The Anaconda standard., 1896-01-13

Rocky Mountain Husbandman: The
new year has been reached in safety
by the live stock interest of the state
and we feel that although we may
reasonabley expect that the worst of
the winter is yet to come and that
stock will get through in nice shape.
Up to the dawn of the new year there
had been no severely cold weather and
the snow that had fallen had all drift
ed into the coulies and the ground was
comparatively bare, sufficiently so at
least for stock to Craze comfortably on
enclosed pastures where there was
grass for them to Craze on Up to that
date there had been no weather which
would require cattle to be fed and but
few days that IL was necessary to feed
sheep. The sheep feeding was made
necessary by the heavy winds, flock
owners preferring to keep fiocks in and
feed them to getting them to the sheds
again in such winds as prevailed. This
being the case 1t will be seen that the
state has her feed supply of hay at
least almost intact at this late date,
and what is better still stock have
scarcely begun to shrink, there having
been no pinching cold weather to cause
this up to this writing. Quite a storm.
however, set in with the beginning of
January, but this is just what stock
men generally like to see, or rather IL
is the time of the year they prefer to
have the storms occur. If winter sets
in at this date after having moderate
winter since the middle of November,
1T is reasonable, judging from past
years, to look for a cold January, a
mild February, a March not severe but
a little colder and more changeable
than February. and an April budding
rapidly into spring. This Is the fore
cast the average old timers would pre-
dict for Montana this winter and 1T is
I uyno N nv n and AZ
this should happen to prove correct we
look to see stock coming through the
winter in fine fix and good supply OF
hay left over. OF course at this early
date ii Is guess-work to venture to pre-
dict what Is in store, but judging from
| 30 years of experience with Montana
/ winters IL is just about what we may
reasonably expect. We look to see the
| winter on the whole average up well
! and even prove milder than the general
average, and yet we know that all
weather prognostications are vain
| speculations founded upon the compar-
| ison of one year with another and they
| should not influence the farmer to take
| any chances. 1t is certainly very graf
| flying to see this date reached and
| such a favorable state of affairs reign
with stockmen and farmers, and we
| are quite confident the winter Is go
| ing to be one that will not test the
| country severely. Nearly TWO months
| ago we compared notes with one of the
leading stockgrowers of the state and
! we were both in perfect accord as To
what we might reasonably expect.
| Both thought that while there would
| be some cold days and snow that jan
| llary would be reached without a cold
storm of the severity of a regular mid
| winter storm and we pictured out the
winter as we have just stated IL. Thus
| far everything Is happening well, and
! IL January is interrupted in its course
/ of severe weather by an occasional
! warm blow from the southwest all VIII
be well, and we may look to see Feb
ruary about right and the weather
some time during the month almost
warm enough for plowing and spring
on hand early in April. All kinds OF
stock are in splendid condition to &c
through the winter and we have no
the slightest anxiety for the country In
this respect. This is a hopeful anc
reasonable view to take of the condi
tions that exist, but of course no one
can tell what the next few months will
bring forth. and yet as a rule the Sc
verest weather of the state only lasts
about 30 days and rarely exceeds the
limit of so days. When the severe
weather does not come on until in Jan
uary there is great danger of its last
ing until about March 20. but even 1
the winter lasts TO that date this yea
we have no fears for the live stock in
dustry, for stockgrowers and farmer
generally are well prepared to care 70
their herds and f1ocks.