New-York tribune., 1879-10-29
ETOCK-RAISING IN MONTANA.


iNNf ki II lNtfNN.
IrroA A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIRuNrl
HrtrNA Mont. Oct s.-Montana is the best
era7ing country in the world. | know that this is
a bold assertion TO make. but after seeing some
thIug during the past Summer of the the best cat
lie ranges Of Kansas Nclpska Colorado. Dakota
Wyor ing and Utah. which States and Territories
furnish 50 large proportion of the beef consumed
IN This country and talking with stock men, Army
officers and others. whose acquaintance with the
West n, far moIe extensive than my Own. and whose
experience gives To their opinion great weight.
I'M certain that II Is not an eXaggeration. There
may he portions OF South America where cattle
sheep and horses I've raised at less expense than
in Montana, but there certainly Is no part of the
United states where the same grade of animals
ready for market cost the ranchman less money,
while the price which they command Is many times
greater than IN any of the Spanish-American he
publics and but very little below that obiane" IN
H. lees remote States and Territories this side cf
The Missouri River.
NJ one can spend week in any part OF Montana
without hearing some If the most marvellous re-
poris about the profits that have been realized
during the last few years in the business Of stock
raising i'm this Territory. These stories, many oil
which have reached the East recently, in enthusl-
nsiic newspaper letters and pamphlets published
in the interest Of Western railroad companies, are
true 80 far as have been able to verify them, bnt
while a. a rule. they relate only to The exception
ally successful ventures. just as the Wouoei'ul
Yield ui bonanza mine IN camp Is heralded from
one end of the country 10 the other while the nun
dred prospect holes which have been failures are
never heard of, the uuyarnshed truth about Inc
average profits OF the business viii seem almost III
credible to Eastern people. II is only now aud
then TIA. band of cattle, sheep or horses NleiHs
net income of from 40 70 60 or even 100 per cent
r,er anunm but doubt If there is single instance
in which. taking scncs of years together. the
profts on ,tock-raisug have not been from 20 10
cOne- cent ON the original investment, and that,
too. IN eases where the animals have suffered
severely from unusual cold and snow IA the Winter
c. ftoiu disease.
In tine first place. the grass is better and more
abundant here than IN any other OF the Western
kiaic- and Territories. I'm previous letters have
ucu. oaod The fact that the bunch-graSs grows not
only H over the valleys and the benches, but on the
fooi-liu~ and even on many Of the mountains them
,cvc.. TIE supply ofit is incXhaustible. Even IN
he older settled portions OF he Territory, i'm
proved arms agc frequent. often adjoining each
ptlcr m thr valleys the cattle, sheep and horses Go
not begin .o eat down the grass, ana although the
hnge- i,r several miles on each sdc OF the valleys
hav hc nomiualy taken up. they arc still capable
Of sustaining many time. as many ANNALS rs now
vrazc upon thcm. No one who intends 70 raise stock
on q lar-r scale 10 make thar his chief business
woul lhink of driving ms bands OF animals to
ihc-, p.ltiul hills near the settlements but the
farm r- whose flock, and herds are now feeding
upon ta,u and sho want their cattle near at home.
may increase the siz, of their bands almost ndci-
ufcl before there VIII lc amy scarcity Of feed
Bus IS uot in those portions oi tle Territory
that 81, been Longest settled that stock-raisinr Is
most profitable. The valley of the Yellowstone
River .Ion r,,r a.. National P,rl 10 its mouth IS
GlO in..cs long, and on au average from ten to
twelve miles widc Ali of his land con he easily
irrigated and placed under cultivation. Hundreds
Of families have settled there tins year. On either
fie lor almo,. the entire Length of this valley are
ieucnc. foot-hs and prairies, covered with bunch
grass and amply watcrcd by small streams. Nor is
this all There flow into the Yellowstone from the
south the Powder River, the Tongue River. Big
Horn River. Clarl,'s Fork aud almost iunumerable
smaller streams the valley # each of which is
from 80 90 100 miles n length, and nearly every
uuc al ri. as good p9siurage as is % bc found IN
Tie world. Nearly tie whole Of this county has
boon inaccessible until within the last ishtc d
mont nr lwo wears. and ,he tide If Hairr tion haS
only .a begun To il'w ln. few bands Of cattle
have 1 eu driven m-o thr valleys oi all tuc streams
hav. .rncd. hut IL s safe 20 say that there D, not
one -..r there today where there is feed for
tiou-sll.
IL
,.b'. pre laf from being occupied. Thousands of
cattle Lave been driven this Summer TO the Sun
R.r.r country aud to tAe ,par,ely settled sections
norb and northeast of lhis city. and even there the
rarc,- are 80 large that iu riding over them one
would have difficulty except for the trails, To- select
the lands upon winch tte cattle have been feeding
from hose which have hot been touched. should
DO d.r. 90 make an estimate oi the number If AMI
nal rlai Montana can sustain, hut am perfectly
tafc ia saying that hundr,ds can Craze in her val
less and on her hills where now there is one and
that sili Dee many years before II w hc possible
for the stock to BEGIN % De- crowded.
| said that the grass IN tins Terutorg is better
than % D. elsewhere. II j, burch-grass that grows
from one 10 two or three feet high. In most places
the punches stand close together and cure ciIly
IN the summer In August and after. until the
next spring. the gia-. has color ucwAat similar
L. that OF ripe wheat. although the yellow is not
quite as bright and the country looks like one vast
field of grain nearly ready for the harvest. This
grass o, wonderfully sweet and nutritious. Cattle
fatten upon il quicker and keep in better condition
than those which feed on the blue grass Of Ken
tucky aud Southwestern Virginia, or the buffalo
grass of Nebraska and Colorado. Tho beef r. re-
markanly sweet, tender AMI juicy, rs | can testify
from having eaten of II every day fOr more than
month ! he proprietor of the two most popular
hole, in salt Lake Cry also told me that Montana
beef 81 wA ch be had &C, as!omally Obtained sone
was far superior to any other lac could gct, aud
equal in quality to the best stall-fed beef IN the
Ea,s. The chef fault have heard found with 1t
both ncrc and III Salt Lake has been that In
Sumi4er il too fat. In Winter. even, cattle that
are on sheltered ranges keep IN excellent condition.
Very few Of the stock men OF Montana make any
provisions for feeding their cattle ~ The Winter,
mud there Is 40 herding IN the Summer IN Ne
braska. Colorado and Wyoming. Old cattle-owners