The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-03-19
WALDEN, COLORADO MARCH 10, 1905

on cattle range they drive the cattle
out owing to the fact that cattle will not
associate with sheep"
Mr.. Pay ne knows this Of his own ex-
perience his forest reserve cattle and
horse range having been invaded by
sheep.
Mr.. Collin Z. Davis was next to pres
ent his oppinion. although he thinks
sheep are more profitable he believes
2-3 of the stockmen should favor a
change before it can fairly be made. He
doubts whether North Park is favorable
breeding grounds for sheep but says,
he believes if man sees fit to keep and
fatten them on his own land it is no
bodys business. He is willing himself
to do what ever the majority wants.
He does not agree with the Senator of
Larimer County that there is no other
profitable stock business than sheep
feeding.
Mr.. A. J. Monroe gave the public the
benefit Of his study on the case. He
stated that his hay being worth ~ per
ton on the stem to cut for cattle. at the
rate for wool and mutton current for
the past two or three years would be
worth - per ton on the stem to Craze
with sheep. The change to sheep
country on the open range is to violent
to come all at once, the time is not ripe.
AS to breeding the percentage of in
crease in the Park is not high for either
cattle or sheep, and in particular,
man breeding sheep here would need to
give them expert care. He asserted the
right to keep what stock he pleased on
his own land.
Mr.. VIM. Norell took point of view
not from the stand point of immediate
profit, which he admitted favors the
sheep, but from the stand point of the
future possibilities within foresight He
predicted that if sheep were introduced
on the range here few very wealthy
men would monoplize the business as
they have in Carbon county. Wyoming,
and the small land owners would lose
out, thus reducing the population and
the price of land, and in sense starving
our sons. A general discussion of the
opportunities of small local bands of
sheep to utilize certain portions of the
range not to extend by cattle failed t6
bring anything more than tn g fact that
there is some range above timber line
that cattle will not stay on and that
furnishes good grazing. The difficulty
was encountered here Of getting and
keeping sheep up there for the three
months summer and getting them out
and keeping them the remaining nine
months of the year without interfering
with the moral rights now vested by
long use in the cattlemen.
Mr. w. L. Galpin Of the Park Range
Reserve Forest Service stated the posit-
ion of the Service in case such division
OF the high mountain ranges is desired.
II the stockmen in any district, such as
the Park get organized and elect a COM
mitee to arrange matters with the For
OhS's
range can be secured the stockmen
want.
Mr. A. f. Hill spoke in behalf of cat
tie growing as the established and tried
business here which should not be inter
fered with by new and very doubtful
experiment. He reminded the meeting
that the cattle business is the only one
of several that Lave been tried that
has proven profitable here, and advised
the eXperimenters to go slow and not
commit themselves to financial blund-
er that would hurt their neighbors as
well as themselves. The sheep busi ness
is not we'll adopted to small home ranch
es, is a millionaire's and presumably an
out siders business ultimately if intro
duced in North Park Mr.. Hill freely
admits a man s right to keep what stock
he pleases on his own land and believes
no man denies it, but is satisfied the ad-
mission of sheep 10 the open range in
North Park would be calamity. 1t is
an open range, not a hay country bust
ness.
Mr. S. A Mcintyre showed up point
from the trappers and wonderers e1-
Perence it might be well to consider.
Wyoming is a good sheep country be-
cause it is so dry that the sheep winter
ON the range. Cattle cannot conven-
iently be wintered because they demand
better feed, more water, and a better
assurance of winter fodder than the dry
bare hills of Wyoming afford. 1t would
he impossible to winter sheep on the
range in North Park and the feeding
takes away the profit.