeder’s farm equip-
ment. Corn in the lower and warmer valleys, giant
Russian sunflowers or oats and peas in the higher,
cooler valleys, can be successfully grown for silage
with very satisfactory yields per acre.

During the past few years no class of live stock in
Montana has returned as high a per cent on money
invested as has sheep. The feeds and climatic
conditions of the State are admirably adapted to the
production of high-class wool and mutton. Grade
lambs are frequently shipped to market, directly
from summer range, weighing seventy-five to eighty
pounds. Wool produced in Montana is much
sought after by manufacturers, because of the low
shrink as compared with some other range wools
and because of its lustre, length, and strength of
staple.

The range country will continue to produce the
greater proportion of the sheep and wool of the
State. Over much of the range country sheep
appear to do particularly well, and are the most
efficient agency for turning the yearly grass crop
into products valuable to man.

_On the farms, sheep are receiving increased atten-
tion. Here nearly all the common breeds are found,
but the various mutton breeds are the most popular.

Farmers in both the irrigated and dry land sec-
tions have an unusual opportunity for profitable
production of high-class hogs. Much waste in the
wheat, oats, pea, and bean fields can be converted
into profit by turning hogs into the fields after
harvest.

For growing and feeding hogs, Montana grains,
supplemented by alfalfa hay or with by-products
from Montana mills and packing plants, are second
to none. Proof of this statement is evidenced by
the fact that Montana grown and fed hogs not only
topped the Chicago market, but are much sought
after by firms manufacturing the highest grades of
hams and bacon.

Experiments at the Montana State Experiment
Station demonstrate that in the dry lot 100 pounds
of pork can be produced with 360 to 400 pounds of
barley, supplemented by 8 pounds of tankage.
By utilization of forage crops during the summer

MONTANA

/

The State is admirably adapted naturally to the rapid growth and development of the dairy industry

for the growing pigs, the gains can be made at
approximately 325 pounds of barley per 100 pounds
of gain.

The development of packing plants and markets
in several parts of the State combined with the strong
demand for pure-bred breeding stock, an abundance
of good feed and water, and practically no loss from
cholera, make a very promising future for the hog
breeder.

Montana range horses have long been noted for
their constitution and their enduring qualities.
This reputation which the early horse stock gained
was not due to superior strains of blood and breed-
ing, but to the fact that the native feeds, soil, and
climate are particularly adapted to the development
of strong, rugged horses.

The demand for small, light horses is very limited
at present, but heavy, sound draft stock will always
be in good demand by Montana farmers and
ranchers.

POSSIBILITIES OF DAIRYING IN MONTANA

This State is admirably adapted naturally to
rapid growth and development of the dairy industry.
_ In the mountainous areas exists a wide range of

bo
or

climatic conditions. The sheltered upland valleys,
where the days are pleasant and the nights are
cool, will always furnish an abundance of cheap
pasturage and forage crops for cows, while the rich
lower valleys will be productive of grains, grasses,
alfalfa, clovers, sunflowers, oats, peas, and other
silage crops. Such conditions make possible the
economical production of milk and cream of very
high quality. On several of the irrigated govern-
ment projects the dairy industry is growing very
rapidly. The land units on these areas are usually
small and require an intensive system of farming.
The dairy business also fits in well with the beet
sugar and pea canning industries, a combination
which insures a profitable disposition of beet tops,
beet pulp, and canning refuse.

There are few places on the American continent
so well adapted naturally to the production of
strong vigorous cows as is Montana, where the
number is increasing rapidly. In 1908 there were
75,000 head, while in 1918 they numbered 179,000,
an increase of more than 138 per cent in ten years.
The number of Holstein cows in Montana at present
is greater than all other dairy breeds combined,
yet there are a number of splendid pure bred
and grade herds of Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, and
Brown Swiss, which are well adapted to wide varia- |
tion of climate.

MONTANA

Timothy and alsike clover is a paying crop in Western Montana

Facilities for handling the output of the dairy
herds are improving each year. The number of
creameries, about sixty-four at present, has doubled
in the past five years. The output of butter in 1918
was over 6,500,000 pounds, but was not sufficient
to supply even local demands. Cheese factories
also are coming to the front. The first one to oper-
ate continuously throughout the year was started
in 1915. In the summer of 1918 there were ten in
operation, with an output of nearly 1,000,000
pounds of high-grade cheese.

