CENTRAL MONTANA 



89 



CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA — At 



killing frost in spring:, .May 29 



Lewistown. 

 average date t'iist 



Ave. Prec. 



Ave. Temp. 

 County 

 County 



Jan. Feb. Mar. 

 .80 .82 1.08 



20.7 22.8 30.0 

 seat, Lewistown. 

 Agricultural Agent 



April May 

 1.39 3.05 

 42.2 50.1 

 Population 

 Yes. 



Elevation 3,950. Average date last 

 killing fiost in fall, September 7. 



An- 



.Tuno Julv Aug. .Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. nual 

 3.54 2.42 1.35 1.61 1.26 .79 .78 18.89 

 58.2 64.3 62.8 53.3 44.6 32.2 25.5 42.2 

 county seat, 6,120. 



•miOi^i^KmiiKisaiisu 



♦These figures include most of Judith Basin, whicli was created from Fergus and 

 Cascade counties. 



GOLDEN VALLEY COUNTY 



ITUATED in coiitral Montana, most of its 

 area included witliin tho MusseLshell val- 

 ley drainage system, Golden Valley county 

 is almost wholly agricultural in character, 

 although it has large coal measures and 

 prospects of petroleum. One of the more 

 recently settled districts, the one-crop sys- 

 tem has been dominant, but a wider interest 

 in dairying and an expanding acreage in 

 corn are indicative of the emergence of a 

 more stable type of farming. A project is 

 under way looking to the irrigation of more 

 than 22,000 acres of land near Franklin. 



Outside of the Musselshell valley most of 

 the comity consists of rolling bench lands 

 gradually sloping away to the Snowy 

 Mountains on the north and to the Pine 

 Hills region on the south. Eighty-five per 

 cent of the county, it is estimated, is 

 tillable. Soil types are quite uniform. The uplands range from sandy to clay 

 loams, with the lower bottom vallejs clay to heavy clay soils. 



Except in the Musselshell Aalley, where some irrigated farming is done, non- 

 irrigated farming prevails. AVhile all small grains do well, spring wheat is the 

 primary grain crop. The growing season is hot and good 

 results have been had with corn, particularly as a feed crop. 

 Cream buying stations that have been established in the past 

 year or two at several points reflect the .growing interest in a 

 mixed type of farming. Moisture is the controlling factor in crop production, 

 especially in the northern part of the county, necessitating careful cultural prac- 

 tices to insure good crops. 



The commercial production of coal is small, and confined to fuel for local 

 needs. The existence of alabaster is reported from the north end of the county. 

 Five potential oil structures have been mapped by geologists and some drilling 

 has been done. 



The main line of the Chicago, Milwaulcee & St. Paul Railway follows the 

 Musselshell river east and west through the county, and the Billings-Shelby 

 line of the Great Northern, which is used by Burlington trains to the coast, 

 goes northwesterly through the county. The Buffalo highway, from Cody, 

 Wyoming, to the Glacier Park, crosses the county in a northerly direction, and 

 a main east and west automobile highway winds through the Musselshell valley. 

 Ryegate, on the Milwaukee, is tlie county seat. Lavina, Franklin and Belmont 

 are trading centers on the railroads. 



GOLDEN VALLEY COUNTY — Ranks forty-third in population (4,276); forty-ninth 

 in area (752,000 acres): forty-third in combined 1922 crop .and livestock value; forty- 

 sixth in bank deposits, 1922; forty-third in asse.ssed valuation, 1922. Acres public land, 

 7,063; acres state land, 41,023; acres national forests, 23,570. 



Corn Does 

 Well 



