Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-07-09

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more weight, as the average trooper
Is heavier than the average polo
player. Horse experts, who have been
looking Into the problem OF supplying
the cavalry service with remOunts,
have agreed that no finer place than
the Grow reservation could be Sc
lected for the establishment of a 81
gantic stock farm ON the order de-
scribed. The range Is at an ideal ele-
walton, the rarlfied atmosphere giving
the horses great lung power, while
the natural grasses form the bets kind
Of food, and the extreme dryness Of
the atmosphere imparts a hardness
to bone and hoof which is not to be
found in the framework OF horses
raised In more humid atmosphere.
There is SUFFICIENT improved stock
on the reservation at the present day
to give the horse farm an encouraging
start. Through the generosity Of q
prominent eastern horseman the
Crow tribe came into possession of a.
famous Morgan stallion several yearS
ago. The Morgan strain Is now In
evidence in much of the stock owned
by the Indians, and horsemen who
have seen the annual display of horse
flesh at the Crow fair are astounded
ct the superb quality OF some OF the
prize winners. The Indians have been
quick to see the advantage Of better
ing their stock and have been steadily
selling of their under sized ponies
and filling the range with better
horses.
Draft Horses Also.
The Indian stock farm will not
alone supply the government with
horses for army service, but will be
utilized for raising heavy draft horses
as well. At the last fair special prizes
were offered for work horses, and the
animals that won in this class were
fit to enter competitor at any fair
where the draft horse exhibit IL q
Especially. The demand for draft
horses is increasing rapidly year by
year and will result in materially
swelling the returns from the Grow
livestock farm.
II Is estimated that only about one
or two horses in fifty are nrst-class
cavalry horse types. These horses
command from 92OO to S3OO and thN
government cannot get enoubh OF
them TO supply the demands OF the
service. Foreign nations are even IL
worse plight than America. and the
hunt for cavalry horses Ia growing
more keen year by year.
When the Grow Indian delegation.
beaded by Chief Plenty Coos. went to
Washington a year or more ago to
discuss the bill providing for the
opening of the reservation to white
settlement, the question Of the stock
farm came up. The Indians, when
they were fully acquainted with the
idea, approved OF 1t heartily. They
like stock raising much better than
any other form of employment, as
they are natural horsemen. The del
egation was strongly opposed to the
opening OF the reservation, Chief
Plenty Coos volcing the sentiment OF
the tribe when he declared that the
Grows should be left In peace, and
that all the lands In the reservation
are now needed for grazing purposes.
The Indian lands will be opened,
however. In spite of the protests of
the Crows. No doubt the great stock
farm, in which the whole tribe will
have an interest. win so far toward
oompensatlng the Indians for the
losses which they feel they will sus-
tain when their little kingdom is In
vaded by white settlers. In any event.
the experiment will be followed with
keen interest, and no doubt will be
followed by other Indian cooperative
plans II the stock farm proves sue
cessful