, 1908-02-24
ARE
NECESSARY
SALVATION OF SMALL RANcHMAN
LIES IN BEING ABLE TO CON-
troll HIS HERDS.
Experience of Former Commissioner
Jones, Who Has Spent Almost a
Generation on the Little Laramie
Losses from Rustling and Stray
ing Keeps Him Down.
Mandel, Wyo., Feb. "a. 1908.

10 Ine EDITOR OF Inc Republican.
L have been much interested in the
many letters that have been printed in
your paper on the leasing question,
and | have been pleased to see that
you have undertaken to champion the
cause of the small ranchman, for if
any mai needs championship he does
NOW, l have had twenty-eight wears of
experience ranching on the Little Lar
annie, and l will try and give you the
actual facts of my experience during
that time and you can take them for
what they are worth. My sympathy
has always been n always will BE-
with the small ranchman, and when I
say small ranchman / include the small
sheepman as well. Now, | won't BE-
personal or abuse anyone, as l think
it IS foolish to quarrel. We are all
brothers and the good book tells us to
Love our enemies"
Some Early Experiences.
When I first started ranching in 1880
a private road passed by my rancn,
giving me an outlet To the open angc,
both north and south. For two OF
three years all went well. l could go
out in the evening and bring in my
mich COWS looking full and c%ontented
But an English company started farm.
ing operations north of me, and so
shut off my range on that side. Then
L had to turn out my stock between
the Laramie rivers, or the big basin,
as it is sometimes called. Then my
troubles commenced. My first loss In
turning out in the spring was from
poison weed, as it makes a nice mouth
full for cattle while the grass is yet
short. Then a certain number were
always lost or stolen, so that wher
gathered in the fall | could always
count on being short from 5 to s per
cent. And then the days that were
lost in hunting for those that you nev.
er could find, not even their hides.
Does Not Pay to Turn Out.
In the fall, when the lakes dried up.
the cattle would walk the fat off of
themselves hunting water, so that they
came in nearly as poor as when they
went out. So | came to the conclusion
that it did not pay to turn out on the
open range. Another point, it costs the
small ranchman as much to gather
100 head as 1t would 500, as he has SO
much riding to do any way. l ha ye
tried paying high rents for pasture but
found that too costly. OF late yeats
l have only kept what cattle l could
keep under fench, both summer and
winter, and l have found by expert
ence that hat is the only profitable
way to run stock. The only drawback
to that plan is that most ranchmen
can't keep enough of cattle in that
way to eat up their hay in winter.
An overstock of Hay.
This winter the ranchmen have to
beg the merchants in Laramie to buy
their surplus hay, as they are filed up
and can't buy it. Now, if we could
keep more cattle to consume our hay
the ranchmen would have more money
and so would the merchants. l have
never turned any cattle on the fores;
reserve, but it seems to be the only
solution of the grazing question for Tie
ranchmen in this locality.
All Right for Sheepman.
Now, the open range is all right 20,
the sheepman, because he always has
his sheep under the car of his sheep
herder. 1t is not so with cattle; turf
them loose once and you may never ex
pect to find them all again, but if yor
can have them under fence you know
where to find them and you are save,
from a lot of trouble and worry, which
is worth a good deal. My advice to al
ranchmen starting in the business i
to keep only what cattle or horses the,
can well take care of, and keep onl,
those of the best quality. Don't los'
your time and patience by raisiu.
scrubby stock of any kind. They viii
keep you poor.
His Bread Not All Cake.
l know from long experience that TIL,
pathway of the small ranchman Is no
strewn with roses. He has to worl
early and late to meet his obligation
While his brother and sister in tn.
city may be sitting down after suppe
playing a social game of cards, or pei
haps enjoying themselves at the the