The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-14
SPRING IS WINNING OUT
Prospects Are Bright in the
Bitter Root Valley.
ON THE BIG STOCK FARM
Sam Lucas Has a Fine Lot of Babies on
Handsome Blue Blooded Aspir-
ants-Winter Damage
to Orchards.

| oldest inhabitant has been racking his
brain for a season that parallels this
one, but thus far he has made no re-
port. The water in the river IS rising
| and the snow on the mountains Is
| gradually disappearing; the farmers
have their crops nearly all in the ground
and the stockmen are taking inventory
| of the new arrivals in the horse line
| that will make up the list of foals OF
| 1899: the fields are full of blossoms and
the trees are getting green. Although
the thermometer has manifested as yet
| only passing spells of rising to the &C.
! casiOn the appearance of the valley IN
diCates that, after all, this winter Will
| not run clear into next. There are IN
| diCationS that are considered TeliaDle
| that there will be a brief intermisslon
| between the two seasons of frost. This
| part of the Bitter Root is considerably
| ahead of the lower valley and of Mis-
soula in the matter of climate this year
| and the record of this neck of the woods
| in this respect is still maintained. The
| country around Hamilton never looked
| better than il does this spring, and
| there is no discoura cement manifested
! among the farmers and fruit men now
that the long delayed arrival of the
| opening of the season has actually tax
en- place. In the Immediate vicinity of
| Hamilton the prospects We're never bet
ter, and the town itself is livelier than
it has been for a long time. The big
! saw mills have been running for
week and things look like old times
here. The acreage of fruit, of grain
and of hay will be larger in this Part
of the valley this year than ever be-
| fore, and the shipments of hay and
grain from Hamilton during the past
season have demonstrated that there is
still market for more of these products.
At the Bitter Root stock farm this is
the most interesting season Of the
year. The broad acres Of blue grass
| pasture are bright and fresh in their
| spring covering and the splendid stock
| of this farm is finding rich forage on
the slopes of the bench pastures The
foaling season is nearing an end and
| the breeders are taking account of the
future winners of blue ribbon events,
In the thoroughbred department Sam
Lucas has the finest lot of babies
that ne has ever had in charge. There
are nearly half a hundred of them, and
theirs is the buest blood of the tho
roughbred book. One of the liVeliest Is
q lively tilly by Tammany. out of
Ayrshire Rose. This youngster at
tracts the attention of all the horse
men, and they predict great things for
around the paddock as if it were three
months instead of three days since it
arrived here to stay. Inverness and
Montana have each some promising
youngsters in the list and there is one
son of Hanover that bids fair to do
credit to the record Of his sire. In the
trotting department there may be seen
almost any pleasant afternoon, in the
same paddock, three of the most prom
Using youngsters that We're ever looked
at anywhere, The first is a full brother
to China silk and India Silk, by Prod-
gal, out of Brown Silk. This is the
first colt that has been foaled by the
gallant mare that is so we'll known to
ali turfmen and the little fellow prom
Uses to eclipse the achievements of his
sisters, named above. In the same pad
dock is the well-knoWn mare, Red Cher
ry, with a Milroy tlly by her side and
also Lady Wilton, nursing a handsome
difficult to find anywhere in the horse
world trio that will compare with
this.
! Trainer Joe Ray and his assistants
are putting 80 yearling harness colts
and fillies through their preliminary
work. The youngsters have been har.
messed but week, yet they step off or
the track as if they had been in sull
les all winter. There are some in thit
I punch That are regarded as even more
promising than the bunch that started
last year and that has since done Sc
much to distinguish itself. Mr. Rae il
also working a splendid lot Of two
year-olds that bid fair to eclipse the
phenomenal work done by the Prodiga
youngsters last season. Said a visito
at the ranch one day this week: THE,
n get a little better every year. Eacl
spring il seems as if the limit had beef
I reached, but each succeeding season
= mas something in the list that is
>, little better than anything that ha
y been seen before" Mr. Rae is givin
: MS tWo-year-olds some interestin
= work, ana they are moving up in goo
shape. 1t Is a criminal offense to hol
l. watch on the youngsters, but it
:. safe to say that they are all eoil
some. The youngster that is most ad
= mlred by visitors at the training quar-
ters this spring is My Tricks. who wi
pe Fehenoered by those who saw hil
a year ago He has improved durin
tn year and is now a beauty
Inc horticultural department of tn
bHief Root farm reports this mont
mat the winter damage to the orchard
% Is not as great as was at first reported
while the fruit crop Will be light i
some INES and with certain varietie
TINS Year. the older trees are comm
OUT all right in some orchards where
was al flrst thought that they had bee
Killed. The report Of the varieties tina
IS nave endured the severe winter in tn
pest shape Will be read with interes
- ny Lrult men when ii is prepared Their
have been planted On the ranch thi
&c spring 5000 fruit trees and 5000 shad
- trees. The grain crop has nearly .
g been planted on the ranch and the irr
y. gazing system is in fun operation. TIL
lg shade trees did not suffer notiCaa hi
from the severe cold Of the winter.
Among the recent arrivals at II
ranch are IS thoroughbred therefor
- bulls that are 10 be placed on the III
per ranch, where the feeding of be,
has become an important industr
IA These animals are all registered ar
ID are among the finest cattle ever in
Y ported into Montana.
The Bitter Root river rose rapid
I, during the early part of the week, b
the rise has been checked somewhf
. though the stream is still running flu
'Fhp log drives for the mills here a