Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-18
STOCK POISONING PLANTS
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION OF con-
OPTIONS IN MONTANA.
Preliminary Report Made to Depart.
ment of Agriculture by Messrs.
Chestnut and Wilcox.

A preliminary report on the "Stock-Po i-
soning Plants Of Montana made to the De-
partment of Agriculture by V. X. Chestnut
and E. V. Wilcox, who were detailed by
Mr.. Frederick V. Coville, botanist of the
department, to Investigate the subject, con-
tains among much other interesting mat
ter, the following:
Montana is a typical grazing state. Long
before it was closely connected by it's two
great railway systems, the Northern Pa
cfic and the Great Northern, with the more
settled regions to the east and west, its
wide open ranges were favorite ground for
hunting herbivorous animals. Immense
herds of elk deer and buffalo then roved
over it's grassy plains and mountain sides.
These animals have been almost wholly eX-
terminated from the state, and now in their
place there are hundreds of thousands of
horses, cattle and sheep which are being
bred or fattened by their owners for profit,
advantage being taken of the permitted
free use of the large areas of public domain
which the state still contains.
The enormous growth of the stock in
dustry of the state may be Illustrated from
the comparative statistics for sheep, the
data for which have perhaps been most ac-
curately secured in the different states.
According to the census Of 1880 the states
which held the largest number of sheep
were, In their order, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio
and Missouri. The sheep were for the most
part kept on farms. The aggregate num-
Der on farms was about 30, 0O0, 600, the
number ranging ON the public domain was
approximately 7,000 900 and those otherwise
held numbered 1900, 900, making total of
over a, 600, 900. On July i, 1900, the total
aggregate number Of sheep in the United
States was reported to the division of sta
tistics of the Department of Agriculture to
be nearly 100000. The states which then
contained the largest holdings were, in the
order of their numbers, New Mexico and
Montana, each with nearly 1900, 200;
Wyoming and Ohio, each with nearly g.
O00. 600. and with holdings Of over 1000, 600
each in Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colo
RADIO and California. New Mexico, al
though the leading in the number of
sheep possessed, ranked only fourth with
respect to money value. Montana, the Sec
ond state with regard to numbers, ranked
first as to value. the total holding amount
ing to little over 81. 0oo, 600, The hold I'D
ings In Ohio aggregated about S10,500. 600,
and New Mexico about Sc, SOC, 600; Oregon,
Idaho, Utah, Colorado and California each
held over $4,000, 600 worth of sheep. The
total value Of these sheep throughout the
United States on January l, 1890, was es-
timated to be $122 .665. 913. At as recent a
date as 1870 there were, according to the
third annual report of the board Of sheep
commissioners Of Montana for 1899, but !, =
2R sheep in the state. In January, 1880,
there were 249 978 In 1890 the number had
increased to 1855. Lie, and now it Is about
100000
Some Drawbacks.
Notwithstanding the great advantages of
which the stock raising industry OF the