Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-26
Stock Feeders in Short GrasS Country Are
Doing Right We'll.
WINTER RANGE AND IMPORTED FEEL
Combination that Makes Prosperity
Possible 60 Those who Have
Secured Title 20 Lands In
Western Nebraska.
From a stan Correspondent)

apie mere as FARTHER east although the
grass does not grow so tall. Land in this
pa-t Of the state does not produce as much
feed per acre as in Sheridan. Cherry. Brown
and Rock counties. though the grass cures
on the ground and makes better winter
feed for cattle. than does the grass farther
east when not cut for hay. chadron is the
center OF the large cattle companies Of
Nebraska. and at Chadron exists some
sentiment in favor OF the leasing proposi-
tion. although when questioned. the advo-
Gates OF the leasing theory admit that 10
lease the public lands would only serve as
makeshft and would not settle the ques-
ton.
The broad prairies in this part Of Ne
braska are covered with grasses from two
70 four inches high, and but little hay can
be harvested except along the valleys.
which arc few and far between. In many
places Jack rabbit may be seen for miles.
the country being so level in some parts.
On those broad expanses of prairie only
an occasional fence may he seen and an
occasional bunch Of cattle " cattle can
be kept In a pasture the owner or care
taker can, by visiting the stock every few
days during the summer to see that they
have water and salt, take good care Of
large number with very little effort In
fact u is pleasant work in the summer and
fall. but during the winter, sheds and feed
| should be supplied and this cannot be done
without moving the cattle some distance
Summer and Winter Range.
Most Of the cattle raisers here have a
summer range and winter ranse The
winter range is usually where feed can be
| easily obtained on short notice II meet
the effects of the cold rains and snow
| storms. The practice of supplying sheds
for the cattle is not as generally observed
here as II is farther east. and this causes
a, certain percentage OF loss each winter
and frequently a heavy loss When the
| cattle are taken from the summer ranges
to the winter ranges there is nothing left
! to look after. and it is idle to pass laws
| requiring people to live out on these bleak,
lonesome prairies. They will not do II.
i 1t would be just as sensible to pass a law
requiring members of the Omaha city coun-
! Gil to take their families and reside on
! top of the city hall during their terms
of Office as to try to get people to live
out on the, prairie where there are no
comforts, especially in this short grass
country. Several small ranchers located
| south OF Crawford own their own lands.
but they usually have a residence for
their families in some OF the small towns.
In practically every instance where ranch
men own their own land they are doing
well, and such persons have 40 trouble
I In borrowing all the money they care to
! invest to enlarge their business. Some OF
the small cattle raisers market consider
able cream and the cream Industry gives
promise OF great things in the future
| While some irrigation is done. IL Is only
by individuals and in comparison to the
| great extent of the country can he con-
! sdered only. as a small factor in the de-
velopment OF the natural resources here
| awaiting the cooperation Of capital and
labor.
Interest in Irrigation.
The close proximity of this county Ia
the irrigable lands on and along the
North Platte river and the convenience
Of railroad transportation furnishes prac.
tical way of securing winter feed in the
future when the government has com.
pleted its plans to irrigate the rich valley
land of the North Platte Many of the
cattiemen in this county have bought land
along the irrigation route and expect tc
seed It down to alfalfa as soon as the gov
ernment turns the water on. No fine,
alfalfa producing land is found in the
country than above and below Bridgeport
and all Of that district is made available
TO furnish hay to the cattle raisers Of thi,
country by the new Burlington line soutl
from Alliance. It will probably be two
years before the government has com
pleted it's irrigation bitches, but In TN,
meantime the private enterprises have de
veoped rapidly along the North Platte anC
the valley is now raising large t0nnag,
of hay each year. Omaha business mer
should look out for the trade OF this par
of Nebraska. for Denver is in evidence n
almost all lines of trade
Have Faith in President.
In talks with stockmen who reside Fl
Sioux county it is learned that the sam,
general conditions of unrest exist there a
in the other parts of western Nebraska
They appear to be at loss to know wha
the outcome will be. None of them blam
the president in the least They conside
! that he is simply enforcing the law agains
fencing the public lands. the same as he /
enforcing other laws In fact they con
, slider him one OF themselves and believ
that Inc we'll understands the difficultie
, under which they are laboring that II prac
tical relief Is proposed he will give II hi
hearty and effective support. The plan pro
, posed, to sell the remaining public lands 4
Nebraska in limited tracts on annual nav
ments covering five or six years, and re
quring that proof OF use OF the land 70
grazing purposes be made before paten
can be issued, appears TO be the most DOR
ular OF any of the several plans that hav
been discussed and considered by the cattl
raisers.
1t is a mistake to believe that these me
2 do not want people To come into the coun
: try Isolated cases are known where ne,
sons engaged In raising cattle on the ran9e
have made it unpleasant for homesteader,
but It can safely be said that the blame ha
not been all on one side. So far as the sel
> hsh interest of each warning factor "a cor
cerned. it may be stated that one side
lust about as bad or just about as good a
the case may be. as the other. AS MAJ
ter Of fact, the difficulties between m
various individuals about the division !
] the range has not. as a general rnI,
S amounted to much more than are the usus
neighborhood rows over stock on the farm
: in the eastern part Of the state but case
: OF dispute about the range, when either :
: the contending parties has any right 10
] under the law, gives each side an oppo,
!, tunity 20 say bad things about the other.
I Nearly every ranchman in the countr,
p and especially the small ranchers. want /
g sec more people settle in their localities an
: incoming settlers will find as good neigh
: bors here as any place they can 20. b,
Z 1.-THE dinhculty now is that actual settle,
d are so few and far between as to make
Z undesirable TO 90 out on the prairie to rail-
lafamily.