The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-03-07
CATTLE SHIPMENTS
CONTINUE LARGE
MONTANA SENDS MORE STOCK
TO MARKET NOW THAN IN
OPEN RANGE DAYS
Secretary of Live Stock Commission,
in Annual Report, Submits Figures
Showing that Cattle in State Are
Increasing.

increasing.
With the passing of the much la
i, mented open range in Montana, cat
tie shipments from the state have in
creased instead of decreased. The
; tremendous herds, dotting the plains
and valleys by the thousands of head
of long horns, white faces and the
rangy, scrub stock attended by the
picturesque cowboy, the chuck wagon
with its chefs joyous call of come
and get it," the night ranger and
rider, the boy wranglers and the
blood warming scenes of the round
up never produced the pounds of
beef that the Treasure state is pro-
ducing each year with its irrigation
bitches, fenced farms, its homestead
ers, Carey act and dry land farmers.
This assertion is supported by figures
compiled by e. A. Phillips, secretary
of the state livestock commission, in
his annual report to Governor Dixon.
The fact that Montana'S livestock
production of modern years has out
distanced the old days of the range
is not, it is pointed out, an argument
against letting much of Montana's
marginal lands revert to open graz
| ing ground nor do production fig
ures alone indicate the prosperity of
an industry for production costs are
the big factor, and it may be that
more profit would be realized from
thousand head in the old days than
from 1000 now. Also, it is argued,
the vastness of the production may
be the very factor which is dissipat-
ing or has dissipated the prosperity
that was common in the days of the
cowboy and his great herds, for it
can hardly be contended that over
production is desirable.
1919 Biggest Year
In 1900 the state shipped 160,055 |
head of stock to markets outside of |
Montana. In 1906, one of the last |
years of the open range, the shipment |
had grown to 276,722, but 1906 was
an exceptional year. In 1928 the
state shipped a total of 342,687 head. |
In the old days the shipments nor
mally ran 100000 head or under but |
for Is years under modern conditions
the average has been 225, 1000, reach
ing the enormous total of GAL 1897 in
1919, when a distrous drought forced
cattle men of the Treasure state to
drive or ship their stock to Wyoming,
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas or other
states in order to obtain feed.
In 1918, drought forerunner, the
shipments reached 406,415, which
was helped by the wartime demand.
The shipment of 342,687 of last
year is to a great extent reflection
Of financial conditions, livestock I
growers being forced to ship to Ii {
luidate obligations and to repay bank {
loans. i
From 1920 to the year just pass :
I'd, shipments have been as follows: n
1920, 211,242; 1921, 147,413; 1922,
1878; 1928 342,687.
Chicago Gets Most Cattle b
The eastern primary markets take
he great bulk of the shipments from =
Montana, consuming 265,365 head of
he cattle shipped last year. The l
markets, in the order of shipments
ire: Chicago, 1887 head; Omaha,
,5,94O; st. Paul, Bolts; Sioux City
1894; Kansas City, SIS. At these
markets the state livestock commits n
ion maintains an inspector. Ship
nents to Los Angeles, Denver, Spok-
me, Portland, Seattle and elsewhere
re inspected in transit, the total
lumber of such interstate shipments II,
otaling 1882.
There were 1929 brands recorded
n 1923 of which about half were
lew brands and the others old brands
transferred or assigned.
In the shipments inspected last
ear there was found a total of 1884
strays selling for $295,564.15 and
Or which owners were found for
,061, or $271 ,045.36 worth, leaving :,
he proceeds from 773 head, worth
24,518.79, to the livestock fund.
A total of $20,422.87 was paid out
the bounty fund last year, of which
13,421.30 was bounty on predatory
nimals and s5,421.84 was for sal :
ries of animal hunters.
Objections to Bounty
Payment of bounties expired May %
last year, in accordance with the M
It of the legislature which did away tn
it'll the payment of bounties in ia M,
Dr. of the hiring of professional hunt q;
IS. 1t is the opinion of Secretary
hillips that over a period of years N'
many predatory animals will be stt
He'd by the hunter system as by the ad
1unty system. err
The objection to the bounty system fee
ere that Montana is surrounded on ed
rec sides by non-bounty paying an
ates, North Dakota, Wyoming and
70 provinces, with the result that tic
hen this state paid bounty the thu
ate funds were drawn on to pay for int
limals killed outside the states to
,rders. Tn;
Intra-state shipments of Montana tin
tile for 1923 totaled 32.913. ac- tie
riding to the figures of the secre- me
nv of the state commission. ma
Recording of brands Melted the
ate s7,058. me
On,