St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-03
CONFERENCE OF cow MEN.
Four Hundred Montana Stock Growers to
Meet at Miles City.
Objects of the Association, What They
Expect TO Accomplish.
The Probable shipment East During
the Coming Year.
Snecial to the Globe

Special to the Globe.
MILES CITY. April 2.-The annual meet
ing of stock growers of Montana, which oc-
ours here on April 10, will be the most i'm
portant meeting of stOckmen ever held in
the territory. and extensive preDarations
are being made for the reception of the Wis
iting stOckmen. The object OF the meet
ing is to discuss stock interests in general,
devise means for the protection of their
stock from thieves, and receive the report
of the committee appointed last year to Sc
cure the best process for feeding and fatten-
ing cattle OH the ranges. At this meeting
officers will be elected for the ensuing year
and committees formed to make the annual
roundup of cattle on the ranges. This
roundup is a very important part of
the business of ranching. In the
cold winter months cattle ofttimes
stray from their proper pasturage
and the herd and join other herds The
roundup is TO find stray cattle and return
them to their proper places. This job is
sometimes very difficult one, but one in
which the cowboys take great delight and
interest. as it gives them chance to show
their remarkable Craftsmanship. The men,
bership of the Montana association is about
FOUR HUNDRED STRONG,
and fully If not more than this number will
be present. On the evening of the 18th the
local cattlemen will banquet and entertain
the visitors at the Macqueen hotel, house
newly-ftted up. and which ranks as the
best hotel between st. Paul and Portland.
After the convention there will be horse
racirg for day or two, and the cattlemep
have a good time, and it takes
A afIn rf m fhafr N1rf 10
The past winter has been a remarkably
easy one to the cattle on the ranges. and it
is estimated that the loss will not reach an
average of per cent in the territory against
4 per cent last year. l met large stock
owner from the Powder River yesterday,
who stated that he had walked and rode all
around that district for 40 miles, and had
only seen three dead cattle. The snow
fell very light and was scarcely sufficient
to cover the grass which had a good growth
before winter set in, and the stock has had
plenty to eat with no trouble getting at it.
On previous winters the experience was
much different. l was talking to-day with
CHARLES HOWARD,
stock agent of the Omaha road, who is one
of the best posted men in the territory on
stock affairs. and asked him what he
thought the prospects were for an increase
in the number of stOckmen in the territory
this season and future ones. He said he
thought the country was pretty well stocked
already and that the ranges had on about
all the cattle they could support. The
number of cattle that will be shipped east
this year is much larger than the total of
last year. This is on account of the low
markets OF last year, which prevented
many stOckmen from shipping, and the nat
ural increase this year, which swells the
number of cattle on the ranges very con-
siderably.
On the 18th the wool growers of Custer
county hold their annual meeting here. A
great number of sheep are raised in this
county. but the owners are a little dubious
about the outcome of their trade this sea-
son. on account of the St-Paul-C Chicago
lines refusing 10 carry dOuble-deck cars.
The agents here of the Northwestern and
Milwaukee & St Paul lines have not been
advised as yet that sheep can go through in
double-deck after April l. If they could
be shipped in this way, the wool growers
wou Id be greatly encouraged.