The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-03-11
IN A PASSING MANNER

I} in A PASSI
~~~~~ ~~
Wednesdays storm was reminiscent
of the storm of two years ago, which
was marked by an enormous fatality
among a lot of southern cattle un.
loaded at this point for delivery to
the men who had bought them in Tex
as the preceding fall. While almost
everybody recalled the storm, many
were in error as to the month of its
occurrence, a mistake easily explained
because. of the similarity of the wealth
er at that time and Wednesday. w.
habit of keeping a record of the more
important local events, consulted his
books and found that the storm had
been about two months later, or to
put it accurately, May 10. Two days
before rain began to fall and continued
until early of the morning of the
10th. Then without a moments warp
ing the mercury began to fall at an
alarming rate and the weather be-
came intensely cold. Several train
loads of cattle had arrived over the
Burlington and were turned out and
attempts were made to drive them
onto their respective ranges. W. e.
Case of Miles City was one of the
heavy consignees. He had taken the
precaution to secure a quantity of hay
which he fed to the weaker of his
stock. Instead of attempting to keep
them together, as did n others, he
permitted his cattle to drift and scat
ter as they pleased. In this he show
ed excellent judgment, as he lost only
a very few head, while the others lost
by the score, as is shown by an entry
made by Mr.. Vale, which records the
fact that 1000 cattle and 20 horses
persisted as a result of the storm.
Some dispute the figures, but he main,
tains that they are absolutely correct,
being the result of actual counts.
Over at Helena members of the
Montana Fish and Game Protective
association have decided to make an
effort to stock Lewis and Clarke coun>
ty, and incidentally the state, with
quails. They have been in correspon-
dence with parties who have brood
Quails to sell, and also with men in
Flathead county, where some halls
pell sportsmen introduced the birds
about four years ago. The latter re-
port that the birds have done we'll
and increased beyond all expectation.
Those who have quails to sell have
fixed a very reasonable figure on
them, one a agreeing to deliver
them at Helena for $40 a dozen.
To a Billings nan 1T is believed
belongs the honor Of making the first
effort to stock the state with game
birds not native to it. Five or six
years ago he liberated II pairs of
quails in this and Carbon counties.
In both instances the birds were
freed on ranches along the Yellow
stone. Notwithstanding that many
of the increase are known to have
persisted during the succeeding win
tiers, they continued to multiply until
they reached fully 200. Then the pot
hunters began their deadly work and
killed off all the males. This, of
course, put an end to further multi
plying and gradually every vestige OF
quails in the valley disappeared. G.
S. White, who lives a few files south
of the city, was another who tried
the experiment. Quails liberated by
him throve and multiplied, but the
severe winters and the hogs that own
guns and are permitted to use them
killed every one. .. ".
At the same time that he introduced
quails, Mr.. Losekamp also experiment.
ed with Monaghan pheasants. The
cost attached to this was much greater
than in the case of the other birds,
Those freed by him cost $14 a pair,
being of a superior kind. Like the
quails they took naturally to their new
surroundings and bred prolifically, in
fact they proved greater breeders
than the Bob Whites" But the same
causes that c%onspired to make a fail
ure of propagating quails interviewed
in the case of the pheasants. So
called hunters killed all the cocks
and further Matching became impossi
BILE. Even at this time an occasional
lone hen is seen by a rancher now and