Forests and Lumber.— per cent of the total area of the State is coveted with timber, which is 8 per cent less than for the average of the entire United States. The timber growth is largely of coniferous trees, yellow pine, tamarack and Douglas spruce (red fir), comprising the most of the commercial product. Along the streams occur forests of cottonwood. In the drier portions of the State, stunted red cedars often grow along the smaller water courses, of great value to settlers, as they supply posts and wood. Forests of white cedar or arbor-vitae, white pine and Engel mann's spruce occur in the western part. On the higher slopes and summits the alpine species thrive; but as they have limbs to the base of the, tree and inaccessible, they are not of value com mercially. They are useful in preventing the rapid melting of the snow in the spring, hold ing it until later in the season when it is needed in irrigation. A considerable portion of the State's timbered area is included in govern ment forest reserves. The area embraced in each is as follows: The annual output of lumber from Montana mills is quite large. The cut for 1916 is con siderably above the average for the 10-year period, 1906 to 1915, and also higher than the 1917 cut. The total lumber cut for 1916, 'based upon mills cutting 50,000 feet board measure or more per year, was 383,884,000 feet board measure. A conservative estimate of the total cut for 1916 was in round numbers at least 385,000,000 feet board measure. The lumber production by species for 1916 is shown below; In addition to the lumber produced in 1916 there were 25,522,000 pieces of lath and 16. 266,000 shingles. Figuring that 7,000 lath is equal to 1,000 feet board measure and that 10,000' shingles is equal to 1,000 feet board measure of lumber, the lath and shingles pro duced are equal in round numbers to ap proximately 5,200,000 feet board measure. The total forest products amount to 594,740,000 feet board measure. In 1916 there were 138 saw mills in the State, 157 in 1917. The an nual increment of all timber lands in the State and the annual cut are approximately equal at present. Under proper management, Montana has sufficient timber land to supply the present annual consumption of the State indefinitely with a surplus for disposal elsewhere. It is roughly figured that western Montana forests, if properly protected and managed, will sustain an annual cut, under present conditions, of about 700,000,000 feet of sawtimber, as com pared to a cut at present of less than 400,000, 000 feet. The entire State will probably sus tain a cut of 900,000,000 feet annually. The United States Forest Service is the only or ganization in Montana growing and planting forest trees for timber production. A nursery, perhaps the largest evergreen nursery in the United States, is maintained at Haugan, Mont., along the foothills of the Bitter-Root Moun tains in the extreme western portion of the State. Until the present year, 19/8, in which shipments have been curtailed by the war, the annual production of two and three year-old forest trees has been approximately 4,000,000 annually, thus making it necessary to keep a stock on hand of trees of all ages of approximately 12,000,000. These trees are field planted on burned-over areas, not capable of re stocking naturally, in the White Pine belt of western Montana and northern Idaho. About two-thirds of the output of the nursery is planted in Idaho and one-third, or approxi mately 1,300,000, are planted in western Mon tana. Forest fires in the State of Montana during the 10-year period 1908-17 inclusive have caused a damage of approximately $6,500,000. For suppressing the 5,833 fires, which caused this damage, the State of Montana, the United States Forest Service and private agencies have spent about $1,170,000. By far the greatest damage was done in 1910 when the fires es caped from control and destroyed nearly $6, 000,000 worth of standing timber and other property. The largest expenditure for suppres sion was in 1917 when a little over half a mil lion dollars was spent in controlling nearly 1,400 fires. The result of this expenditure is shown in greatly reduced damage. Only about 16.2 per cent of the fires are caused by lightning, which is the only natural cause of any consequence. Railroads cause 37.2 per cent ; campers, 172 per cent; brushburning, 10.2 per cent; incendiaries, 4.3 per cent: lumbering, 0.9 per cent; miscellaneous causes, 2.3 per cent, and 11.7 per cent are from unknown causes. Prior to December 1908 the Forest Service was administered from Washington, with in spection districts in charge of inspectors throughottt the West, each containing a number of national forests. In December 1908 the headquarters of District No. 1 was established at Missoula. The organization of the district office consists of a district forester with four assistants. These heads of administrative offices have each a corps of assistants. The total num ber of people employed in the district office is approximately 80. In addition to the timber resources of the national forests of Montana, they yield each year an abundant crop of for age for the production of livestock. In the fiscal year ending 30 June 1918, 193,108 cat tle and horses and 810,355 sheep and goats grazed on the 18 national forests of Mon tana, mainly during the summer period, and yielded a revenue to the United States of $136, 478.68. The revenue, however, represents merely a nominal charge for the forage used. The true commercial value would perhaps reach approximately $500,000 annually.
