Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-01-02

section, have never received anything like
fair consideration from. the press. The MuG
selshell is over, one hundred miles in length
The main valley, which lies along the river
is from five to ten miles In width OH eithe
side, and stretches from Martinsdale sevent
miles east, embracing a fine extent of agri
cultural land capable Of producing as fin
yields as the soil in the richest and most fer
tile portions of the states in the Mississippi
valley. and will, no doubt, produce as grea
Il variety of fruits and tender vegetables Al
any valley in Montana. Upon these land.
are interspersed some of the most beautiful
natural meadows that the. eye ever beheld
Back from the river a short, distance the
table lands rise, and on the north slope.
gently back to the mountains, which are
densely timbered, affording an unlimited
supply of fuel, fencing and building timber.
To the south there isa continuous success
sion of of grassy bench lands which run in
long plateaus back to the dividing ridge be-
tween the Yellowstone. and Musselshell.
These grassy uplands afford the finest graz
ing for stock of all kinds, winter and SUM,
mer, that can be found, anywhere. The
springs are quite seasonabe, and crops re-
quire but little irrigation, but, as. the sum-
mer advances the. rains cease and the grass
cures like hay, stock thriving and fattening
upon 1t as we'll in tall and winter as when it
is green. Owing to the winds that prevail
in this valley there is little or no snow to in
terfere with winter grazing, and stock have
never been known to suffer for lack of feed
In this section.
In addition to these advantages, there are
coal mines on the valley which yield a SUI
perior quality of bitnminous coal, equal in
every respect to the celebrated Brier-hlll
coal of Pennsylvania. These mines are des-
tined to become the chief source of fuel for
onr smelling works and machine, shops
when the iron age shall! dawn upon our ter
rltory. At present they are undeyeioped
and. unclaimed, but the groupings plainly.
Indicate that they are of vast extent.
Beyond the range, to the north, lies the
Judith basin. The basin proper embrases
all the region of country drained by the Jul
dith river, and extends from the mountains
to the Missouri river, a distance of seventy
AAAA1ot dtia vi 1AIION CICCh Ou tllC HOfLI- 4
west to Flat Willow creek on the southeast,
atty miles. One vast highland plain cut by
manageable mountain streams, along whose
banks is to be. found some of Montana's
richest soil. Natural meadows of blue-joint
are co-extensive here with the rich bottom
lands, and yield double the amount of hay
to the acre of any other valleys known to
the, writer. The high lands are covered
with fine bunch grass. upon which hay can
be mown nearly every season. These plains
comprise the finest wheat lands to be found.
Fall wheat can be produced on them with
opt irrigation. In fact all the farming that
has yet been done on the Judith has been
the aid Of irrigation. Taken alto
it is the finest body OF agricultural
land on the eastern slope of the Rocky
mountains. Nearly the whole extent of the
Is tlllable. Aside from being won
adapted to wheat raising, 1t grows
sorn with great success, and Is destined to |
,ecome the corn-field Of Montana. The /
BASIN Is well hedged in by snow white, tim Z
,er-lined mountains, which assures an album +
s~ait,supply OF fencing, iuel, building TIM
and an inexhaastiDie supply OF fresh,
col, clear. sparkling water. The grass
rows more iuxuriantiy here than on the I
'fusselshell, the highland plateaus often be-
ne one continuous stretch of Aaving mead q
w rs far as the eye can reach. 1t is not so
hefe,as on the Mtsselshell, and in @
o~nsequence the snow is thought to lie n
anger, but stock winter quite as we'll as on I
Or other valleys. b
These beautiful valleys are fast settling q