New-York tribune., 1879-10-29

are any. looking for stray animals and driving
them home. At the Spring round-upa lew extra
men have to he cmplONed for several weeks.
In starting a new herd, COWS, bulls aud yearngs
ere houeht The older cattle of ordinary grade
they are all Amer1can-no lorg-horned leNanSl
cost from -lJ 5.1p head. the calves under one
wear old running with The herd Iot being couhie
Ncarlincs may he obtained FOR from - TO - eGch
The average cost of raising steer not counting m
tcreSt taptal invested. j. from 90 cents Ia ~ a
year. that fourV VCar-od steer raised from eau
ami ready COR market costs about 81. He IS worth,
on the ranch. about $50 AID If driven To OF pen
ton or To the railroad ~ Wyoming at leasi -.
herd consisting of ycariinc~ cows and oulls VIII
have no steers ready for the market III less '"dn
two three years. Taking INTO account the loss W
interest on capal invested before returns nfc ie-
ccivcd. all expenses and ordinary losses ana nc
average profit oi raising caille III Mohlanu uu'luE
the ast few years has been at least 80 per cent per
annum. Some wcil-nformod cattle men estimate IL
gt q or - per cent -,
A large and Increasing percentage OF the catte
and sheep of Montana are owned 10y persons VINO 30
not manage them themselves, and some OF whom
do reside in this Territory. Nearly all the leac
ing merchants aud bankers of Helena own lniet
cSts i'm bands Of stock. and LAWYERS, doctors ana
Federal officers are following their example, and IN
ycSting either their own money or that oI their
friends m the East cattle, sheep or horses. a
man W hO desires To invest IN stock, ana VINO mas
not the time or inclination tO attend 10 the business
himself, takes AN associate some man OF eNpefl-
cmcc and Integrity. bat destitute OF cariiai !ol
whom there are many in Montana, ana giVes hIm
entire charge of the herd. This man selects the
range, cuts tho hay that j. necessary, moves ne an
mals when necessary, attends Ia the roundlur-np,
and drives those that are sold 10 the place oI ielV-
cry paving all expenses, and being entirely Tc-
sponslhle for the management of the business.
For tins he receives Onc-ha 81 the Increase of the
herd. the mau who furnishes the cap tai taking the
other half. The returns which capitalists obtain on
their money invested on this plan in a herd oi cat
c Is never less than - per cent. N flock of sheep
20 per cent and upward and in a band of horses
much greater tnan IN either
new plan for dividing the profits Of this busi-
ness between capitalists and managers has lately
been suggested, and Will probably he tried next
t.flr. I.pl al
with he money furnished by his partners, the latter
retaining the fiilc to the animals. find a suitable
range and pay all the EXPENSES of the enterprise,
until from the profits lie has paid back To the III
VcstOr q sum of money equal to that which he at
first pat IN. Then the manager IS 10 become the
owner Of OnC-thrd of the business and to receive
thereafter onc-third of the profits the expenses be
ing paid ont of the receipts. II Is proposed 10y re-
spOusihie men IN Montana to organize stock COM
IanieS IN the East for the pulp OI conducting the
cattle and sheepraslug business Oh this pian, and,
with ordinary prec utiOus III the selection of a
proper man To manage such m enterprise can
imagine no uudeTtaking IN Nhich the security can
be better or the certainty Of large profits greater.
The management OF sheep Is, of course different
from that of cattle. 4 band Of sheep containing
disease. NAV lac bought here thus season for - To
- - a head. lhey must he herded summer and
" inter Iu separate bands oi not more than 900 or
5000 each, corraled every night and guarded
against the depredations of dogs and Wild ANIMALS
some hay must be provided with winch 20 feed
them when there are deep SHOWS, and sheds ought 10
he erected To protect them from tie most severe
sioTus Cattle and sheep cannot live together on
tho same range. ihc lar ter not oniN eat aowu iJe
lrs, 80 closely that nothing Is lett for the catiie
hut they also leave an od"r which Is Nct Vlcd-lNr Nr
t0 sieer-. Although the cost of managing sheep is
greater than that o. handing cattle the Tctu n~ ac
quicker and larger While nerd ot Nonn- caiii
bcgin lo yItid dl income only 90 the eApIaton oi
tIIcc years, she. . yield crop oi wool il' hlst
summer after they are driven upon Iaf g.. end
tie increase of the band much greater than that
OF cattle, being from - To 100 per cent year. hc
Wo H. of gJou quality, itc from burre, noe washed,
N.rnr f..H
ilOu between buyers sent ont here from Eastern
cities 10 obtain 10 being very great. Many thousand
sheep bave 1oen q wen into ,nis Territory On yenr
from tailioula, oregon 1nd Washington Territory,
ami every band that has arrived has been CoAblrd
up hy men eager OIncrcase their tockS or 10 staIt
lew out>.
