Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-06
THE r INDUSTRY.

For the first time in years, the owners
of horses in Montana are permitted to
look upon their herds as a negotiable
asset. The old Observation-Disclosures
exaggerated-of shooting a too numerous
cayuse population in order to protect the
ranges: of killing horses for their hides
and Of feeding the carcasses of worth
less equines to the hogs. are already
passed into the realm of the improbable.
Once more the wild steeds that roam a
thousand hills are tossing their ane and
! seeming the market from afar, and the
| weanling colt hears the omnibus whir Of
the lasso and feels the scorching inn
! press of the hot brand of ownership.
! was not worth the branding and the
! elder horse was permitted to Craze un-
fearful of the annual roundup until
| death transported him to the evergreen
! pastures of horse-heaven. That tim
has passed. Once more the range-rider
of Montana is busted in the search of
long absent horses and the branding and
| shipping corrals. are filled with the once
despised animals. The horse buyer is
abroad in the land and transactions in
horse-hesh are assuming prodigious pro-,
portions. ,
And all this ,enlivenment of an erst-
while dead industry is welcome. Fur
thermore it has the appearance of having
come to stay. And too, there has been
a notable increase in. horse values-a
hundred per cent in many instances
! over the quotations of last year and there
is a ready sale, now, for animals that
could not have been given away a year
ago. OF curse many owners of large
herds, who have held on for years simply
because they could find no market, are
taking advantage of the demand and are
disposing of their holdings in bulk at any
price offered. Hardly a week passes
without recording a sale of whole herds,
numbering from 500 to 5000. From in
dications for the future, the Inter Mount
ain cannot help but believe that this
Wholesale. retirement from the business
!, is an error on the part of the herd own
ers. They are giving up on the eve OF
g an era of prosperity. Nevertheless it
means greater profits for those VIII
choose to wait
t There are several causes that have
{ operated for the future benefit of the
horse industry. Because of a profit,
less market, breeding operations have
practically suspended for years on thu
great ranges and owners have not ever
taken the trouble to brand their in
crease. In the farming sections of thu
east the horse production has been linn
tied to the demands of the farm and o
the normal market for driving and draf
horses. This materially reduced the re
serve supply of animals for sale an
when our own war drew several h
sand head into the service of the arm
y. there was an immediate prospect of
!" shortage. Then came the British-Boe
" war, which,, to date, is said to have Gle
Eli stroyed 80, 900 horses. England has bee
ap compelled to look to America for he
cavalry mounts and orders for man
= thousand head of horses that will fill tt
ieS cavalry requirements are in the hands
'e' eastern agents. The east has bee
mt secured to fill the order. The drivers. tt
no saddlers and the first class farm hors'
les nave passed from the hands of the cas-
: a ern breeders and their places must
Ire filled by horses from the ranges. II
a anxious inquiries of the stock-yards al
a commission men for western horses i
ror dicate the strong tone of the market. al
their expressed willingness to buy IAN
nat thing is proof positive that there will
ing a sale for all sorts and conditions
t is equines. Added to this is an almc
emit phenomenal soaring of prices for tre
.ipt ting bred animals and fancy drive
ven There are many of these on the ranch
ash of Montana and it will be strange indie
the if the years of waiting are not met wi
has a speedy reward.