St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-31
ANNUAL CATTLE RUN
Northwestern Growers Will
Soon Begin Their Regular
Sessions.
Interesting Scenes and OBJ
sepvanceS Of the Miles
City Meetings.
Best Figures Place the Mon
tana Run at 100000
Head.
Relations of the Twin Cities
and the Great Northwest
ern Range.

interesting to the residents OF the
Mountain state will be held in Miles
City on Tuesday, April IS. 1t is known
as the Mountain Stock Growers con-
vention, and it brings together the lead
ing cattlemen of the United States.
The Montana wool growers will hold
their convention at the same city on
Monday, April II, and the third week
of April promises to be an exceedingly
busy one for those who are interested
in the great live stock industry Of the
Northwest In 1885 the visiting stock
men were welcomed with horse races,
range sports, riding, and with the rop-
ing, breaking and branding Of horses
and cattle. The attendance>Was large
at that time, and the Stock Growers
and Yellowstone journals, of Miles City,
predict that the coming convention
will be equal to any that has been held
since the time Of the grand cowboy
parade.
Conventions Of range cattlemen are
attended by wealthy and influential
representatives, some of them from
many miles outside of the state in which
their cattle range. Their proceedings
are conducted after the manner of
well-ordered legislative body, and they
dispatch the affairs of the range In
prompt and businesslike manner. Dur
ing the day preceding the convention
the Montana Board Of Live Stock com
mlssoners confer with the executive
committee of the Stock Growers associ-
alton. and the details are arranged so
that the cattlemen can proceed on the
morrow without delay. People who
imagine that buster and fuss dominate
in Miles City gathering OF stockmen
are afflicted with misapprehension OF
Western ways that is held the most
readily by those who
Live the Farthest Away
from cowboyland. A few of the cow
bows sometimes "get gay" and ride
daShingly through the streets, whooping
and yelling, and attracting attention to
their pictures que attire and sklllful
craftsmanship, but generally even these
only do so for fun and frolic, and to
see the tenderfeet dodge around the
corners.
Since the cattle shipments alone of
year of fully S6,000,00t, some indications
of the great extent of the entire cattle
business of that state can be grasped.
| The sheep industry of Montana is also
very probably ten times
greater than it was ten years ago, and
the sheep men are holding many of the
| water rights in the range districts. That
makes hard riding for the cattle inter-
ests, but then some of the large cattle
owners-men who once disdained to
own Sheep-have become "WOol grow
ers" with more profits than in cattle
breeding. Remove the risks of occa-
sional hard winters and Montana
would be the greatest live stock region
on earth. 1t takes the nervy cattlemen
to lind courage enough to turn loose
1000 head of cattle on the ranges and
let them rustic for themselves over
hundreds of miles all winter, as they
have to do. When the weather is mild
and the prices, at marketing time, are
good, the profits roll up splendidly. But
one cold winter may freeze out many
valiant investors
There were shipped eastward from
Montana in 1891 total of 100000 head
! of cattle, and in 1892 a total OF 155,SOO
head. The decrease of $4,000 head arose
from the fact that the ranges had been
| cleared more closely than usual during
1891, and the prices of 1892 did not war
rant such close clearance. An esti-
mate that
The Shipments This Wear
will be about 100000 head, is based.
partially, on the fact that good many
| steers were driven north from WyOm-
| ing last summer. In that particular the
! possible effect or the markets would be
AL nj nutfIn0
| into the other. The number of stock
steers turned into Montana of late has
averaged about 100000 head per annum.
| Concerning the present condition of cat
| tie upon the Montana ranges? This is
| an always interesting topic to the stock
men at this time of the year. The cat
/ tie are reported to be, generally, in fair
! flesh, but in a portion Of the Missouri
| river range, north of Glendive, and in
the river bottoms, there have been some
| losses from cold weather, and there the
| cattle are rather thin in flesh. Some
| herds that were driven in late last fall,
! north of Glendive, sustained loss. ac-
| cording to the most reliable reports. of
from 20 to 40 per cent. This is the heavi-
| est loss reported this season. 1t is rather
| early yet to give more detailed state,
| ment of the range conditions.
views OIL BreeOefss
BENJAMIN F. Ferris, who formerly
used the O'Falion Creek, Mont, range,
| was seen at the Astoria hotel yesterday.
| His view, taken from conversation with
| leading stockmen, his own long expert
ence and from letters recently received
| from Northern Montana, is that early
grass and good feed will be natural
consequence of the heavy snowfalls OF
| the past winter, and that the streers
that are old enough will be in good
beef condition by shipping time. Prices
are better, and with a shortage in the
general supply of cattle the markets
will probably give larger returns, rela-
! lively, to Montana than heretofore:
/ William Courtenay, prominent Miles
| City live stock handler, reported thus:
Nit