The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-08
WHERE ALFALFA IS KING
The Present Prosperous with Assur-
ance Of Future Even Much
Better Things.

l. vi ~ D0lC ~ vi
the Yellowstone valley, last weeks
issue Of the Montana Stockman and
Farmer contains the following inter-
esting and comprehensive article as
the result of a recent visit to Billings
by the editor, J. w. Pace:
Beautiful and Picturesque.
The Yellowstone valley is at the
present time one Of the most pictur.
esque and beautiful spots in Montana.
The first hay harvest is about COM
pieted now, but vas at full blast on
June 20, when a representative OF this
PAPER visited Billings.
The people of Yellowstone valley
are very prosperous, and never had
more promising prospects than at
this time. The price of wool has
ranged from 15c to 18c and this af-
fords a good profit for the sheepmen.
The wool crop is of good character
and of fair average weight. There is
a better feeling among the fiockmas-
tiers of Yellowstone valley and eastern
Montana than there has been for sew
eral years. They had rather severe
losses in places last winter and had
not wool been of satisfactory value,
it would not have been a very good
year for the industry.
Lessons Learned.
Some lessons were learned from
last years experience that will be OF
lasting benefit to the stockmen of that
section. Instead of depending upon
the range, as a great many have in the
past, there will be fewer large bands
turned out for winter and more small
bands fed in the feed lots of that val
ley. The experiments of several of the
best known stockmen have shown con-
clusively that better care is profitable.
One owner of a small bunch of sheep
made a contract last fall to have these
wintered under a guarantee, at $1.15
PO1 ACous " p44SO was IOSdl oOo NY
many as ruinous, but the sequel, as
shown by the spring results, verifies
his judgment and led to a more thor.
ough investigation of the proposition.
1t is stated that this man made more
money per head on the sheep wintered
in that way than did any other stock
lan who wintered them after the old
fashion. This mans wool brought
$1.67 per head, which was SIC more
than he would have gotten had he
wintered them in the old way.
Sheep will Increase.
A recent statement that was circu-
lated throughout the country regard
ing the profits of the small farmer
from a band of sheep is being discuss
ed throughout Yellowstone county. In
this statement, the advice was given
to the ordinary farmer to keep one
sheep for every acre of land under cul,
tivation. The claim was made that
one sheep per acre could be kept with
out any extra cost at all, and that
the food usually wasted around the
ranch and in the fence corners would
keep such a band. Some who have
tried this are convinced that the num-
Der of sheep to be found in the hands
of farmers will increase from this
time on in the Yellowstone valley.
Alfalfa Firmly Enthroned.
To go back to the matter of alfalfa
in the Yellowstone, I. D. OsDonnell
of Billings, known throughout Mon
tana as the Alfalfa King" informs us
that it is a conservative estimate to
say that the acreage of alfalfa in Vel
lowstone county has increased fully
20 per cent and that the yield this
year would show an increase of fully
25 per cent. This is a remarkable
showing and when we consider what
an addition of % per cent means to
the hay crop of a valley like the Vel
lowstone, we may gather some idea
of what this addition meal in dollars
and cents.
Billings Bright Prospects.
The prospects of Billings at this
time are unusually bright.
Surveyors are at work on the Grow
Indian reservation. AS oon as plats
are completed and filed with the in
terror department and the preliminary
arrangements have been perfected, the
land will be thrown open. This, it
was estimated, will require nearly two
years, but by 1907, Billings people
may expect to see this area in the
hands of settlers and home buildera
We have not yet heard an intelli-
gent estimate of the amount of land
that it will be possible to farm. but