The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-09-11
MONTANA'S WEALTH.
THlRTY-THREE VARIETIES OF GRASS
GROWING ON THE PRAIRIE.
Extent of Available Grazing Lands for
Cattle-The Spring ROund-up-Brand-
ing the CaIves-Sheep Growing
started-Horses -VigiIantes.

TFort Keogh Cor. San Francisco Chroniclel
When your correspondent first came to
Montana, some years ago, the vast plains
and prairies, carpeted knee-deep with lux
uriant buffalo and bunch grass, were lit
orally covered black with thousands upon
thousands of buffalo. l remember once
travelling through a single herd north OF
the Missouri river for three days, and
never once, during light being out of
sight of bison. These PLANES and prair-
les, which proved to be such excellent
grazing ground for buffalo, were GER
tainly as good for domestic animals. and
as soon as the country was freed OF hos
tile Indians the white men came pouring
in from every side, driving their 1ocks
and herds before them.
On the prairies of Montana grow no
less than thirty-three varieties OF grass
and clover grass, among which are to be
found kind of blue aftermath of clover,
similar to the famous blue grass of Ken
lucky, numerous meadow fOxtails, orch
ard grasses, timothy, and above all, the
rich, Juicy, succulent buffalo grass, which
can be found everywhere in the greatest
abundance the year round, and which
cures on the ground without rotting No
wonder that the cattle thrive and become
fat. Such feed is better than grain for
beef cattle, and the wild plains of Mon
tana, where cattle are turned loose 20
rustic and receive no further attention
other than two semi round ups
for the branding of calves and cutting out
of marketable beeves, actually make bet
ter beef than the Stalled cattle of the
states. The wild thyme, mingled with
the native grasses, gives a peculiar flavor
to the meat which no other section of our
country can boast of.
The available grazing land in the terri
tory mot counting the Indian reservations,
IL .l,1 Nf
beautiful, fertile land can be set down at
about $4,000, 900 acres. Less than 49,,
900 Indians control 2S.000,O00 acres,
which gives an average of 1850 acres to
each buck, squaw and pappoose in every
tribe, or q little over two and half
square miles to each Individual If
white man wants that much land he has
to buy it Most of the available land Is
eminent domain and supports at the pres
ent writing over 1000, 900 head of cattle.
Ten years ago there were 400 range cattle
in the territory; to-day more than 900,
900 are scattered over the hills and
through the valleys
AS said before; the spring round ups
are for the purpose of branding calves and
the fall round-ups for the cutting out of
marketable beeves. I was an amused and
interested spectator at the Miles City
stock yards day or two ago, when
cattle king of this section was branding a
number Of young calves that had been
dropped during the winter months, as
We'll as new lot of importatiens just re-
ceived from Iowa for stocking q new
range. AS is usual in such cases the tally
mep for the buyers and sellers kept &C
brands when they were driven through
the shute where the new brand was put
on the animals The cattle were driven
from section to section of the yards, until
they reached the narrow branding place.
into which they walked In single file A
hot fire was burning on the outside and a
dozen branding irons were kept ready to
impress the mark Of the owner upon the
sides of the animals. When about dozen
were imprisoned the branding iron was
applied between the rails of the shute to
the shoulder of each animal They
kicked and squirmed vigorously on feel
ing the red-hOt impression, but In about
ten minutes the operation was entirely
over and the prisoners were released and
ran quickly from the fire to another pOr-
ton of the yard.
Sheep growing was started few years
ago as an experiment. It is an expert
ment no longer. The high, dry and
healthy climate Of Montana seems to be
particularly favorable to this industry,
and the fiber Of the wool produced is said
to be far better than that raised in WyO-
ming, Colorado and Nebraska. On the
divide west of Livingstone, q settler
named Nelson has flock of about $50
AnRora goats grazing in the Middle Creek
valley. 1t is the only stock of that class
In be country. Their hair is long and
white and soft as silk Some of the bucks
are very large, with enormous horns, sim
liar to the famous sheep of the Big Horn
mountains, and are as gentle and docile as
kittens
Horse.ranching is also one of the prin-
Cipal industries of Montana Our
English cousins who come to Montana in
search of health and wealth generally un
dertake the raising of horses in preference
to investing their capital in cattle The
profits, however, have never been so large
with the equines as with the bovines, oW
ing to the successful operations of the ex-
traordinary large bands of horse thieves
that infested the country last year The
vigilantes strung up no less than f1fty-nine
between May and October of last year
Another New Metal.