The co-operative plan of manufacturing butter
and cheese is very successful.

The output of dairy products in Montana has not
kept pace with the increase of population. The
demand still is greater than the supply. Butte,
Great Falls, Helena, Billings, Lewistown, Missoula,
Anaconda, and other growing cities furnish splendid
markets at all seasons of the year for milk, butter,
cheese, and frozen products.

The State of Montana maintains a department of
dairy husbandry at the State College of Agriculture
and Mechanic Arts at Bozeman, with splendid
facilities for giving instructions in farm dairying, in
the manufacture of dairy products, and dairy exten-

26

sion work in college and short courses, farmers’
extension schools, dairy meetings, high schools,
dairy calf clubs, and agricultural fairs. There are
also the State Dairymen’s Association and Butter
and Cheese Makers’ Association which meet annu-
ally and do much to bring the dairymen together for
mutual benefit.

PUBLIC AND STATE LANDS

The report of the commissioner of the general land
office, for the year ending July 1, 1917, shows that
there were on that date 11,818,414 acres of unappor-
tioned and unreserved public lands in Montana.
In that year one-third of all of the public land filed
upon in the United States was in Montana. Proba-
bly less than half of the land now open for filing in
the State under the homestead laws is suitable for
farming. Much of it has been classified as grazing,
timber, and broken land. Such of this homestead
land as would be desirable for those who want to
make farm homes, is located a considerable distance
from railroads and towns. Until there are exten-
sions of railway systems this land will not be desir- -
able for the homeseeker, unless he has a fair amount

An open view of Lignite Coal.

of capital and is willing to live a considerable distance
from the more modern conveniences.

Under the public land laws a man may take a
homestead of 640 acres of grazing land or 320 acres
of semi-arid land suitable for farming without irri-
gation and which has no possibility of irrigation.
The third class is land which may be taken up in
160-acre tracts. There remains for entry but little
land that comes under the 640-acre law.

There are ten land districts in Montana, each con-
taining a United States Land Office for the admin-
istration of the public land affairs of that particular
district. These land offices are located at Billings,
Bozeman, Glasgow, Great Falls, Havre, Helena,
Kalispell, Lewistown, Miles City, and Missoula.

Several million acres granted by the Federal Gov-
ernment to the public schools and higher educa-
tional institutions in Montana are available for
settlers. Under the constitution these lands cannot
be sold for less than $10 an acre. Once a year lands
in each county are put up at auction and sold to the
highest bidder.

All State lands except coal land and some timber
land are for sale, but before the lands are put up
at auction an application to buy must be filed.
Those who wish to have State land offered for sale
are required to make formal application to the

27

The common domestic fuel for the settler

State Land Office at Helena for the desired tract.
The land will then be offered at the next sale held
in the county where the land is located. These
applications must be filed five weeks prior to the
date of the sale. Sale of State lands can be made
only to citizens of the United States, to those who
have declared their intention to become citizens or
2 corporations organized under the laws of the
tate.

Not more than 160 acres classified as agricultural
land susceptible of irrigation, nor more than 320
acres classified as agricultural land not susceptible
of irrigation, nor more than 640 acres classified as
grazing land shall be sold to one purchaser. This
makes a total of 1120 acres in all that one person
may buy.

Montana has an area in acres of 90,000,000, of
which 30,000,000 acres are classified as farm lands,
30,000,000 as grazing lands and the same amount
in timber and mineral lands. It is estimated that
not to exceed 8,000,000 acres of farming land are
under cultivation, leaving undeveloped more than
20,000,000 acres suitable for agriculture.

While the days of the big range herds of cattle
and bands of sheep have virtually passed in this

MONTANA

State, the millions of acres of grazing lands remain,
and they will for all time furnish grazing, not for
the men who own thousands of head of live stock,
but for the farmer who runs a small bunch of cattle
or a little band of sheep.

One of the greatest and most valuable of the
undeveloped resources of Montana is phosphate,
large deposits of which are found in southern Mon-
tana. It will be many years before the lands of
the State will require the application of a commercial
fertilizer, but when that time does come Montana
will have the material within its borders.

