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BULLETIN . 398, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE JUDITH BASIN. 
The following rather detailed description of the Judith Basin and 
the conditions obtaining there allows comparison with other parts 
of the State of Montana where it is believed that the substation 
results are applicable. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 
The Judith Basin is an area of nearly 2 , 000, 000 acres of tillable 
bench land lying in the western half of Fergus County, Mont. The 
basin, so called because it is nearly surrounded by mountains, is 
about 75 miles from east to west and 50 miles from north to south. 
The Little Belt Mountains form the southern and western boundaries. 
The Highwood Mountains and the Bad Lands, or breaks, of the 
Missouri River He to the north. The North and South Moccasin, the 
Judith, and the Snowy Mountains form the eastern boundary. 
The basin is drained by the Judith River and its tributaries. Part 
of the land along the river and creek bottoms can be irrigated, but by 
far the larger part of the district is classed as dry land. 
Until a few years ago the Judith Basin was a range country. The 
only land farmed was along the river and creek bottoms, while the 
bench lands were used to pasture great herds of cattle and sheep. 
Within the last 10 years practically all the tillable land in the Judith 
Basin has been brought under cultivation. Winter wheat is raised 
almost exclusively, although a few of the farmers are gradually 
working into a more diversified system of farming. 
SOILS. 
The soils of the Judith Basin are rather variable. The surface soil 
is a dark, heavy clay loam of limestone origin, which varies in depth 
from a few inches to 3 feet. The soil when wet becomes very sticky, 
and because of its adhesive character can be plowed only with a disk 
plow. Analysis of the soil shows that apparently it is quite rich in 
available plant food. The subsoil to a depth of 30 feet is composed 
of limestone gravel closely cemented together and is of such character 
as will not allow the storage of water or the development of roots. 
The composition of the soil at the substation, as determined by 
mechanical analysis, is shown in Table I. The stickiness of the soil 
is due largely to its high, percentage of silt and clay, 40.7 and 24.3 per 
cent, respectively, in the surface foot. 
Table I. — Composition of the soil at the Judith Basin substation, Moccasin, Mont., as 
determined by mechanical analysis. 
Constituents. 
First 
foot. 
Second 
foot. 
Constituents. 
. First 
foot. 
Second 
foot. 
Fine gravel 
Per cent. 
0.9 
2.7 
4.4 
13.3 
Per cent. 
1.1 
2.3 
3.2 
10.4 
Very fine sand 
Per cent. 
13.4 
40.7 
24.3 
Per cent. 
11.6 
33.3 
38.1 
Coarse sand 
Silt! 
Medium sand 
Clay 
Fine sand 
