The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-13
HOW LIVE STOCK Jared.
Good Reports Come From tho
Ranges OF Southeastern
Montana
Losses OF Cattle and Sheep on
the Marias and the
Blackfoot.
VIII Take n Month to Ascertain just
What tho Losses Have
Amounted to.

Reports that come into Miles City are not
alarming In anyway. some cattle may
nave died, and no doubt have died, but not
in numbers 80 striking a. to cause any ap-
prehsnsion Of q large percentage Of death
among range cattle. Old cows or those
that had late calves are liable to 60 the way
OF "the last Of ten Thousand" IL they drift
before a storm. and from what the local
man has been sble to learn there is nothing
10 make one think that the dead cattle that
were seen have been other than this worn
out and weakened class of range stock.
There Is no cause for alarm; the present
winter has In NO way approached the winter
of 1861. the conditions have not boon SINH
lar. the SHOWS have not orusted generally
aud the cold weather has been confined to
the fifteen days preceding Wednesday last.
This long spoil was OF course taxing to tn
strength of range cattle, but they were In
suoh excellent condition when the cold
weather began that they have pulled
through we'll. II is the desire and interest
of this paper to state the facts in regard to
the winter just as they are. and il is oousid-
cred that the above contains nothing but
what another month will verify.
County Attorney Loud says from his
range he receives no bad reports. the snow
il very light and no cattle have persisted as
yet. some old COVE will die as usual in
winter.
Goo. M. Miles had a letter two days ago
from the ranch in which 1t is reported the
cattle are in good condition ON Otter creek.
Col. Bryan 10 feeding about 1000 cattle
which he took mp for that purpose last fall,
and the Howes. Miles d Strsvell outfit are
feeding some poor cattle that they took up
last fall.
A. M. Cree, who has been out looking at
his sheep ranch. saws the cattle are looking
badly after this fifteen days OF continued
oold.-Stock Growers Journal.
G. r. Scofin 10 in town to-day. He re-
ports that Zimmerman'a have probably lost
about 600 head Of sheep during the storm.
and that the Hughes Bios. have probably
lost 700 head. Losses are heaviest on the
Dry Fork and the Marias. Lsech reports
acme TO speak of on the Dupuysr. and
Graves says the losses have been light on
the Muddy. Clark Bros. d. Go. are reported
to have lost a couple of hundred out of n
band by piling and smothering. So far We
hove heard of but slight losses along the
Teton, though of course every owner has
lost some on account Of the storm. but
from fifty to 100 will cover them except as
stated. We have heard nothing from
north of the Marias. but many losses are
~ - sA0e SSAAsy
M%ontanian.
G. II. S%cefin, Of Dupuyer, was in town
yesterday and whom asked about how the
stock had stood the storm in his section he
had anything but a favorable reply to make.
His own sheep suffered worry little. only
twenty-thres dying out of a band of 5000;
but they were exceptionally we'll cared for.
Some sheep men have lost from 20 to so per
cent. of their focks. Fully 80 per cent. of
the range cattle have died. F.. p. McDer-
mott was out to Blackfoot this week and
tells a tsrrible story of what he saw cattle
and could be seen lying dead with tho Skin
worn off their legs to tho knees. One man
reports his loss at l 200 head.
John Joiner has q large band or sheep
and also kept some dogs whose duty it was
to protect the sheep: The cold weather
about allsviatinR their pain by killing them
off. The owner in the morning took q
different view of the matter and now those
dogs haunt the shades of darkness with
all other bad dogs of past gen rations.-
Teton Times.
Sheriff W. b. Deaton and Theo. Nichols
spent several days at the Horseshoe Bar
ranch last week. They pitched hay for
three days. when MIR. Deaton returned to
town and sent a force of men out to assist
his brother In an effort TO save cattle from
perishinR by the cold. The Judith Cattle
company arc !esolhR over l,UUU neau. MI.
Deaton says the outlook il very bad.
Sheriff Deaton was busy last week gath
ering up cattle about town belonging to the
Judith Cattle company. He rounded up
some thirty head, which were driven into
the brush below own and provided with
hay. 1t was a humane act as we'll rs the
saving of valuable property. TIL ANNA Is
pulled through the severe weather in good
shape.-Fergus County Argus.
The live stock traffic will. it is expected,
assume a lively pace carly in next month.
Letters have been received by some OF the
local stockmen from a number OF ranch
men saying they would be here early next
month and would want to contract for
spring. delivery from 5000 to 5000 two
year-old steers each for their Montana
ranches. One sale has already been made
to a northern r%anchman, by the terms of
which d. ID. Swearengen OF Quanah, Tex,
sold to Ben Garland of Montana 5000
Gated in Childress county. They are to be
delivered I. O. b.. at Childress the last OF
May at $751; 90 per head. Texas ranchmen,
ars. as" rule, holding tboir Panhandle
two-year-old steers at from 81 to 81 per
head moro than was paid for the same
(Te1..) News.
In 1889 the loss from storms were esti-
mated at about two per cent: in 1880 the
loss reached eight per cent; III 1881, seven
per cent; in 1928. less than three yer cent.
In 1884 there was little snow until Feb. l,
and it lasted until the goth of the month,
when the chinook winds came and the snow
disappeared in day. The loss Was esti-
mated ut 10 per cent. In 1867 the loss
was placed at 40 per cent by some and az
high as 70 per cent by others. The winters
have been mild since then until the late
cold snap.
shoe Bargnins.