Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1889-03-28

ing grounds, the bench lands and
breaks of the bad-lands, are of no value
whatever to the settler, the baron
yields territory without protest; and
In the nature Of thin Is, with the ad-
vent Of railroads and the settlement
Of the country be must inevitably be
forced out here as he has been else
where, and as he will be everywhere,
until range growing ceases to be prac-
ticable, That this 10 not a theory
merely | can prove by citing the oper-
stions Of several large owners in Gus
ter county who have for two OF three
years pact been preparing themselves
for this change by the purchase Of
land, the erection of substantial and
commodious buildings, the taking out
of water for irrigating purposes and
the shrinking Of their range herds
down TO thousand or two thousand
well bred cows, to be close herded
served with the bull at the proper
time, and fed and protected during
the few weeks OF severe winters when
they cannot care for themselves, the
idea being to merge the business into
gigantic stock farms, taking all sdvan-
tsge OF the wonderful adsptability OF
this country to stock growing, by
using the range at least ten months in
the year, and at most feeding but two,
while competitors in the eastern states
are subjected TO feeding expenses.
either Of pasturing or yard feeding, all
the year round.
The men who!are adopting this idea
are what IL known ne she stock men,
who believe in the advantages Of this
northern country for breeding pur.
poses. Another class, the steer men,
look upon our ranges as desiIsbls only
for the maturing Of market beef. Their
routine being the continuous shipping
/ In of Texas 'oDes,' 'twos' and
'ttrees' in the spring, for maturing on
our rich feed, and the shipping to mar.
ket in the fall Of all double wintered
stock. and sometimes Of even single
wintered, IL the outlook for winter feed
Is not favorable. AT present the
steer mem number the largest con-
stituency, rs the hard winter of 1856
and 1857 virtually wiped out the she
stock and bulls of the country, while
q fair percentage Of steers pulled
through. she stock men maintain,
however, that II calves come 1t the
right time, and this they propose to
regulate, and there IL means at hand
for feeding and shelterlng for the com.
paratlvely brief period that such care
is necessary. The losses can be held
down to q lower percentage than OBJ.
tains In farm herds In the east. As q
matter OF fact, three weeks Of continu.
ous storm caused the enormous losse,
of two years ago, though feeding woulc
have been necessary for o longeI
period, rs there was but scant feed OF
the ground that year.
'Of course the outfit that runs owe
1000 head can't make any preparation
for winter feeding or care. The out
lay would be enormous and the at
tempt would be impractical In the ex
treme. such outfits necessarily rep
resent the steer idea and are not q,
valuable TO a community as the sat
stock men, whose system i have de
tailed. These latter are permanent
settlers who every year add tangible
taxable wealth 10 the county that car
not, like the property OF the steel
. men, be removed whenever persona
interest suggests IL. But while th'
, breeding branch OF the cattle busines
in this locality IL temporarily sec
, ondary one, I am satisfied that it will
shortly and permanently take the lead
While we have In our countless val
leys broad stretches OF bottom lards
than which there is no richer or NOR
fertile land 90 the face OF the earth
we claim nothing us an asricultut
country, for the reason thai we kn0'
we have a much greater and more pr,
, ductive resource In siockgrow ing, hn
, with the enlargement Of this industr
> enough agriculture. or granger ranel
Ing, a. we call n. will follow 10 max
ue self-supporting. and that IL all "
E care for. Let us furnish the beef
I the nation aid we care net who ful
2 nlsbes the -four. We want no bonanz
!, farms or single crop farmers who yes
In and year out never have q doiis
. that someone else has not prio
= claim upon. We 90 not encourse
q this class of emigration and the pros
!. pector who asks II this ls farmin
' country is fatty told No. But To
., man who will come here and stal
q with a few cows. depending on Ia
n soll for an existence only aud giyin
, ma attention 10 bis stock, will in
L. very few years find himself on IN
Z, mad 10 wealth and subject 10 none
ID the vIclssl,udes and mistortones tht
os rerenlalIy beset the path Of the graf
= gcr. Such settler adde annually
% his wealth by almost geometrioal pr
. rrersiou and IN few yenrs becomes
e, valuable citizen. more permanent
IA rooted 10 the soil than the mortgage
!, xhosf farmer of Dakota, because