Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-11-08
MoNTANA,s STOCK INSPECTION

g. ".
This is our busiest time Of the
year" said w. G. Preuitt, secretary Of
the state board of stock commissioners.
to Helena Independent reporter.
While the shipping season is nearly
over, the reports from the inspectors
are coming in fast, necessitating great
deal of clerical work on the part of the
Office"
AS Mr.. Preuitt spoke he was busily
engaged in preparing checks for the
owners of strays reported to the of
flee. Many thousands of dollars annu-
ally pass through the office of the
board and are distributed to the owners
of stock that has been shipped to mar
ket without the owners knowledge.
Montana has the most perfect sysetm
of cattle inspection in the country. BY
1t the owners are saved large sums ev-
cry year. Scarcely shipment of cat
tie is made from any range which does
not contain number of animals owned
by other persons than the shipper. This
can not well be avoided, for the stock
Is gathered from the range and even
with care strange cattle are liable to
be shipped. Generally no effort is made
to sort out such cattle at the shipping
point, as the shipper knows they will
be inspected in the market and their
true owners found.
That is the chief business of the in
spectors. They look over the ship
ment and any cattle having some other
brand than the shipper is cut out and
whatever they bring in the market less
their share of the cost of taking them
to market Is sent to their owner who is
known through the brand on the strays
A record is kept of every brand in use
in the state, and through this it is gem
orally easy to find the owner. In this
way there is no loss for strays as for
merly, before the present system was
perfected.
There are eight inspectors in the state
and nine outside who are in the employ
of the state. Six inspectors are located
in Chicago, and on them falls the bulk
of the work, for that is the market for
a large majority of Montana stock.
sour inspectors have given perfect
satisfaction" said Mr.. Preuitt yester-
day. '"They have been very busy this
fall for the shipments were large and
they went iii with a rush. don't think
there was a shipment from Montana
that escaped inspection this year. Our
inspectors, also, examine, practically all
of the cattle from North Dakota, and
some shipped from South Dakota. We
have an arrangement with North Da-
kota to pay the expense of one inspect
or in Chicago"
This week and the next will practical
ly see the close Of the shipping season
from Montana.
Prices, to begin with, were high and
that, of course. Influenced unusually
heavy selling. At present. however,
prices are considerably lower than
earlier in the season, and not as good
as at this time last year. The average
price, though, is better for 1895 than
1894.
There will be fewer Montana cattle
in the market next year than this. More
cattle were shipped from the northern
ranges than ever before, and the re-
suit is there will not be so many for
market next season. The cattlemen all
agree, however, that the ranges are
not depleted. They say there are still
more stock than most of the ranges can
properly accommodate. The shipments
from the eastern part Of the state next
year will probably not be much less
than this, as a great deal of young
stock brought onto the ranges there
from outside the state last year. These
cattle will be ready for the market
next season.
More sheep were sent to market from
Montana this year than in 1894. Flock
owners seem to be prospecting and the
number of sheep in the state are rapid
Nv increasing,