Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1878-04-25

mrae,f oannot refrain from coming and say
- q few words in their defence. l aiso
wish to make a few remarks on the saoJec'
of ranges and the improvement OF s'och.
Like Mr.. Anceny, | don't see how any
ono ran afford to raise stock and not make
every possible effort to improve lt' ana l
wish every one in Montana was equally
ANXIOUS as he is to see only the best KIND OF
animals eating bunch grass on our NILS. l
consider the distressing pictures OF depas-
turaoe drawn by MIR. Anceny as unwarrant-
ed by the real condition of our ranges. 1
think the facts of the case are that we eH-
pect too much of the range, and conse-
%ouently are disappointed in our endHaVors
70 imnroye our stock. My observations
convince me that the altered conditions to
which the cattle of this Territory have been
subjected accounts for their deterioration.
and deteriorated they certainly are from the
original stock which was brought here from
the States in the years Of 1861 and '66,
particularly, specimens OF which may yet
be seen in our herds. The experience OF
the past ten years ought to prove to us that
the nearer we follow the mode OF keeping
stock in Texas. the nearer we shall come to
raising Texas stock. All authorities agree
that it is "the tendency of all improved
breeds of domestic animals to relapse to their
original status when they are neglected or
abused, and all improvements in stock can
be fully maintained only by a reasonable
share of the same care and judgement by
which the improvement was originally eff
fected; hat irregular feeding, an OCCASION
al scant supply, undue exposure to cold, or
temperature uncomtortably high, is 1diSas-
trous to any high degree .af improvement.
The tenth Duchess OF Adair never attained
her points of perfection picking stray bits of
grass on a ledge of rocks, and standing for
days and nights together bumped up and
nearly frozen to death under q cedar bush.
Neither was she the proceeds of wholesale
system Of breeding of every little scrawny
heifer On the range at eight or nine months
of age, NC matter what kind of a bull you
might use. and until we accept the aondi-
llOIIS. StiIQ AOl1VW CuU tiC uSitlltS pAIiL ldSC
made the Shorthorn what it is, we have no
reason to expect any SUCCESS in maintain
ing it in its state of perfection, and when
the day comes, and it will surely come,
when Montana will conduct her stock-rais-
ing on such principles, she WILL carry hun
dreds Of cattle where she now carries one,
and will be crowded witl \ prosperous and
wealthy people.
That $ cattle are worth more to the coun-
try than any other kind of stockn is only
an assertion, and | suppose a denial would
have al equal right and balance it. but I
wish to show, by actual working tests,
that If you estimate the worth of the arti-
Gle by the amount of money it will return
to you as . clear net profit on the invest
ment, in comparing cattle with sheep, the
former would not stand Il ghost of IL show.
We will take MIR. Anceney's statement as a
working basis that is, buying a yearling
steer at ten dollars and keeping him until
he is iour-year-old that he will grow in
value at the rate OF four dollars a year; you
have twenty-five dollars, provided he don't
die just before you get ready to sell him. If
ne does, you don't have much Of anything.
In the chances of death, the sheep has every
advantage, for in no other domestic ami
NAL is the hazard OF loss by death so
SMALL IF decently managed, u good
sheep can never die in debt to Il man !; if it
dies at birth, it has consumed nothing: if
It lies the first winter, its wool will pay for
It's consumption up to that period; ifit
lives to be sheared once, it brings its owner