Though Montana, in 1917, ranked second among
the states in the production of silver, copper and
zine and fifth in the production of gold, it may be
said truthfully that its mineral resources have been
but scratched and its wealth in this respect has
reached only the initial stage of development.
Large and profitable as have been the markets for
farm products in the past in the centers of the min-
eral industry, they will furnish an outlet for produce
in the future, as the resources are developed, that
will mean thousands of dollars to the farmer.

In its timbered sections it is estimated that
Montana has standing on permanent productive
timber land, fifty-eight billion feet of timber. The
sawmill industry was of necessity among the first
when the pioneers came and it has developed until
to-day 15,000 men are thus employed. Many
large sawmills are in operation and the annual
product of the merchantable timber is four hun-
dred million feet. More than half of the merchantable
timber in Montana is in the national forest reserves,
owned and under the jurisdiction of the Federal
Government. The Government ownership assures
the development of this source of wealth and not
its elimination, as has been the experience where
the timbered areas were individually owned.

Montana has other natural resources, in large part
undeveloped. It has developed coal lands in almost
every section of the State, while those undeveloped
extend over a large territory. An idea of the
development of the coal mining industry here may
be had when it is said that the output of the coal
mines increased from two million tons in 1907 to
about five million tons in 1917.

In northern, central and southeastern Montana
there have been oil and gas developments which
indicate that in these two resources the State has
untold wealth. It is only within the past two
years that the United States Geological survey
reported Montana among the oil producing states.
In 1916 the State was credited with a production

re)
ie a)

of 44,917 barrels. In 1917 this production more
than doubled, according to the same authority.
The natural gas areas is larger than the oil fields.
Wells have been struck in the northern, central and
southern portions of the State.

In southwestern Montana, in Jefferson County,
there are proved vast deposits of iron ore, so far
not utilized, but available when Montana reaches
the state where industrial development will require
that material.

Developed and undeveloped water power for
generating electricity is not only a present source
of natural wealth, but one the value of which can
not be estimated. Montana with its mountain
streams and its great rivers is admirably adapted
to the generation of hyrdo-electric power. The
development up to this time aggregates 250,000
horse-power, utilized in the operation of the mines
at Butte and elsewhere, in the running of street
cars in several cities, the lighting of many towns,
and in the operation of numerous factories. One
of the uses to which this hydro-electric power has
been devoted, of importance to the agricultural
development of the State, is in irrigation.

The home builder in Montana is fortunate in that
the materials needed for construction are abundant
and reasonable in price. If he settles in the timbered
sections he can obtain from the officials of the forest
reserve service’a permit to purchase logs for houses
and other home structures and posts for fencing at a
very low figure. There are small sawmills in the
vicinity of these forests where one can have the logs
cut into boards.

Those who take up their residence in the sections
which are not timbered, may purchase, at moderate
cost, lumber which is manufactured in Montana
from timber cut from privately owned lands. There
are two large cement factories with a capacity for
supplying the State requirements even should
the requirements grow far beyond present pro-
portions.

Equally fortunate is the settler in his ability
to obtain fuel. Under the rules of the forest
service, the country dweller may obtain without any
cost beyond the hauling, his year’s supply of wood
for fuel. If he lives too far from a timbered section
to avail himself of this privilege, he can obtain
bituminous coal from Montana mines. In northern
and eastern Montana there are very extensive
deposits of lignite coal, which can be had for the
digging. On many ranches in those sections the
residents have this lignite coal on their own property.

MONTANA

A main irrigation Canal.

RECLAMATION AND IRRIGATION

The many people unfamiliar with irrigation farm-
ing are inclined to regard this type of agriculture
as very costly, and necessary only where desert
conditions prevail. That this conclusion is not well
founded is shown by the uniformly high productive-
ness of irrigated land and the policy of the Federal
Government to increase the irrigated areas.

On the irrigated farm one more factor of produc-
tion—the water supply—is under the farmer’s con-
trol. When water is needed for the pastures or
growing crops it may be added. This prevents the
drop in feed supply by the drying of the pastures
that almost always occurs where irrigation is not
practiced. The pastures are kept in active growth.

The cost of irrigation in Montana ranges from
$2.00 to $3.00 per acre, for all features of the work.
Irrigation simply supplements the natural precip-
itation and insures against dry years and dry
periods.

