The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-12-05

Montana as 8 minersl md agricultural
region, ~ previous engagement viii oc-
cupy nearly all Of the few days between
this and the time when your report must
be completed. have spent the last
four months in as complete and careful
an examination Of the mining and agri-
cultural capacities Of the Territory AZ
the time would permit. The results al.
ready obtained in cnlsivating the soils
of our valleys, are such that there can
be no reasonable doubt of the entire
success of agricultural pursuits in the
Territory. a4 'att
1t certainly is one Of the finest stock
countries on the continent-all the more
important domestic animals and fowls
do remarkably we'll Horses, mules
and neat-cattle, are more hardy and
keep in better condition on the native
grasses than they do in the States on
hay and grain. As general rule they
winter well on the grass Of the valleys
and foot hills, without hay or grain
The valleys furnish large area of
natural meadows, whose products are
equal to those of the cultivated meadows
of the Middle States. Beef fattened on
the native pastures is equal to the best
produced in the country eH5 - s
The small grains--wheat, rye, barley,
and oats--produce as large an average
yield as in the most favored grain pro-
ducing States. Fifty and sixty bushels
to the acre are not uncommon yields for
Montana. OF the native fruits, we have
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries,
serviceberries, chokecherries, kaw, cur.
rants, and gooseberries and there is
every reason to believe that apples
pears, cherries, plums, ounces. black
berries, raspberries, currants, and goose
berries, can be guilty tied in our own
broad valleys as successfully as in any
of the mother States All the more i'm
portant root crops, such as potatoes,
rutabagas. beets, carrots. turnips. rad.
ishes, and onions, and all the more i'm
portant garden vegetables, are cultivated
with great success. tefz
Timber is abundant on the mountain
slopes and in some of the valleys. Five
varieties of pine. two of fir, one Of
spruce. two of cedsr, grow on the noun
tains and in the mountain valleys and
canyons b alsam, poplar, aspen, alder.
and willow, on the streams The pines,
frs. spruce. and cedars, furnish an
abundance of good timber for building.
mining and farming purposes
The purest waters abound every
where, in cool springs, mountain streams,
meadow brooks, and clear, rapid rivers.
Hot and mineral springs, also occur.--
Beautiful lakes and magnificent water.
falls. and cascades, are numerous in the
mountains. - 4gass @ Tcl Fnsa
Veins of god, silver. copper. lead and
iron. are found in great numbers in
nearly all the mountainous portions Of
the Territory So far as discovered,
they usually come to the surface on the
foothills and the sides o. the valleys
and canyons. A large portion Of these
lodes are frae reins, cutting through
granite, syenisic, porphry. trap, gneiss,
hornblende, slate, talcose.
slate, argellacious- slate, sandstone, and
limestone. These veins vary in thick.
ness from few inches to fifty or sixty
feet. a e e
The gangue or vein rock, called quartz
by the miners here, is very variable in
In gold bearing veins it is
usually whitish quartz, more or less
ferreginons. often nearly all iron. In
some veins it resembles stratifted
quartzite. in others it is syenitic, pyrites.
hornblende, Gale, spar, arsenic, anti
mony, copper, and telluismon, are found
in the veins. a g..
In the silver veins the iron, 80 abund-
ant in the gold veins. is usually replac-
ed by oxide of manganese. This miner
II il sometimes SO abundant as to con-
'titute the larger portion Of the gsngue.
The gangue in many Of the copper
veins is usually quartz. heavy spar. calc-
spar. and brown spar, more or less com
mingled. ~ an
Many thousand lodes Of gold, silver,
md copper have already been discover 3
I'd and recorded. and large number of .
hese somewhat developed. II is true
lere, as well as in all other mining re-
,ions, that large part Of the lodes dis
covered cannot be woi ked with profit by
he method usually adopted in new mir
ng districts. But many Of those which
'annot now be profitably worked. will
'ecome valuable when experience has
hown the best method, and when labor
nd material can be had at ordinary