Mines and Mining.— In the early years of the State's history Montana was known prin cipally on account of her mines. Although mining has taken second place to agriculture the State is still a mining section, with vast expenditure and enormous returns. A thou sand million dollars worth of precious and semi-precious metals is a fair estimate of the mineral products, extending over half a cen tury. The early history is the search for gold, and many of her towns and cities are built in gulches where placer gold was mined. Hel ena and Virginia City are illustrations, the lat ter being the oldest camp in the State. Al
though Butte is the greatest mining camp in the State, and indeed the greatest in the world, there are many other places where mining is carried on. Gold was discovered in Montana in paying quantities in 1862. The find was in Grasshopper Creek, where later the town of Bannock was built, and where the first seat of government was established in 1864. The diggings of Alder Gulch and Last Chance Gulch, where Helena now stands, followed. It is estimated that in the first 20 years of placer mining $200,000,000 in gold was taken, although no accurate system of determining is possible. Montana Bar in Confederate Gulch, Broadwater County, yielded $1,600,000. This was packed in kegs, hauled in freight wagons to Fort Benton and taken thence by boat to Sioux City, the nearest railroad. The men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition probably stirred big values in gold, unknowingly, as they laboriously poled and dragged their boats up the Missouri past this bar. The true source of the gold found in the placer mines is yet a mystery. Following the discovery of free gold came gold quartz mining. The first mine was the Ore Cache at Summit in Adler Gulch. Other discoveries were made rapidly. In the 60's every reef and outcrop in Madison County was staked and recorded. Then came the at tempt to mine and smelt silver-lead ores. Long before a railroad reached the State lead-silver bullion was shipped to Crinne, Utah, in freight wagons, for smelting. Copper ore of value was not discovered in Butte until about 1880. Ore was found in seemingly inexhaustible quan tities. Smelting works were erected, big plants being constructed. In later years zinc deposits have been developed and an electrolytic zinc-reducing plant has been constructed at Great Falls. Manganese ores, which have heretofore been of a negligible quantity, have• been found in the Butte mines. The Philips burg region is also rich in manganese. The high price for this ore on account of the war caused great activity in manganese produc tion in 1917 and 1918. Other mineral producing regions are Jardine, Park County, which pro duces gold, silver, selenite and tungsten; Emi grant Gulch, placer gold; Hell Gate, copper ore; Radersburg, gold and other ores; Silver Camp, at the headwaters of the Big Black foot, silver, copper and zinc; Elkhorn, in Bea verhead County, several ores; Neihart, Cas cade County, silver-lead ore; Castle, Meagher County, lead; mines near Helena, gold. The total value of all minerals produced in 1914 was about $47,800,000. In 1915 the output was almost doubled, reaching $87,000,000. In 1916 this was again almost doubled, $145,300,000. Production in 1917 and 1918 was 'still enor mously increased. The output of the different counties is given for the year 1916, showing the distribution of the mineral wealth.
Montana is one of the richest coal States in the West, although much of it is undeveloped. The cretaceous, bituminous and semi-bitumi nous coal areas in the State cover about 13,000 square miles, and the lignite area about 25,000. Not all of this territory contains coal, of course, but the deposits are found quite abun dantly throughout the State. The quality varies from anthracite to low lignite. Anthracite is present, but not in commercial quantity. The inferior lignite is in the Great Plains section. The grade of coal improves as the mountains are approached, culminating, usually, in highest grade in or near the moun tains. Tests show the bituminous coal to be little inferior to Pennsylvania bituminous coals. Lignite is not yet extensively used because methods of making briquettes are as yet corn mericially expensive, and without •briquette moisture and gas rapidly leave the coal. But lignite is a natural resource with great future value. One lignite bed near Miles City is 40 feet thick. Over 1,810,000 tons of coal were mined in the State in 1910. In 1916 the output was doubled, having risen to nearly 3,700,000 tons. New mines are being opened annually. Bituminous coal or lignite has been found in nearly every county in the State. The unde veloped coal industry will, without doubt, be a prominent factor in the future expansion of other industries of the State. In addition to its coal, the State has extensive beds of clay, of different grades and qualities. Stones for building purposes are quarried in many sections. Montana leads the States of the Union in the production of sapphires, the actual mining of which began in 1891. Four mining regions may be mentioned: A belt 12 miles northeast of Helena on the Missouri River; the Rock Creek region, 30 miles west of Ana conda; the Cottonwood Creek fields, 10 miles east of Deer Lodge, and the Yaw) mines in Fergus County, 13 miles west of Utica. The last is the most productive region. In recent years both oil and gas have been found in the State. Oil was first discovered in the Elk Basin, Carbon County, near the Wyoming line, 11 Nov. 1915. Since then seven Montana .ells are producing in this district. The first well was sunk to a depth of 1,494 feet, with a pro duction during the first 24 hours of 150 barrels. The flow continued about 200 barrels daily after the first day. In October 1917 two oil prospects were discovered near Laurel in Yel lowstone County. Exploratory work is con ducted in the Dry Creek Basin in Carbon County, near Bridger and Laurel in Yellow stone, in Toole and Sweet Grass counties, in Musselshell County, near Lavina and Roundup, in Deer Lodge, Lewis and Clark, Cascade and Dawson counties. The Montana oil wells mar keted in 1916 44,917 barrels. Gas has been dis covered in the northern, the central, the south ern and eastern parts of the State. A number of gas wells near Havre were brought in in 1915, with a supply more than ample to heat the city. A fine deposit of gas has been found near Baker and the gas has been piped to the town for use. About 70 miles from Billings, near the State line, a well was blown in in 1916 with a flow of 100,000,000 cubic feet of gas every 24 hours and was extremely difficult to plug and control.