With the western part of Montana cut by the
continental divide, the State has mountains that
act as a great reservoir, storing up in the winter, fall,
and spring the snows that: feed thousands of creeks
and rivers during the summer. The rapid fall of
the streams through the valleys and the mountain-
Ous country where the streams arise combine to
offer exceptional irrigation facilities.

29

The outstanding feature cf Montana’s irrigation projects is the abundant supply of water

In 1910 Montana stood third among the states
of the Union in point of area under irrigation. At
that time the State had 1,678,084 acres actually
irrigated, with 526,000 acres under the ditch ready
to have the water turned on, and 1,310,000 acres in
projects under way. The war delayed the fullest
development of these projects but there has been
considerable increase in the acreage since 1910 and.
provision is being made to push the work rapidly.
Of a total of 90,000,000 acres of land in Montana
there is 30,000,000 acres -classed as farming land.
Of this amount, it is estimated that 12,000,000 acres
may be irrigated.

In the southeastern section of the State is ae
group of counties comprising Custer, Fallon, Daw-
son, Rosebud, and Big Horn. More than 100, 000
acres in this division are irrigated and more than
200,000 acres being provided for in the capability of
present projects and of projects under way.

In the Upper Yellowstone district are embraced
mainly the counties of Yellowstone, Carbon, Still-
water, Sweetgrass, and Park. In 1910 there were
400,000 acres irrigated in this section. About 25,000
acres are annually devoted to sugar beet raising, the
sugar factory at Billings being located in the heart
of this irrigated district. This region is among the
best watered in Montana. The Yellowstone River
rises in the mountains of Yellowstone National Park
and its flow is ample for all present diversions from

MONTANA

the main stream itself. The principal tributaries
which water irrigated valleys are the Shields and
Boulder rivers, Big Timber and Sweet Grass creeks,
Stillwater River, and Clarke Fork and Rocky
Creek. The flow of the Yellowstone near the Mon-
tana line is nearly 2,000,000 acre-feet.

The Upper Missouri section includes the counties
of Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin, Jefferson, Broad-
water, and Lewis and Clark. The last census gives
this section the largest irrigated area a total of
540,000 acres or practically one-third the State total.
The principal water supply is obtained from the
main headwater branches of the Missouri, the Galla-
tin, Jefferson, and Madison rivers. The Beaver-
head River, in this section, was one of the first
streams of Montana to be used for irrigation. The
Gallatin Valley is the most fully developed area in
this section.

The southwestern section covers the portion of
Montana west of the continental divide and tribu-
tary to the Missouri River. It comprises the coun-
ties of Ravalli, Granite, Powell, with parts of Mis-
soula, Deer Lodge, Lewis and Clark, and Silver
Bow. In 1909 there were about 225, 000 acres irri-
gated in this section, 100,000 acres more being in-
cluded in projects. Other sources of water supply
are the Big Blackfoot River, the Missoula River,
whose diversion is limited, and the Bitter Root River.
From the Bitter Root River and its tributaries
100,700 acres are irrigated. The irrigable land of
this valley has been quite largely developed. The
high values of land make practical the construction
of systems whose cost would be above the eco-
nomical limit in other parts of the State.

The northeast section of the State includes the
counties of Hill, Blaine, Valley, Phillips, and Sheri-
dan, and a part of Chouteau County. This section
includes the drainage from north of the Missouri
River, the Milk River being the principal stream.
While the Milk River does not head in regions of
sufficient snowfall to give it a sustained summer
flow, it is joined with the St. Mary’s, which is sus-
tained by the heavy glaciers, of the Glacier Park
region. In order to use the irregular flow of the
Milk River spring flooding has been practiced.
During the spring flood season, the water is diverted
to the soil and held by dikes until 'the soil has
absorbed its capacity. This water is sufficient to
mature grain and in some cases two or three crops
of alfalfa.

The Milk River project includes an irrigable area
of 200,000 acres. Irrigation is carried on along
creeks tributary to the Milk River, in Chouteau,
Hill, Blaine, and Phillips counties. Along the

30

Poplar and Big Muddy rivers of Sheridan County
large irrigated tracts have been developed.

