The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-03-12

OF oatGlo Is concerned he ma learned
by experience that it is not safe to
turn them out on the range, as there
is SO much danger of loss by their
straying away from their range, and
he has no means of having them gath
cred for him as the big cattle outfits
have. So the farmer does not have
much use Of the range under present
conditions. Take our own valley as
an example. We have here 400 farm
ers, and it is safe to say that the range
contiguous to the valley is controlled
by less than a dozen e
Now, I contend that a proper system
Of leasing the public grazing lands,
such as has been advocated by the
National Irrigation congress, by which
owners Of irrigated land would be able
to lease grazing land in the range con-
tiguous to their valley, would be of
benefit to- the farmers and small stock
men; in fact, more beneficial to them
than to the big outfits which now con-
troll the range by owning the water
holes Say that a strip of range adj
joining this valley, 40 miles long by
10 miles in width, were leased SO that
each of the 400 farmers in the valley
could lease from the government one
section of land. Several of them
could combine and fence in a town
ship. Thus a farmer could keep 100
head Of cattle on his ranch in winter
and turf them on his pasture in the
spring. By the land being fenced it's
productive capacity would be greatly
increased, and four head of stock be
fed On land that by the open system
supports only one. The lesees would
have all object in making reservoirs to
conserve the water and nov to use
for irrigation and for watering stock
in the dry season, and further increase
the productive capacity of the land.
Again, by fencing off part of the land
and keeping off stock until August the
land would be re-seeded, and raise
more grass and pasture more stock.
This irrigated valley of so, 600 acres
at the present time feeds more stock
and produces more than all the rest of
the county. The leasing of the range
land at 5 cents an acre per annum
would produce in two years a revenue
of $500, 600, which would be available
for an irrigation proposition III, say
the Lake basin, or the Huntley fats
and it would be. safe to say that
another go, 900 acres could he irri-
gated. That land which now Supports
100, 600 sheep would if irrigated sup
port. 500, 900 sheep. Other irrigation
propositions could be taken up from
time to time, and instead Of the whole
county having only $50, 900 sheep it
could easily support a million. The
benefit of the range would then be
shared by every taxpayer in the county
by the increased revenu from the
taxation and the increase Of wealth,
instead Of benefitting only a few large
outfits. The business men of Billings
could easily reckon the benefit they
would derive by such an increase in
their tributary country. The stock
men and farmers could we'll afford to
pay the small rental per acre, and it
would be 10 hardship on them, but a
benefit in the security from intrusion
on their range of travelling bands of
sheep from other counties, on which
no taxes are paid to our county. In
fact, the owners of such sheep would
be the only parties who would suffer.
Personally I have no reason to be
dissatisfied with the present system of
open ranges, as I now control by
reason Of owning the water a good
portion of the range. But it seems to
me that a proper system Of leasing the
range to the owner Of contiguous ir-
rigated land would be of great benefit
to the farmer, and would result in an
increase of revenue to the county, and
enhance the wealth and productive
capacity Of u people, and do away
with any of the danger Of range wars,
which now threaten some parts of
Montana. Yours truly,
T.. D. O'Donnell.