Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-03-23
LOSSES HAVE
BEEN LIGHT
Stock and Range Conditions in Fe'
gus County Are Satisfactory for
for This Time Of Year.
DAWSON COUNTY NOT so LUCKY
Many Sheep and Cattle Are in a Dan
gerous Condition East Of the
Musselshell.

Stock reports 10 the Argus from
different parts of Fergus county are
TO the effect that thus far there have
been no great losses. but that many
stockmen are getting to the bottoms
Of their nay stacks and unless win
ter weather lets up pretty soon some
damage will surely result. Parts of
the county have almost entirely es-
capped the hard weather throughout
the winter while other parts of the
county have received more than their
share. The most critical conditions
now exist in the northeastern part of
the county. There has been consid-
cradle sno out east of Gilt Edge
and some stockmen are said to be
out of feed. But even in that part
Of Fergus county the stockmen are
much better off than those who have
their sheep acros the river in Daw'
son county.
Arthur Clifford, one OF Cruse's head
men, has been in from western Daw-
son county for the past week and
says that they have had the worst
winter in twenty years aCross the
river. The range has been badly
crusted for six weeks and when he
left there about Ten days ago there
were no signs Of a change in the con
d%itions. The N-Bar outfit has u 600
sheep over there and are getting very
apprehensive that a large per cent of
them will not be brought out. That
country is simply alive with sheep
from all over the eastern part of the
state and many w%oolgrowers seem in
for heavy losses. The sheep were
forced into the brakes by the storm
in January and have never been able
to get out. To give some idea of the
number of sheep in that country, Gift
ford said that he counted 100, 900 head
in an r 40 X 6 miles. 1t is not on
ly the woolgrowers who will suffer,
as hundreds of cattle are in a precar
ious condition.
People living along the Musselshell
near its mouth have observed a pc
culiar fact this winter. On one side
Of the river there have been several
feet of snow, while the fall on the
Fergus county side has not been phe,
nominal. A few miles this side of the
river there would be a chinook, TAX.
ing the snow off the ground and a
short distance across in Dawson coun
~ a high and intensely cold eastern
wind would be sweeping across the
plains. The Musselshell seemed to be
the meeting place of the chinook and
the eastern wind.
In other parts of Fergus county
stock and range conditions are uni
formly good. Latest reports from
Grass Range say that that part of the
county escaped the storm wu.ch pre-
vailed here Saturday night and thaI
stock conditions could not be better
at this time Of year. Sheep nave beer
turned loose into the spring ranges
and on a few ranches, lambing Is In
progress with excellent results. From
Lavina the report is that grass is
showing up fine and as the ground
is very moist early feed is expected
The winter losses have not been as
Sltdl dS tHt dNtIdSc anu lUe SDTIUS
outlook was never better.
In the western part of the county
conditions are as gooo as they evel
were at this time of the year. The
losses have not been any heavier thar
the average and the range is free OF
crust. Taking it all over the county
the conditions may be considered
good-much better in fact. than in
any other part of the e.r'o where
there are large numbers of sheep
The parts which are said to be suf
fering most are the east half of Chou
teau, all of Valley county and the
north and eastern parts of Dawson
county.