The Dickinson press., 1905-01-28
A YEARS RECORD.


of live stock, grain, coal and other
products from Stark and Billings
counties is interesting. 1t gives a
little idea of the great wealth
there is in the native grasses for
grazing purposes and also shows
that when the owners of our fer
tile lands get ready to break up
the primitive sod they can do SO
with profit.
1t will be a surprise to many of
our readers to know that the
cattle shipment from this part of
the state for 1904 was nearly 5000
head greater than for the previous
year. The low prices which pre-
vailed in the markets, owing to
the strike and other causes, kept
many people from marketing and
the unprecedented shortage of
cars also caused many to hold
their beef cattle over, and most
stockmen had taken it for granted
that the shipments were small as
compared with the previous year.
Our figures, compiled from the
Northern Pacific records kept at
the different stations in the
counties named, show an increase
at almost every place. AT Dick
inson the increase, is I41 cars;
Bel6eld, 81 cars; Gladstone, 81
cars; Medora, FL cars; Taylor, s.
cars; while Richardton comes in
with her initial shipment of S
cars.
Prices of cattle ruled lower in
1904 than for several years previ.
Jus and on an average our cattle
men received less per pound for
their beef. Notwithstanding this,
the Jeff Farrah steers sold at $50
per hundred, the highest price
paid for grass fed cattle in west
ern North Dakota. A shipment
of alfalfa fed steers from Minot
we're sold at S 5.25 and enormously
quoted as grass fed. Thus this
locality continues to hold the
palm for highest priced grass fed
cattle. In 1903 the Rasmus Jen-
sen native steers, weighing 1901
pounds, topped the market at
sos per cwt., and in 1902 the
Geo. Haskins natives, weighing
1924 pounds, topped the market
at $40 per cwt., which is the
highest live weight price ever
paid in any market in the world
for grass fed cattle.
In horses there has been a
slight decrease in the number
CARED from this locality. Some
have been driven overland to
market and it is estimated that
the total number taken from the
county the past year is equivalent
to 100 cars The quality of horses
CARED here is very fine. The
average price received for range
horses the past year has been 500
per head, against $50 for the
previous year. A few carload
shipments have averaged S125
per head.
Sheep shipments decreased
nearly one half, owing to the
hard winter of a year ago, and to
the sharp advance in prices of the
past summer and fall. Mutton
prices we're steady all the year
and the average selling price was
$3.50 per head, an advance of
fully soc. over the previous year.
The increase of &c. per pound in
wool and the prospects of a still
greater advance the coming sea-
son, greatly stimulated the prices
of stock sheep last season, and
many sheepmen carried over
prime mutton wethers just to get
the 1905 clip, believing that they
could get as much If not more,
out of the carcas another season.
Good mutton bands ought to
shear better than SI.25 to the
head this year, and half that
amount will pay the keeping.
Wool shipments also show a
decrease. The woods grown north
of Taylor and Richardton, not
less than 100000 pounds, are not
shown in our figures. The same
is also true of the Sentinel Butte
woods, upwards of 200, 900 pounds.
The average price of wool last
year was 1910, an increase of
&c over the previous year.
In grain, Stark county more
than doubled the output of 1903.
The farmers got an average of 81
per bushel for their wheat and
were the class of people last fall
who had the full pocket books.
One hundred and fifty cars of
grain, nearly all wheat, were
shipped from Dickinson and in
this county $50 cars, or 284,Soo
bushels. This does not take
into account the amount of grain
stored in elevators and in gran
aries by the farmers.
Gladstone is still the flour mar
ket of Stark county and in 1901
shipped $4,000 worth of -four ir
the place of $4,000 worth for the
previous year. The Dickinson
Touring tnill did a large custom
business last yea.
The coal business for 1904 does
not show much increase. This is
easily accounted for when it i:
known that there was a decrease
! OF 90 per cent in the use of al