The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-12-19
Marketable Stock Could Be Shipped
Here, Pastured During Summer
and Then Sent East.
PLENTY OF LAND AVAILABLE
Over 100000 Acres Held by Large
Lumber Companies are Covered
With Heavy Heritage.

To make Bemidji the center of 4
| country which will become the sum-
| mer feeding ground of Montana sheep
is the basis of movement recently
started by the Bemidji Commercial
club. J. J. Hill, L. W. Hill and other
railroad officials have been approach
ed with rate proposition which will
make the sheep industry possible in
this country.
1t is proposed that a stop over feed
| ing rate for sheep in transit be grant
ed to points in this vicinity and that
Bemidji be made he rate making cen
ter. Under such a rate, sheep could
be shipped to Bemidji over the Great
Northern lines from Montana, sum
mer fed in this country, and then re-
loaded and shipped to eastern markets
| without having the freight rate make
the venture too costly.
Montana sheep are pastured on
bunch grass and the range must be
changed twice year as the same
range will not support the sheep the
year around. As homesteaders and
other settlers are constantly en-
croaching on the ranges, the sheep
herders find it constantly harder to
find forage for their flocks One range
will keep a flock over winter and
spring but will not keep it the fol-
lowing winter if pastured during the
summer.
In the immediate vicinity of Be-
midi there are about 100000 acres
of brush land owned largely by big
! lumber companies which have taken
off the cream of the timber. This land
is first class for sheep grazing during
the summer as it lies high with
enough roll to make good water sheds
The heritage is thick and of the right
kind to fatten sheep easily. This
! land can be obtained by the sheep
| herders for practically nothing as the
owners consider they will get their
pay in the way in which the sheep
will clean off the brush
| AS advanced to Mr. Hill the propo-
sition is that if a suitable stop over
rate can be obtained for the sheep,
Montana herders will be quick to take
advantage of the opportunity it will
give them for first-class summer pas
ture. BY shipping their marketable
sheep to Bemidji in the spring, they
can be pastured on the adjacent lands
for three or four months and then re-
shipped to the eastern markets.
These shipments will deplete the
range flocks so that the herders will
not have as much trouble in provid-
! ing feed for the stock they must carry
over and at the same time will give
the marketable stock better feed than
can be obtained on the open ranges.
It was estimated to Mr.. Hill that 50,-
900 sheep can be cared for in this
vicinity next spring.
| Several farmers near Bemidji have
had small f1ocks at work clearing up
their land and find that it pays them
as flock of ninety or 100 head viii
clean the brush off forty acres in q
few days. Once the brush is OF the
land, settlers can clear the larger
! timber at much lower cost.
| Both J. J. and L. w. Hill have been
urged to attend the ceremonies which
| will mark the formal opening of the
new Great Northern depot and sew
era1 Montana sheep herders have been
invited to come to Bemidji at that
time. From present indications, the
new depot will be ready for the form
al opening sometime within the next
month.