The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-01-26
BY w. f. BUTLER,
State Veterinary Surgeon

'Tell me where the roundup gathers
| Where's the long horn Texan gone
| Where's the prairies of our fathers
Where's the trails we rode along,
| Where's the mustang, chaps, and
saddle,
Where's the cowboy and his song?
'sWhere's the old Dutch oven outfit
| Where's the cowman and his Law,
Where's the antelope, the white tail
Where's the old-time faro play,
Where's the frolics, circles, pas
times,
Where's the life of yesterday"
The swan song has been sung and
range days are but memories Pleas
ant they are to those who live and
remember. Sad is the knowledge that
they will never be again.
The COW man of range days has
trailed over the big divide or has
been caught in the ever encroaching
net of barbed wire fences, pastures,
and farms.
To the stockman and stockwoman
of bygone days, we of the newer and
present generations bow our heads
in deep and worthy admiration.
Theirs is the knowledge of work
we'll done. Ours the heritage of an
industry founded on a solid basis.
But what of the present and fu-
ture?
Problem of Early Maturing
We must no longer figure on how
little hay we have to feed to bring
our COWS and calves through the win
ter. We must now figure on feed
ing every animal we have in such a
way as to not only bring them
through the winter, but to keep
them growing. The problem of to-
day is how to mature our cattle and
get them ready for market at as early
an age as possible. To do this we
must no longer chance the accumu-
lative results of hard winters and dry
summers. We must build adequate
sheds, we must secure an adequate
water supply for both summer and
winter and we must secure sufficient
feed to make the dread of a hard
winter thing of the past.
Artificial Protection Necessary
A few years ago, when range was
plentiful and not oVer-stocked, when
cattle could travel into bad lands
and brush bottoms when shelter was
needed, this was not necessary. With
the coming of the homesteader and
barbed wire fences the natural pro-
lection afforded by our country was,
in many instances, closed to our live
stock so that today-as has been
must build artificial pro-
ection, drill wells to take the place
If the fenced in water holes, and
eed our live stock.
Actual expense of raising live
took is more today than it was in
he days of the open range. To off
ct the additional cash outlay, we
ave our cattle maturing faster, less
oss, better quality of stock, better
hipping facilities, and better prices
or early matured young beef.
With the coming of the homestead
r our expectations increased due to
he closing out of many of the larger
utfits. Our cattle decreased to an
farming extent. We were not used
0 fences and many of us thought the
avs of the cattle industry were on
he wane. These fears, we realize
ow, were unfounded, but whether
nfounded or not they we're real and
lany thousands of breeding cattle
vere shipped out. Better would it
ave been if they had remained in
he country, and better would it have
cen for our stockmen had they re-
lained in the stock business instead
f selling out, and, as in many cases,
a1ling victims to promoters of for
ign enterprises simply because they
ad a surplus of money, were out of
le stock business, and wanted some
ling to do.
Mistake Soon Realized