Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-04-20

ishine seeds, cure in that pure atmosphere
on the stalk, thus retaining their nutritious
properties the year round. The Yellow
stone and the adjacent valleys are said to be
the finest stock regions on the globe. The
ranchmen of the Gallatin Valley-at the
head of which BoZeman is s~ituated-habitt-
ally drive their stock over into the Yellow
stone for wintering, and they thrive all
through the winter in those wild ranges,
without any attention whatever. The WIN
ter of 1915 was the ~severest and longest
ever known in that Countrywide oldes In
dams declaring they had no recollection OF
its equal for severity or duration-and that
season not a ! head was lost out of thousands
of horses and cattle that were driven over
into the Yellowstone from the Montana set
Elements.
"The principal tributary rivers, all flowing
northward. are the Clark's Fork, the Big
Horn, the Rosebud, the Tongue and the
Powder. Each drains a vast expanse Of cul-
vatab1e area, soil said to betas rich, and 9TH
er growing conditions as favorable, as III the
main Yellowstone Valley and they are
equally goodsfor stocll-raising. Judge Ma
guire estimates the entire cultiVatable area
at 10000 square miles. OF this immense ex-
tent of territory the public surveys have on
" been extended over five toWnsllips-an
extension of the Upper Gallatin lines over
into the Yellowstone Valley to meet the ur-
gent requirement of Montana "squatters, s
who have drifted thither.
The country below the mouth OF the Pow
der river-235 miles above the mouth Of the
Yellowstone-is not near so inviting as that
above Though it is said to be rich in miner
al wealth, especially coal) ; but about all the
reports of the Yellowstone Valley hereto
fore have been of explorations in the com
paratively uninviting sections on the lower
waters of the Yellowstone,
! s'The Northern Pacific railroad, which the
company promise to finish to the mouth OF
the Big Horn the present year, follows the
main valley of the. Yellowstone all the way
up to the Bozeman Pass. This brings all
the public lands Of the Yellowstone within
the railroad belt that is, makesthe gov
ernment lands "double minimum, y or $$2.o(
per acre. The even sections will be silbJecl
to entry under the United States land laws
the odd sections belong to the railroad com
pany. The presumption settler can take lG(
acres on the even sections, and will have &c
months in which to make payment at So. 5(
per acre: the homestead settler under the oris
inal. law, can locate but so acres (his being
equivalentto $50 acres Of" single minimum
or lands outside of the "railroad belt ~
but an amendment to the original home
steadlaw so modities this that those wht
served for thirty days Or longer i'll the Wal
of the rebellion may locate a homestead O
100 acres and will be allowed to deduct thu
time, not exceeding four years, they Were
in military service from the five years settle
ment required to perfect title-that is, they
must in any event prove a settlement OF q
least one year. What constitutes ~"settle
ment,' is literally construed by the autliori
ties-the settler being allowed to absen
himself from his location for periods not t
exceed six months. And right here it i
we'll to state that ex-soldiers have no trans
feyuGle rights to homes Oh the public do
main, and those who advertise to secur,
ssfree homes for soldiers" are engaged i
enterprises which are to an extent fraudu
lent: butsthe amendatory law does ALLOW
the eN-soldier to locate his homestea
through an agent or attorney, but ifhei
not personally on the ground within ST
months from the date of location his RICH
lapses and is+lost, so far as that particula
tract is concerned. All lands under Tia