The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-09-04
RICHEST REGION !
IN ALL THE WORLD
N. L. Fox Writes OF the Won
derful Development Of
the Black Hills.
THE MANY INDUSTRIES
Great Profits Are Made in Cattle and
Likewise in the Mines-Bad Man
Is Gone Forever-Farms
& Richer Than Mines.


Is Gone Forever-Farms
Richer Than Mines.
Deadwood, S. D., Sept. 2-Nearly
. Two score years ago Marvin Hughitt
said of the Black Hills: 'It is the rich
est 100 miles square on earth" Time has
justified his estimate. The appearance
OF the country has been transformed
curing the past ten years and, instead
OF the Homestake and the Golden Re-
ward representing the mining indus
try Of the Hills, the gulches and hill
night and day to extract the yellow
metal and prepare it for the mint The
estimated output for the year 1903 is
$lOOOO,000 worth of gold as against
about $8,500,000 for last year. But,
strange as the statement may sound.
Of the Black Hills will yield more
wealth for the current year than will
be taken from the mines.
Wonderful Crops.
drove over much Of the Black Hills
country and found the valleys literally
filled with wheat and oats, alfalfa and
corn. Wheat is yielding an average OF
from 20 to 80 bushels to the acre. and
the yield of oats is from so to 1875 bush
els. Corn stands well on the ground,
IS we'll cared and is more nearly ma
tured than the corn Of Iowa. These
great crops are found only in the hilly
country. Out of the Hills begins the
grazing country, and here again We
encounter astounding figures. Each
year the cattle shipment from Belle
Fourche alone represents cash value
of about $4,000, 00O-fully one-half Of
the value of the gold taken from the
mines. When one considers that mill
lions Of dollars worth are shipped from
Whitewood. Rapid City, Buffalo Gap,
fair idea of the cattle industry of
South Dakota west Of the Missouri
river may be had
Profits in Cattle.
l have had occasion to Investigate
profits made by cattlemen, and find
figures quoted which make the average
gold mine look like the traditional "3O
cents With former Governor Lind
and Mr.. C. j. Swanson of Minnea polls
drove more than $50 miles through
eastern Montana during last April. We
put up at several ranch houses and
talked with many ranch owners. The
profits estimated by those men for the
past fifteen years averaged about 33 1-3
per cent. per annum. AS one cattle
man expressed it: I'VE get our money
out about every three years."
The cattlemen Of the Black Hills es-
innate a higher percentage Of gain.
They say they get their money out, on
an average, about once in two years,
thus clearing about so per cent. per
annum Their advantage over the
Montana men is in milder winters and
better water. But profits of SO per cent.
can only be had with free range, and all
cattlemen agree that the homesteader
has made free range a thing Of the
past. The tendency now is to buy big
bodies of land, fence it for hay and
winter grazing, and allow the steer to
range through the summer. They fig
ure that even with investments in large
bodies of land cattlemen can yet hope
for profits of from 25 to 35 per cent. (.
Poison of Wolves.
The greatest menace to live stock on
the ranges is the gray wolf He kills
calves and colts outright, and full
grown cattle and horses die from his
bite. Cattlemen say that the bite of
the gray wolf is more poisonous than
that of a rattlesnake, and that a small
cut from VOLTS tooth will invaria bly,
cause death If a steer is bitten during
the summer, and that death results
frequently in the winter from appar-
emily Insignificant wounds. They say
that the bite of the coyote has no such
malignant effects, and that steer
rarely ever dies from rattlesnake
bite. One veteran cattlenan said he
would rather have forty rattlesnake
bites than one wolf bite" and other
cattlemen echoed his sentiments.
! The cowboys. favorite method Of kill
ing wolf is with the rope A horse
can outrun a wolf and the cowpuncher
likes the excitement of the chase. the
toss of the rope, and then to@drag the
Wolf to death. Besides, it is difficult
to get shot at a wolf when he is near
enough and quiet enough to be in dan
ger from it. Cattlemen say that shoot
ing a wolf from horseback is almost
impossible, and is never accomplished
except upon rare occasions when both
wolf and horse are at a standstill.
RevoIvers Not Carried.
In fact, cowboys hardly ever carry
revolvers. The gun is thing of the
past, having vanished with the bad
man. 1t is cumbersome and useless
except on rare occasions. Sometimes a
horse steps into a prairie dog hole or
into hole made by the rotting away
of the roots and stump of cottonwood
tree. If leg should be broken, a re-
volver shot will end the suffering of the
poor beast, or ii the rider should be
thrown and his foot hang In the stir
rup, he may be able to shoot his horse
and save himself from being dragged
to death. But I could not learn that
such q use had ever been made of a
revolver as that last mentioned If a
rider Is thrown and his foot hangs it is
doubtful If he could get his revolver
from it's holster while being dragged by
a running pony, or, that he could shoot
the horse in vital spot If he should
get his revolver.
During the days of hostile red men
and cattle rustlers the gun was neces-
sary, but now there is much more ex-
cuse for carrying one in a city than on
the. range. Besides, except in few To-
calities which are yet favorite resorts
for outlaws there, are no dad men,
in the west. The bad man" of today
Is found almost exclusively in the
mountains of the south or in the
gambling dens of newly discovered
mining districts. ~. --