The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-16

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production of wealth. Last year the as
sessed valuation of sheep in this county
was $129,645, the total of the cattle as
sessment was $196.555 and range horses
made $23, 1852 of taxable wealth in the
county of Park. These figures are on
the books of the assessor and every
one knows that men of large affairs,
such as the care of live stock, have a
prediction to forgetfulness when the
assessor makes his rounds. so it is safe
to add about % per cent to the as
SCISSORS figures and call that the valua-
tion of the live stock which wintercd
in Park county during the past five
months.
The stock in this county has Win
tered well, There has been but little
loss from exposure and less from in
sufficient feed, for hay has been plenti-
full and some will be left over after the
sun gets in it's work on the great depth
of snow which has hidden the ranges
in it's glistening mantle since the list of
December. Sheepmen have made am
pie provision for the hard winter by
cutting more than the usual amount of
hay and cattle and horses have been
supplied with provender enough to
bring them out in first-class condition
this spring and make their owners glad
that they are more fortunately situated
then stockmen in other parts of the
all classes of stock.
The loss among the herds of cattle
will not exceed per cent of the whole
number of cattle in the county and
most of this loss comes from accidental
drowning on the Daily and Strickland
ranches of the Upper Yellowstone.
where the stock attempted to cross the
river on the ice and were precipitated
into the current by the breaking of the
cOngealed surface of the stream. The
loss among horses will also be slight,
and although some of these animals
will come out a little thin in the spring,
the hard winter has had no such disas
trous effect on the hardy range cayuse
as, might be supposed. In some parts
of the county they Jared rather hard
and the severity of the winter weather
is attested by the dead bodies of the
equines half hidden in the drifted snow.
These deaths were caused by the ami
mails selecting range where the hills
We're sheltered by the mountains above
them and the wind had no chance to
clear the ground before the snow be-
came hard and crusted by alternate
thawing and freezing. When this had
taken place the horses were forced to
paw the snow away with their hoofs
and in this operation they soon became
footsore, wore their hoofs to the quick
and then, unable to travel limped slow
Sheep came through the winter in
good shape and their owners say that
the losses are away below what they
expected when the hard weather began.
About per cent of the iocks would be
a large estimate at which to place The
loss, and some have said that the loss
would not exceed per cent of all the
sheep in the county. A great deal of
hay has been fed by sheepmen alfalfa
seeming to be the favorite feed for
those who wintered f1ocks for them
selves or Others Hay is selling on
Shields river for about SO a ton and on
the Upper Yellowstone and the Boulder
it brings about 81 or SO less. Since the
warm weather began the bottom has
fallen out of the hay market. and as it
is no longer Indispensable for feeding
the price has lowered considerably.
Sheepmen say the outlook for wool
this year is not as good as it was this
time last year. They consider the pelt
market a pretty good indication of the
price of wool during the coming sum-
mer and say that pelts which would
bring about 9 cents a pound last year
are selling now for 6 cents and there Is
a corresponding drop in the price of
mutton. Cattle are high. A shipment
will leave here Saturday for Seattle
which will be the banner lot of this or
any other season for good many years
as far as price is concerned. They are
sold to Seattle butchers by Billy Miles
& Bro. of this city and the rs sold on
the market for $50 per head.
There appears to be tendency
among stockmen to look to the west for
a cattle market. Spokane, Tacoma and
Seattle buyers have done better by
Park county men during the past few
years than the eastern markets and it
is very probable that all the winter
oil md Of ca lac do
ing the shipping season in the fall will
go westward instead of to the packing
establishments of the eastern states.
The lot sold by Miles Bros. have been
fed on timothy hay for three months
and are in prime condition and look
fully as well, their owners say, as the
stock fatted on corn in the states where
they owned cattle before coming 20
Montana. Miles Bros. believe in winter
feeding and expect to turn off a bunch
of cattle every spring hereafter, as they
are encouraged by the success of this,
their first experiment with winter fe ed
ing.
The Standard reporter interviewed
Billy Miles & Bro. to-day and found
they were very we'll informed on the
live stock question and full of informal
ton about the different herds and
hocks owned in the county. Yes said
one of the firm in reply to question,
Park county stockmen are feeling
pretty good over their success with
their stock this winter. It's a surprise
to everybody, | guess, for nearly all Of
us expected heavy losses. Lots of hay
has been fed this winter. but there is
some left in the country yet. B. F.
Myers of Shields river has been winter
ing several thousand sheep and he mas
some hay left and wants to bale it for
market as soon as he gets the sheep off
his hands. l don't believe the losses en-
live stock in this county will average
over per cent this winter SO far and
the worst is over now and stock is go
ing to pick up right along. Sheep is the