The Benton weekly record., 1883-02-15
MONTANA US. NoRTHWEST CAT
TIE RANGES.

he if nor ii,gerrsfiny at least startling 10
Mon'ana catt!emen. ai,er describing the
country north Of the boundary line from
Regina 20 Fort Macleod ~ ''the real feed
ing grounds Of the Northwest" ne turns
his stcls towards Fort Benton and has
This 10 say Of our past''te lands ana STOCK
businr... .sDroye t. Fort Benton, Il dis
taurn nf about ti r tullared mleH'
;l,rt..l.{, tfl., ralIls~- y; zin2 country q
Mon ana We saw there the result OF
prantipg land for free ranging, instead OF
ad,uiug the better system OF leases as iol-
lowed t,y the Canadian Government. ouch
an enormous number Of cattle have oeeh
on the lands, every one being subject only
70 his becoming a member OF The asSoela-
fiop and AS to obtaining rights for round
ING up,'' that the grass has been eaten up,
and there is scarcely a probability that lot
many years to come Of there being sum
cient feed for the cattle, anu the conse-
uuence is that the rangers are selling OIL
their herds. Most fortunately for them,
the requirements of the cattle breeders IN
the Dominion territory are such rs 10 Sc
cure for them high and increasing prices.
Had it not been for this circumstance, the
result of free ranging would have certain
Iv been that the Montana breeders would
have been compelled to sell their cattle al
upremunerative prices, instead OF the
high prices which they are now command
ing. On many Of these ranches the own
ers are putting on sheep; but the result,
though it may be profitable for some years
will be to still further destroy the grass.
This condition of things affords an expla-
nation of the denunciation of the Canadl-
An Government by the Montana breeders
for having granted leases in the Dominion
Northwest, and thus having prevented
them doing what Il ey would otherwise
have done. namely, turned all their cattle
across the border line into Canada TO feed
upon the lands of the Porcupine Hills and
the Calgary country. a..-
This reminds us of the experience III
,orrespondent who accompanied the first
expcdition of the Canadian Pacific Com
Dany in search OF Il route across the con-
tinent. and who made the startling uis-
coyery that the 49th parallel OF latitud"
was the northern boundary OF The great
American desert. AS this writer conuhes
hig observations TO the route from Fort
Macleod TO Benton, it may be here ooser-
- ~ rYitnR nj jht. distance.
from the Marias to Benton, was through a
free range-the baiauce OF the distance Is
across an Indian reservation, where no
stock are permitted TO range, or ever nave
ranged. In the country south OF the Ma
rias TO Benton, and near the route "f the
tourist there are NOT over 10000 head OF
stock, and in travelling the whole distance
a tourist would net be likely TO see 1000
head OF cattle oi any kind, nor would ne
find a spot, except at the regular camping
grounds. where the grass show any segos
Of having been eaten off by stock. Yet
this correspondent speaks of the three
hundred miles Of Montana sock range,
which he says he has passed over as used
up range, OH which, 'ther. are 10 pFooa-
bilities that there will be sufficient grass TO
sustain stock for years 70 come.
The statement that the stoekmen nt the
country were obliged TO sell their stock 10
the Canadians 10 save them from starva-
tion is AS false as the balance. Not a hoof
of stock cattle has been sold TO Canadians
or to any one else to be taken Oft the range
by the stocamcf, IN the country described
In the above extract, SO far from selling
stock cattle 10 be driven off these ranges,
the stocklnen are constantly buying cattle
and strangers are constantly driving new
herds of cattle upon the range between
Fort Benton and the bouudary-tWo-th thirds
of which has not had hoof OF dom m-stic
cattle upon it. 1t is true that a few head
Of cattle have been purchased in Montana
and taken across the line for stock purpo-
ses but these gam. from the mountain
valleys, wh+a stock raising was first com
menced In Montana, at q tim: When the
Indians oyerran the plains which are now
alone regarded ~ ilie stoch ranges OF Mon
sanu. and il was from this nucleus that our
RANGES were first stocked. rs these small
he innings Increased into herds of larger
dimensions the owners We're obliged to sell
or move their herd, Ia the plains, but not
a single head of slncs has been sold from
any Other point III Montana TO 60 across
the line. and these points are hundreds oi
railes soutl, oi Benlou. Nor will there b.,
NO long as raere nre thousands Of -qasare
miles of pa.ture land unocenpied here.
we have no objections 10 Clna'liails MAJ
kilrg Tie experiment Of cattle raising Oh
thsir side OF the line. We wish them sue
cess. There il plenty III room for them
BUT when such mistatements 4. are con-
tanned in the above extract are being scat
tered t.road-cas, throughout The world we
fer incined 10 kish.
No ,louhs lie aaihuf p the above ex-
fra.t made his nistatemeits for the pur-
uoee of showing l!s@ supcriarityot Of the "a
nadian system over uur-. IT lie Montana
cattl. men hay, eyer denpAlleed the taii-.-
dian ), stcl,, d. sued. ne illse nryer heard
of If. Som. tNuN yeats ago, aflI BEFORE leu-
uda adoat..,i All, system for the cattle b1sl- |
ness OF the NuslhM Mest Territory, an effort