124 MONTANA: INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



have j^ono in for divi'r.sifird laniiiiii; that iiiL'kulod small grains, corn, sugar beets 

 and potatoes. The.v had good success with these crops and indications are the 

 acreage in sugar beets will be considerably increased the next crop season, perhaps 

 leading event Tiall.v to the establishment of a sugar beet factory. Much irrigated 

 land in thi' Milk Jii\er project of the goxcrnment is not being farmetl at all, or is 

 only devoted to native blue joint hay. Arrangements have been made under which 

 surplus private holdings are offered at reasonable prices on easy terms. Alfalfa 

 ranks next to ])lue joint in importance as a forage crop. It is also grown as a 

 seed crop, and around >Saco. where the (Jrimm variety predominates, a (irimm seed 

 association has been organized. Potatoes are becoming an important crop in this 

 county. At the Pacific Northwest Potato Show in 1922, in competition with grow- 

 ers from seven states, I'hillips county took first on Irish cobblers. Seed from Phil- 

 lips county was included in the Montaiui potatoes that scored highest in conixie- 

 tlon with seed from luiiiiy other states in a test conducted by the Louisiana Ex- 

 periment station. A noted pastoral region in the old days, stock growing, in 

 value of products, is still dominant and in the southern part of the comity is 

 conducted on a large-scale range basis. 



For many years gold and silver mining has l)een carried on in the Little 

 Rocky Mountains, and Phillips county has been an important producer. A re- 

 vival of the industry there was noted in 102;!. There are extensive lignite coal 

 fields in the county, and near the Little Rockies, one of the larger oil companies 

 is drilling for oil. 



The main line of the Great Northern follows the course of the Milk River 

 through the county and is i)aralleled l»y the Roosevelt Memorial highway. A sec- 

 ondary highway from Lewistown enters the county on the south and runs to Malta. 

 A secondary highway runs from Malta into Canada connecting with a 

 road to Moose Jaw. 



INIalta, the county seat, is the largest town and principal trading center. Saco 

 is a distributing point in the east end of the county, and Zortman, in the south- 

 western district, for the Little Rockies region. 



Lake Bowdoin, east of Malta, is one of the finest duck hunting regions in the 

 west. The Little Rockies region is rich in romance, dating from the days of the fur 

 trader and the Indian down to the time when the "•Kid" Curry outlaw gang made 

 its headquarters there. 



PHILLIPS COUNTY — Ranks nineteenth in population (9.311); third in area 

 (3,313,920 aci'es) ; eleventli in combined 1922 crop and livestock value; twenty-cig-htli in 

 bank deposits, 1922; twenty-sixth in assessed valuation, 1922. Acres public land, 662,504; 

 acres state land, 171,886; acres national forests, 28,317; acres unallotted Indian reserva- 

 tions, 121,317. 



WEALTH PRODUCTION — Estimated 1922 crop value, $1,715,000; estimated live- 

 stock value, .January, 1923. $2,628,000: total bank deposits, September 15, 1922, $1,157,268. 



TAXATION 1922 — Total assessed valuation, $21,392,602; total taxable value. 

 $6,755,954. Total outstanding county bond indebtedness, $581,500; total outstanding 

 county warrant indebtedness, $58,295; total outstanding school bond indebtedness, 

 $311,104; other school debts, $4,111. Total general and special county taxes, $206,880; 

 total general and district scliool taxes, $185,851; total municipal taxes, $17,261; total state 

 taxes, $32,925; total tax (inclusive municipal), per capita, $47.56. 



EDUCATIONAL — Numl)er graded schools, 105; enrollment, 1,810. Number high 

 schools, 4; enrollment, 171. 



BUSINESS STATISTICS — Number of railroads, 1; railway mileage, exclusive of 

 spurs and sidetracks, 52.24. Number of manufactures, 13; average number wage earners, 

 98; value of products, $203,229. Number of banks, 7. Numbei- general stores, 24; con- 

 fectionery, etc., 9; groceries and meats, 17; lumber yards 8; total number merchants, 144. 

 Total assessed valuation 1922 merchandise, $362,880. Number grain elevators, 14; total 

 capacity, 348,000 bushels. Number creameries, 1. Number flour mills, 1. Number saw 

 mills, 1. Number lawyers, 12. Number of physicians, 5. 



AGRICULTURAL (1920 census) — Number farms. 1,914; farm acreage, 1,084,725; im- 

 proved farm acreage, 227,811: irrigated acreage, 28,047; average value all property, per 

 farm, $11,249. Livestock assessed 1922 — number cattle, 24,626; number sheep, 58,901; 

 number horses, 20,065; numlici- swine (census), 1,735. 



CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA — At Malta. Elevation, 2,250 feet. Average date last 

 killing frost in spring, May 21; average date first killing frost in fall, September 25. 



An- 



Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June .July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. nual 



Aver. Prec. .58 .43 .43 .69 2.22 3.57 1.85 1.23 1.24 .55 .40 .39 13.58 



Aver. Temp. 8.6 12.6 26.2 44.2 54.0 63.8 69.8 67.9 56.8 44.4 29.6 15.3 41.1 



County Seat, Malta. Population County Seat, 1,427. 



County Agricultural Agent — Yes. 



