Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-05-18

the valley. This vast area is not fur
nished with water, but a canal can be cut
from the river that will cover every foot of
it. One sufficient to answer the purpose
for watering the entire valley, would per-
haps cost $4,000, but there are portions
that can be watered at much less expense.
Improved farms are yariously estimated
much depending upon their location, I'M
provements and natural advantages. A farm
situated IN the most fertile portion of the val
ley, with excellent water facilities, and all
under fence with log dwelling upon it, con-
tanning 100 acres, smooth, level, n I'M
broken by a ravine, sold this spring for
$1,000. Another fine farm of 100 acres, AL
under fence, good soil, water right etc., sold
a short time since for only 600.
A water right, 1--WE mean by this, a ditch
already cut into a farm with sufficient wa
ter to irrigate from 100 to 200 acres is val
ued at from $500 to 5000. TO this. add gov
eminent price of land, $1.25 per acre, and
| about half the cost of improvements, and
you have the value of improved farms in
Montana. Yet it is often the case, that
farms are sold for even much less than what
the above would amount to.
Parallel with this valley, rising from the
foothills, runs a lofty chain Of mountains,
though the most rugged and highest in the
county, is known as the Little Belt
Range. Along the mountains is a N mex
haustible supply of pine timber for all pur-
poses-building, fencing and fire-wood'
Along this chain, are nine or ten gulches
which have yielded large quantities of gold,
and which still abound in placer mines that
are being worked extensively, thereby, add
ing largely to our circulating medium each
year. There are also half a dozen streams
or more putting down across the yally chat
afford excellent facilities for water powers.
There are numerous Lodges, of gold, silver.
tains, but none of them are developedto any
great extent. There is one quartz mill run.
ming regular at the present time upon ore
that yields on an average about $500 pei
ton. East Of this range, is Smiths river, OF
Deep Creek, (better known as Smiths river,
as there is another Deep Greek in the coun.
ty). This stream rises in the Belt noun.
tains and runs north by northwest and emp
ties into the Missouri river1at the north west
corner of the county, not many miles from
where that stream comes forth from the'can
yon and winds away through undulating
plains, and only a short distance from the
the great falls. The upper valley on this
stream, is about thirty miles in length, ant
ten or more miles in width. There is 8
large body of agricultural land in this val
ley, upon which grain and other crops are
grown. But the altitude of the valley il
great and rather frosty, hence, it is settlet
almost exclusively by stock-growers and dai
rymen. The pastureage is exceedingly fine
Cattle keep fat here the year round, withou
care or shelter, or feed, other than they Cal
gather for themselves.
This region is particularly adapted t.
woolgrowing. There are at least 17,0O'
head of sheep, there now, owned by differ
ent parties, that winter without hay, ant
come out in the spring fat. Notwithstand
ing the. ranchmen are, most of them wei
supplied with this commodity, as wild gras
that grows upon their meadows withou
care, makes an excellent quality of hay, witt
only the expense of cutting.
The lower valley is more extensive thai
this, and is principally used for ~pasturage
yet, it is generally admitted to be one of tn
best agricultural valleys in Montana. Their
are large bodies of land here that are unoccu
pied, with good water facilities that can b