Itls not my purpose to u-!oad amy reader bv re-
citing The cases IN which una, nal profits have been
realized ia the busneS, of sock raising. but il may
be interesting 10 know what has occasionally been
done in cases where all the conditions have
been favorable, just as We like 70 hear of the
Iich returns which bonanza mines sometimes give.
Ihe following L. an example: Judge Davenport,
of tLls Territory, four years ago last july pur-
chased 900 ewes, which cost him lu the neigh uOr
hood of 50 900. These he put m charge Of Young
man, who was to take them ON "A raupe. care for
thcln pay ali the expenses Of the band. auO TO
cclYc a. hs share One-half the wool produced and
Oue-han the increase of the flock. At the end OF
four YcaT, a settlement was TO be made and Judge
Davenport was tnen 10 receive back loo al the
best ewes WIicn tine band contained. Inc settle
uicnt was made last July. n the meantime, Judge
Davenport had received tor bic share of the pro-
ceeos oi tine wool $500 and for hIs snare of the
increase 5000. lie pruuts OF MS investment OF
S.. GOO lOr four Years were. therefore, l1.5OO. OI
a.. 90 or 1913 per cent "a year! Durus the same
tcar other men made only 90 OF go per cent
their sheen. and somc who nom ncXpcrIcuce or bad
fortune met with heavy LOSSES, perhaps not more
than - per cent. bul have never heard of a single
instance IN winch there has been an absolute loss
m "a period of, say, three or four years. One man,
driving a large band of sietp from the south
year ca two ago. was caught by the Winter IN an
unlasorable place and lost one-haif or twO-tmrCs
b. ltsE Int flff lac nd al Etl " its
came 10 balance hIs books lie found that tie rem
pant oi his band bad done so we'll that Ills protis
had been abou, p per cent year on hs original
investment.
Inc number Of cattle now in the Territory
tmltcd al 100000, and the number OF sheep
2lOOOu The wool clip this year about
500 900 OF 100000 pounds which sold, ON an
average. for 20 cents pound. have seen no csti-
,u,,t. of The number of horses IN Montana, but
tliuk there are only a lew very large bands.
Horses VIII endure the cold weather and get at the
grass ii u is covered by snow much better than
most owners prefer 10 have their bands fenced IN on
her3ei pretty carefully. The best horse farms are
IN small valleys ten on twelve miles long on the
sides OF winch the foot-hl!ls extend up To high
uouutalu>. BN building "a fence across each cnu OI
such valley tho horse, aic prevented from sir'y-
inc from The range. The profits upon the realiug Of
horses and mules are very great, ana tA'rc i
ready market for all that are offered.
What have written IN tins letter Will undoub-
cdly prompt some one To ash Can ans oic from
tAc Last, with capital oi q Few inOusdhd collars,
70 90 Montana aud engage successfully IN tue busl-
ness Of stock-raIsiug'" No; unless he supplements
bis capital with experience, either Ql MS own OF ol
some one with whom ne associates himself a man
reared IN m Eastern city or town 10 professional,
mercantile OF manufacturing pursuits would he -
helpless with band Of several Thousand head Oi
stock ON his hands as a Western ranchmau would
he IN Il cotton mill. Bui with an experienced part
ncr. even cIty man would soon learn the business.
The fist tning 10 be done IN entering tue stock
business IS To select good range, and To do this
quIrcs % pretty thorough knowledge Of the coun-
Try and OF what constitutes desirable location.
spt % \. "
blow OIL exposing the bunch-gTass, good water,
calons IA winch the animals may seek shelser from
storms, and natural meadows If hay Is 10 be cut.
are all considered essential. The greater the aus
tancc from other ranges, the less trouble there will