The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-07
RAISING RtFFALOES.
A Fine Herd In Montana That viii Help 10
Keep the American BisOn Alive.

Fine Herd In Montana That viii Help 10
Keep the American bison Alive.
1t was feared few years ago that the
buffalo. which once roamed our Western
plains by millions, was doomed 10 utter
extinction. H. has been evident. however,
for some years. that this most character
stic animal OF our native fauna may be
kept alive.
Not only IL the well.protected herd in
the Yellowstone Park fourishing and
multiplying, but there ID also fine herd,
the result of private enterprise, in the
valley of Mission Creek, in northwestern
Montana. 1t has grown from few ami
mails, is permitted, within certain limits.
to wander as II pleases and ia rapidly in
creasing in numbers. 1t is grazing on the
Flathead Indian reservation.
Prof. Morton j. Elrod. who occupies the
chair Of biology in the University Of Mon
tana and Is the director OF the univsrsity's
biological station, near Flathead Lake.
| has written an interesting account of these
bufaloes which has been published by
the university He sayS there is a note
worthy difference between this herd, on
the Flathead Reservation, and the herd
in Yellowstone Park.
The Flathead herd has man with it
constantly. The animals, therefore, are
accustomed to man and are not alarmed
at his approach. On the other hand, the
| Park herd IL rarely seen by man.
1t was placed at q high altitude. over
| 1900 feet, where SHOWS are deep, winters
long and severe, and where it would be
very ditficult to give the animals aid in
| case Of scarcity Of food; but the Flathead
| herd ranges at an altitude below 5000 feet.
| whore deep SHOWS do not occur and poaoh-
| ers cannot modest without fear of discovery.
Moreover. hay or grain may he taken to
| the herd in few hours II needed
Though the animals range in treeless
valley there are coulees, morainal depres-
sions and river and creek banks, which
| offer shelter. Several high buttes give
protection from the wind, while the rivers,
creeks and ponds supply abundant water
In 1884. Charles Allard and Michael Pablo
| bought ten head Of buffalo from an Indian
! who had brought them from east OF the
Rocky Mountains. They also purchased
from Buffalo" Jones in Nebraska forty
four head. eighteen Of which were half
breeds, for the buffalo can cross with
cattle From this beginning Of thirty-siI
full blooded and eighteen mixed breed
animals the present herd has descended
! In February, 1909. the herd numbered
10 full blooded and sixty Ave mixed breed
anin,als Not q few wsre sold in earlier
! yusrs to SOCIOLOGICAL parks, circuses and
private citizens. In 1901, sixty-fve calves
| were added to the herd
This short record shows what oan be
done by private enterprise. In twenty
yearsa herd OF thirty six full bloodedsnimals
has increased to moro than $50, or ton times
the original number, with no record OF many
sales that have been made in that time.
In twenty years the number Of calves Is
given at sixty-h a year, nearly double
the original number OF buffalo in the herd.
The range on which the herd Is kept does
| not exceed from seventy to 100 square
miles and the animals might be maint aimed
on a much smaller area Of pasturage:
The COWS do not have calves until they
are four or five years old and about half
the cows have calves every year. Tho
owners say that the fertility OF the herd
Is not decreasing.
Some OF the calves die, about the same
proportion as among ordinary cattle on q
range. Most Of them. however, are remar-
ably bright and active. One calf made a
record OF standing upon it's feet thirty
seconds after it was born and exhibited
a desire to fight when twenty minutes old.
They usually range in two herds but in
the winter OF 1901 they we're in three herds.
With them are many herds OF cattle aud
horses.
SANITY. He knows where they are, keeps
81 ~lr. at t1,n
calves and the herd generally. In fact
they are much more carefully attended
than the range cattle.
Az about half OF the calves are males
and 80 many bulls are not needed a few
OF them are sold every year to butchers
at Helena, Butte, and other neighboring
towns, by whom they are sold over the
counter as meat, the heads being retained
a. mounts. The chief profit from the herd
il. Of course. derived from sales to Eastern
cities for parks and geological gardens.
The price put on the animals for these
purposes Is very high, the freight haul is
long, the cost of transportation is any
thing bit chelp aa1 the danger OF death
b,for. tn, e1i OF tn. trip is large. The
amin ais, therefore, whic., wa see in our parks
represent an important outlsy.
Whsn visitor desires to soc the herd
hs mist eithsr sssk 1t on horseback or hire
a bugzy II h, is wis, also he will secure
tbs service, Of an Indian as guide to find
the animals and round UP the smaller herds
into one larg. bunch. There Ia no telling
whsre they may he grazing.
The Indian starts out toward the high
butte where they are most frequently found
When a herd Ia sighted he will ride toward
l. until he can determine whether the ami
mails are buffalo or cattle.
In the latter case he takes another direc-
ton until another herd is sighted, and il
frequently happens that one travels for
hours before seeing the herd in the distance
Usually one may and It with little difficulty.
and II is we'll worth days work and Tho
slight expense.
The animals 60 in small squads OF frcm
two or three 20 fify. The Indian guide
races his horse after squad 1pprosc hing
in the direction he wishes them 10 60, He
will ride leisurely until he finally turns
toward the animals, when he puts spurs to
hts hors.. yalls like . demon and fires his
six shooter again and again.
The squad IA run in the direction Of O