The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-03

N~>~~> ~ ~>'S ~AA ToS'SSS'SeN'
TWO Cattle Countries.
The state has two distinct cattle coun-
tries. One in the eastern and northW est
ern part Of the state where the cattle are
raised in conjunction with general farm
Ing, or as more incident thereto. AS you
80 west this shades into the genuine
rattle ranch, where what agriculture
there may be IS incidental to cattle rails
ing. The whole western half or two
thirds of the state had until recent years
been more of g cattle country than any
thing else. But the solid ranks Of the
advancing farmers now extend up to and
beyond the 1O1st meridian, so that now
the great bulk of the cattle country lies
west of that meridian both north and
south Of the Missouri river. Dickinson,
the county seat of Stark county, is the
seat Of the cattle raising business in
southwestern North Dakota. Another
cattle center is Medora, county seat of
Billings, where the Marquis de Mores, the
brilliant and eccentric Frenchman, who
afterwards was murdered by the Touraegs
in Tunis. held forth in his extrayagant
fashion for some years.
Good dad Lands"
This southwestern part Of the state
includes the 5000 or 5000 square miles
that make up the bad lands. Neverthe-
less, these counties Of Star. Billings and
Hettinger contain some Of the finest grass
lands in the world. That the bad lands
are not so very bad may be gathered from
the fact that over 100, 900 head of cattle
feed within this very region. While In
Minneapolis last winter Ernest Seton
Thompson, the traveller, naturalist and
author lecturer, stated that in his opinion
the soil is in places very rich and pro-
ductive, 80 that considerable areas may
be profitably cultivated. But for stock
raising nature in no other part Of the
world has designed such ideal conditions.
He Is confident that the bad lands will
take a leading part in making North Da-
kota one of the greatest live stock sec
tions in the world. Already from $4,000
to 10000 head of beef cattle are yearly
shipped from the bad lands herds.
This region has always been the refuge
and feeding ground of thousands of ami
mails. Until the rushless determination
Of the buffalo they were numerous
among it's hills as the domestic cattle
of to-day. Even now, the trails made
by the animals, with occasional piles OF
bleaching bones, mark what was once
their favorite ranges. Deer are yet plen-
tiful, and the outlying prairies are feed
ing grounds for thousands of antelope.
Great Coal Supply.
Not the least remarkable feature of the
bad lands is the inexhaustible supply of
coal At the base of the cliffs it crops
out in veins from Is to 20 feet in thick
ness. The entire country is underlaid with
Ignite. There is sufficient coal In the bad
lands alone to supply the state of North
Dakota with fuel for 100 years to come.
Far down at the feet Of the cliffs are
water courses trickling toward the Little
Missouri through thousands Of acres OF
level bottom lands where nutritious
grasses thrive. Timber Of fair size and
quality fringes these streams. 1t is along
these creeks that ranches have been con-
structed. The cattle are turned loose upon
the grasses which do not lose their nutri-
tive value in any season of the year
Protecting cliffs and hills furnish a refuge
for the stock during any storm.
Grass In These Counties.
The kind of natural stock food that Is
to be found in Stark, Billings and Het'
finger counties may be inferred from Wha
Professor Waldron of the state agricul
tural college says about the grasses o
North Dakota:
North Dakota has a grass area of 40.
OOO, 900 Of acres, capable Of producing each
year as much beef as is represented by
half a million 3-year-old steers, allowing
twenty-five acres to each animal. These
yoked together would make an OK team
500 miles long, thus giving an idea of thu
immense prOductiVeneSS of our pastures
Over this whole region the average rain
fall is seventeen inches, and In no place
does it fall below thirteen inches, in Thu
respect being superior to most Of the othe
grazing lands Of the United States.
1T is probably we'll known to most O
you that plant does none Of Its work II
the dark; that all its active processes II
taking the simple elements in nature an
reducing them to the form Of plant tissue
and food Is carried on only in the direc
influence of sunlight or its equivalent. Blu
there is sunshine that in passing through
a murky atmosphere or an atmospher
hung with clouds and charged with mois
ture gives up most Of it's vital or actini
rays, and allows only the passage Of thos
rays of light which have but little inf1u
ence upon the plants activity. 1t Is onl
in regions having a bright, clear atmos
phere that the maximum number of active
vital, actinic rays come in contact wit
the plant thus promoting those vital pro
cesses while the food is stored up in TIL
plant, ready to be utilized by animal life
It is only when plant is literally battle
in this bright, clear sunlight that thos
special processes are carried on IN tn
highest degree. In addition to this neces
sary condition, we must also, have the nee
cessary amount of rainfall, and a ric
SOIL An excess Of rainfall induces rapi
growth. but such plants do little In tE
way Of storing up albuminoids. The elias
Of substance known as albuminOids cor
stttutes the valuable portion Of plants,
far as furnishing food to animals Is cor
cerned. Albuminoids constitute the f1es
forming elements and those are VIII;
h. make our grains so valuable, especially
!, fed to working stock, as they supply. TT
waste and tearing down of the muscle
}arising from the exertions Of the animal.
1--WE would expect the condition of cl
mate and soil which we have ment1One
I to give us grasses which are rich in a
buninoids, and the chemists corrobora
our expectations Upon examining tt
tables of chemical analysis Of grasse
find that four of our leading hay al
:" pasture grasses grown in North Dako
give an average of 1851 per cent Of a
buminods, while the same species +,
grasses growing in the latitude of Ill
nos furnished an average percentage
albuminoids of only 737 per cent. Thu
we see the contrast-13.61 compared wi
1877. =: J..
Another Influence.
Another influence that may aid
bringing about this condition IS the IA
that we have longer hours Of daylig
at the north. In the summer season '
have two hours of sunshine to one no
Of darkness, Under this influence t
plant will not only be stimulated to tt
production Of a larger percentage of &
bumnoids, but will grow proportionate
more rapidly than in regions having lie
N sunlight.
I'm the general character of its grass
the state may be divided into two parts
the eastern and western. In the caste
the climatic conditions are such as affo
a more rapid and vigorous growth
grasses, but this rapid and vigoro
growth of soft tissue decays rath