The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-02-17
CATTLE on THE RANGE.

Moved by motives Of humanity The
TRIBUNE has had occasion to print sew
eral articles on the subject of feeding
and shelterIng range cattle in severe
weather. We have gone SO far as to adj
vocate the passage Of a law to compel
owners to provide sufficient shelter and
feed for cattle and to forbid the keep
ing by any man of more live stock than
he can properly care for at all seasons.
The experiences Of the recent cold spell
have strengthened this opinion. During
this period of low temperature, which
extended all over the country and was
no more trying in Montana than every
where else, live stock was frozen to death
in the ~barnyards of eastern farmers and
suffered more keenly from cold in the
damp valleys of the east than on the dry
ranges of Montana.
But domestic cattle could not be out
in such weather without suffering. They
do not need actually to die to show that
they suffer from the cruel exposure to
IL iiSoio vi "IitVi' Al VI lIcll HdNC
suffered ana some have died. This,
however, should not have led to the gross
eXaggeratior that has characterized some
of the reports sent from Helena TO the
Associated Press. In one of these it
was stated that - per cert Of the stock
on the range had died. This was a stu
pid fabrication which was wholly un.
founded and uniustiticd.
Many OF the owners OF range cattle felt
uneasy on account OF the protracted
cold, but they know the hardihood Of
these cattle so well that they were con
yinced their losses would be slight if IA
chinook interviewed before tho middle of
this month. The chinook came in time.
and from all quarters the reports are
that the death rate has been much less
than was feared. From two TO five per
cent seems to be the highest estimate
thus far from the reports Of cattle men.
The effect of the exaggerated reports
sent out is seen in the following from
the Salt Lake Tribune:
1t Is a pitiful story that comes down
from Montana regarding the losses of
cattle; If the loss up to date has been %
per cent, probably half as many more
can be added to the probable loss for
the next two months. Montana men
ought to make arrangements, as had all
the men who w stock in this interior,
to make some provision to feed them in
ill., ,,&-- ~ IA- a-n
thousands of square miles of
good pasturage in the summer in
Montana from which no hay can be cut.
but it would be better for men, by some
arrangement, either a combination or in
some other way, to utilize the land that
can be moved for that purpose, to keep
tn stock from It in the summer in order
to give them food in the winter. W. do
not see how a stockman can bear to
think that the cattle hat depend upon
him for food are dying OF hunger and
cold simply because he has taken no
measures to protect them against the
terrors OF tho winter.
Such reports and comments cal Vt do
Montana any good, and the only way to
render them impossible is to have a law
l'uSsco uS piCpoSCt, lpitbib5 tiC hSCp
ing of cattle that cannot be properly
cared for. Montana's climate will never
be understood by the outside world un-
til this is done. People in other states
will believe the wrong reports more
readily than the right ones. So long as
there is a pretcyt for such reports peo-
,la ann NOT Ia p,ala ~ hnliayn fhut the
winter climate of this state is n of the
mildest and finest on the American con-
tinent. and that the feed on our ranges
in winter is hay and grain combined.
These are the plain facts, but they are
sure to be Obscured so long as thousands
of cattle are on the ranges which cannot
be fed and sheltered when heavy SHOWS
or low temperatures prevail.