The north central irrigation division of Montana
includes Teton County and parts of Hill, Chouteau,
Cascade, Toole, and Lewis and Clark counties.
Teton County has the largest proportion of irrigated
land of all the Montana counties. In this county
are found parts of the following projects: Sun
River, Dearborn River, Conrad-Valier, Blackfeet,
Teton, and Little Missouri. The Sun River project
has an irrigable area of 173,795 acres. With more
than 500,000 acres in this section of the State to
come under projects at present definitely planned or
already under construction, the advancement of the
section can be only rapid.

The central Montana division includes the coun-
ties of Musselshell, Meagher, Wheatland, Fergus,
and parts of Chouteau and Cascade. The Mussel-
shell project, the Flatwillow project, Smith River
and Judith River, all supply water over a large
territory. More than 200,000 acres are under the
ditch or included in projects now under way. The
Musselshell River irrigates its valley lands by direct
flow. An additional area of thousands of acres
could be irrigated by this stream.

The northwestern district comprises Flathead,
Lincoln, Sanders, Mineral, and parts of Powell and
Missoula counties. It is the drainage section of the
Kootenai and Flathead rivers and the Clark fork
of the Columbia. Agriculture without irrigation is
most common in this part of the State, although a
total of about 40,000 acres is being irrigated. Only
a very little irrigation is practiced north of the Flat-
head Lake, hardly more than 3,500 acres. South of
the lake is territory that formerly was included in
the Flathead Indian reservation. A small amount
of land around the missions was irrigated. About
5,000 acres in this part of the division are receiving
irrigation water.

TRANSPORTATION

Montana, with an average length from east to
west of 500 miles and an average width of 300 miles,
has excellent transportation facilities. Three great
transcontinental railroads traverse it from east to
west: The Northern Pacific through the older
southern and central sections; the Chicago, Mil-
waukee & St. Paul through the central section, and
the Great Northern through the northern section.
The Oregon Short Line R. R. reaches the southern
section; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. R., the
southeastern section; Gilmore & Pittsburg R. R.
in the southwestern section; Minneapolis, St. Paul
& Sault Ste. Marie in the northeastern section. In

Potatoes on irrigated land in Montana are of high quality and yield from 400 bushels upward per acre

addition to the main lines, each of these transcon-
tinental railroads has constructed numerous branch
lines, reaching the outer farming sections and giving
the producer the benefits of railroad transportation.

In the majority of the counties are branch lines
bringing into close contact with the great markets
of the State and Nation communities which ten
years ago were isolated. In the development of the
agricultural resources of Montana the railroads have
played a most prominent part.

Realizing that rural roads constitute a vital factor
in the development of a state, Montana has in recent
years paid particular attention to the construction
of highways designed to open up those sections at a
distance from the railroads and to reduce the expense
of transporting farm products to market. Road
building in Montana is under the jurisdiction of a
State Highway Commission, and the State has com-
plied with all the requirements of the Federal Gov-
ernment so as to receive the benefits of the Federal
Aid Loan Act. In thirty-one counties fifty-two
Federal aid projects have been petitioned for. All
of these projects provide for the improvement of

agricultural haulage roads. The State Highway Com-
mission furnishes the plans and supervises the con-
struction of the roads so that counties are under no
expense for that part of the work. During the com-
ing five years Montana will spend on its roads
$5,000,000, the greater portion of which will be
expended on main agricultural roads and on the
improvement of local rural roads.

There is hardly a portion of Montana which does
not enjoy telephonic communication. In many
instances this is through rural telephone lines owned
by the farmers, with connections with the larger
systems. In other instances the large companies
have developed the business. In the forested sec-
tions of the State, the National Forest Service has
installed telephone systems which in many cases
co-operate with the farmers’ lines.

Rural mail routes are found in all portions of the
State and from every town of any consequence
there are rural lines, some with a daily service and
others with service every other day. In addition
to these rural routes there are star routes which
serve the more sparsely settled sections.

Part of a 70-acre Eastern cornfield (Lakin’s White Dent). This is a 1,500-acre farm. Corn plowed twice and
looks like a 50-bushel crop

ISSUED BY

United States Railroad Administration
AGRICULTURAL SECTION

J. L. EDWARDS, Manager
WASHINGTON, D. C.

FOR THE USE OF ALL RAILROADS IN THE STATE OF MONTANA

For Further Information, address

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