The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-10-26
BIG CATTLE SALE
ON RESERVATION
Indians Strive to Keep
From Shipping
Cattle

1n0lan CaCtl0 AZ the new DtUCAyoIu0
at TT. Hall station and Indian
agency situated half way between
Pocatello and Blackfoot.
These cattle are Hereford grades
that have been kept ON the summer
ranges in the mountains and on Ft.
Hall bottoms. They are now being
rounded up on the bottoms and
about $50 feeders will be sorted out
for sale, varying as to age, most Of
them being long two-year olds and
short threes. There will be about
$50 dry COWS In the sale.
It is an old saying among cattle
men that whenever you load cattle
on the cars you lose money. The
Indians want to sell their feeders in
October each year, and they want to
find home market for them so they
shall not have to load them on the
cars as feeders nor have the buyers
load them as feeders. 1t does not
net the Indians as much money as
they ought to have. They have OBJ
served also that farmers all thru
this valley are buying cattle from
somewhere and shipping them here
loading them on the cars and los
ing by 1t. They have been breed
ing up their herds for years in the
effort to get their feeders up to the
standard that the farmers want for
feeding, and they invite the farmers
to be present at this sale to see their
stock and to get acquainted with
them and their undertaking with a
view to future business even II they
do not buy any this time.
In past years, men have some
times looked over the Indian cattle
offered for sale and said they were
rough stuff and did not conform to
any particular standard, but some OF
the farmers who have bought Indian
feeders have found they responded
readily to better feed and made good
gains, and it is gains that the farmer
is looking for when he buys feeders.
To illustrate this, let us tell story
Of the experience of farmer in
Illinois few years ago.
Learned His Lesson
A farmer in Illinois living sixty
miles out Of Chicago had brother
in the commission business at the
Union stock yards, and on the oc-
casion referred to, wrote his brother
that he had a lot of feed In his
fields and wanted some sheep to
clean it up. Would be look out for
about the right number and just
ship them out to him any day.
He got message that the sheep
were on the way, and when they
were unloaded for him at his sta
tion he looked them over and was
the sickest farmer in Illinois. He
thought that brother OF his was 60
ing to send him some nice looking
sheep. He had never admired sheep
excepting when they wer fine look.
ing, and he got the taggiest looking
sheep of of that train that he had
ever seen in his life. They were
poor, they were dirty, they were
sorry looking in every way excepting
that he did not see any evidence oi
disease. OF course, he had to take
the sheep and put them in his field
but there is the old saying-"Of all
sad words of tongue or pen, he
took his pen. and sent piece of his
mind to that brother of his In
Chicago, for dumping upon him the
tag-ends Of the earth to feed.
After few days those darned
sheep began to look like they might
live. Then they looked better every
day, and when it rained and rinsei
some of the dirt and dung OFF o1
them they showed that they were
taking on life and flesh both. In
the meantime the brother in Chicago
wrote him a very short note tha
told him to take notice Of what
those sheep gained while he hal
them, and not to worry about how
they looked on arrival or wha
would become of them after they
were fattened and sold.
The farmer brother had begun tt
get some sense by that time and HI
went about seeing those animals
grow. The only thing he didn't lik'
about it was that darned letter h,
wrote to his brother after the sheel
arrived. When the sheep wer'
ready for market he had to shi]
them right back into Chicago, AMI
of course, they had gained SO mucl
Continued on page five