, 1889-11-21
Mr.. BECK. OF WYOMING.
An interesting Chat with the North
ern Citizen.
Profit and Certainty of Farming by
Irrigation.
Cheap Transportation Given by In
dian Frsighters.

Goo. w. Beck. one of Wyoming's
most enterprising citizens and the man
whose individual efforts have been eff
fective and far reaching in the work of
developing johnson and sheridan coun-
ties. is in Omaha en- route to Kentucky,
the home of his father, the senator. Mr..
Beck talked Interestingly to a reporter
about Wyoming. Among other things
the member elect to the council said:
The range in Central Wyoming is
rather short just now. but in Northern
Wyoming it is very good. The summer
was quite dry in parts Of the territory and
the grass has suffered. A great many
cattle have been run over on the Crow
reservation. The pasture there Is excel
lent. Where the ranchmen can make a
satisfactory contract for range privileges
upon the reservation, it is the most profit
able way to handle cattle in that country.
Last year the cattle were permitted to
feed upon the reservation at twenty five
cents per head the entire year. This was
a snap, for they escaped taxation while
on tina range. The taxes alone would
have been more than hat much. This
year they charge fifty cents a head. l
should think there are at least 60. 900
head OF cattle upon the Crow reservation
right now
rs there much attempt at farming in
Central Wyoming?"
"Oh, yes, they raise a great deal of
wheat there. / think it will become a
very fine agricultural country. l nave
been farming 500 acres for some years. all
by irrigation. L like that method of farm
ing. 1t is scientific and certain. One
feels when at work that he is sure of a
satisfactory return for his labor. l flush
my farm twice or three times in a summer
and raise from twenty five TO forty five
bushels of wheat to the acre. My wheat
this veal went about twenty-five bushels.
One year | averaged forty-five all over
the farm.
1T costs about sl.50 an acre per an
nun TO irrigate my farm. so you see /
make a pretty good thing out of wheat
crop. 1t will bring from 65 cents to rs
cents per bushel in the market. j run
two mills and can, if | wish, grind all my
wheat into flour. We are looking anx-
iously for a railroad. Our county seat,
Buffalo, is the "liveliest town OF the size l
ever saw. We poll 500 votes, IN and
all. have electric lights and water works.
and are $50 miles from a railroad. When
you hear of a more wide awake and thor
ough going little city than Buffalo. at
that great distance from the railroads, |
would like to know where it is. We have
recently secured what we call cheap
freight rates. The Indians on the reser-
walton have recently taken a great interest
in hauling from Custer down to Sheridan
and Buffalo. They do the work al a low
rate, 40 cents a hundred for the distance
of $50 miles. The government has fur
nished them new wagons and harnesses
aud they 20 across the country in great
caravans Of thirty to fifty cams.
Il saw a very amusing sight there a
few weeks ago. A contractor had bar
gained for the hauling of a large amount
of freight down to Buffalo. and he took
it at a low rate, so that in order to get out
with any profit he had to hire the Iu-
dams to do it. He started down from the
reservation in a buggy with forty Indian
teams following him. After he bad gone
part way across he decided to whip
aneau anu get INTO DuHalo In ADVANCE OF
the freight train. He whipped up, but
the Indians followed suit. He put his
his horse into a run, and the Indians did
the same. The red men were not to be
left behind, and they came rushing into
Buffalo with their ponies on a dead run,
close behind their employer"
Mr.. Beck is interested both in cattle
and sheep raising having several thous-
and head of each on his ranch. He
thinks sheep raising is the more profitable
OF the two in that country. 81.
Go IN Kellper's Mt once and .,at the