Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-03-05
CAPTAIN LAIRD
THE FARMER
'sWRESTLED THE HOE, JUGGLEn
MILK PALS, FED CATTLE
IN MISSOURI"
o. r. Barr Tells What He Knows
About the Life of Farmer.

Following the line OF evidence in
troduced this week to establish the
feeding value of lowland hay grown
on reservation lands along the St,
Joe river, the government submitted
the testimony of Eli Laird, captain
OF the steamer Flyer. and o. e. Barr,
who lived five vars on Swan Lake
bottoms, three-fourths of mile
northeast of st. Maries.
In objecting to Captain Laird's
testifying in rebuttal as an expert
judge of the character of lowland
hay, Attorney Post asserted the wit
ness was not qualified because he
had all his life been engaged in
steamboating and telling stories to
passengers up and down the lake
and ST. Joe river Attorney Post
complimented the witness on his
ability as steamboat captain and
entertainer of passengers, but ex-
pressed his dismay by saying that II
did not think for minute of the
possibility of Eli Laird's again APP
pearing on the witness stand, and
took an exception to the registers
ruling permitting Laird to testify in
rebuttal. Witness testified to feed
ing the lowland hay to SO head of
Jersey, Hereford and Holstein cattle,
ranging in age from yearlings to 13-
year-olds. Commenced feeding these
cattle the last of November, 1898,
and ceased feeding the middle of
March, 1899. Fed lowland hay only
to these cattle, cut on Dolph Buffers
ranch. Cut and stacked 20 to rs
tons lowland hay in 1899. To quail
fly himself as a farmer he said he
had fed the pigs swill, the chickens
corn, wrestled the hoe, plowed, Jug
gled milk pals and fed cattle in Mis-
souri, two years." Was educated by
attending school one day in his un-
cle's place; was born in 1878 and is
S3 years of age. Assisted A. A.
Darknell to take his cattle into the
country to which cattle the hay cut
in 1897 was fed.
A. A. Darknell kept between 40
and SO head of cattle in 1897; fed
them during winter on slough hay
exclusively. When pressed to say
how many Herefords there were in
the herd he stated that he had one
Hereford steer that reminded him of
grizzly and for that reason wit
ness remembered. In 1897 fed be-
tween 80 or so tons of hay to these
cattle.
Describing the size of the barn In
which Is cattle had been wintered,
compared. the barn to half the size
of the court room. Attorney called
witness sharply to mind that the
secretary of the interior would
probably never see this court room. .
Witness retorted, He'd be out of
luck then"
Sharply criticized for guessing.
witness responded that guessing is
all right If 1t hits. but this might be
one of the times II didn't hit"
The gist of Laird's testimony was
to the effect that cattle could be
maintained through the winter sea.
son on lowland hay and come out
In the spring In practically the same
condition as they entered the feed.
Ing season.
o. q. Barr testified to reading sew.
eral years on the Swan Lake bot.
toms about "a mile northeast of st
Maries. during which residence he
had fed cattle lowland hay or slough
grass cut on his land. the Swan Lake
bottoms. This slough hay is tht
same general character as that grown
on the lowlands OF the St. Joe. Fed
the cattle from December to about
the middle of March following. ex
eiusively. on lowland hay. and tn,