Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-07-30

Practical ways with which q more
profitable livestock era is being
inaugurated tn Custer county we're
inspected recently by ranchers and
representatives Of the forest service,
extension service, soil conservation
service and the United States range
livestock experiment. station on q
120-mile tour TO five ranches south
OF Miles City.
Piloted by N. A. jacobsen, extension
agent for Custer and Powder River
counties, the group saw how simple,
inexpensive dams had transformed a
SagebruSh flat into a COW paradise.
They saw sheep ranging more success
fully without a herder than with one,
native grass so heavy it lodged, creek
bottoms dotted with hayStacks and
more being put up.
Ranchers making the tour said food
water possibilities we're hardly touched
and pictured the future Pumpkin
creek flat live stream damned &C
strategic points to flood more lowland
and produce more alfalfa and native
grass.
Dams Dot the Range
The group saw even less expensive /
dams dotting the range. Each was
holding enough water from early rains 7
70 water all the stock that could be +
carried on adjacent range. Some OF +
the dams were reported in use for /
more than 20 years and had never
washed out. Calves, guessed at 275 |
pounds romped around sleek, grass fat
COWS near each of the flood water
holding dams.
The group also inspected range con-
touring, new, inexpensive means OF
range development, still in the ex-
perimental stage.
The tour opened with a short trip
through a section of the Adizpah-
Pumpkin Greek Cooperative Grazing
association, the first of its kind ia the
United States that is ending its first
successful decade. On this area, de-
scribed by William Tom, rancher and
association secretary, as an example
Of the only way to run CATTLE" the
group also saw water holes making ,
range available formerly Of use only
to nomadic horses.
The water holes are necessary be {
cause there are no springs, no wells
and no other way of getting water
except by dams which viii catch and J
hold the runoff from rains and SHOWS"
said Tom. The association has run as (
high as 5000 head Of cattle year
and through the worst drouth in the ;
history Of eastern Montana it easily
supported 1900 head per year.
Inspections
Tom described the grass the group
saw as the best have seen on the
association" Tom LommaSson, Mis- =
soula, senior range examiner for the
forest service who made the original
survey of the area in 1926 said the
grass has great deal better density
now than when surveyed II years ago
In spite Of the drouth."
One reservoir inspected has been
used for 20 years and was dry only
1nce, according to Wayne Monte. A
field Of crested wheatgraSs on aSso-
nation land had spread as much as
lgo. Spreading had destroyed all evi- it
ience Of the original rows. fc
The first cow paradise" was seen h,
N Ed Whitbecks ranch. It was made d,
possible by two small dams thrown
across Pumpkin creek with no ex- es
1ense other than work done in slack III
eason. Whitbeck said the 200-acre ia
lat. Freed Of sage and supplied with a:
Vater the area now furnishes nearly W
wo tons Of hay per acre.
The dams were built because Whit &C
eek said he had become tired of haul M
az hay from Miles City and paying da
be too high prices that came every or
ny year. da
Whitbeck also explained that since =
e had put in his flood dam he no NJ
1nger uses his pillow to prepare ground an
Or alfalfa paintings He merely drills We
ne native bluejoint sod and the stand de
aown the group proved the practice ms
lccessful. He reported two cuttings
ear and better hay because Of the to-
fixture. ha
Took Sheep Ranch nu
After a short stop to view contour an
aSture burrows the group inspected FOL
no flood water reservoirs on the Ia
eaverSlide ranch. One of these, sur Nc
eyed by Jacobsen and completed this Gu
bring, had three feet Of water, enough are
" the season. Until the dams we're 3 {
uilt to form the water hole, the sur an
ounding four sections of land could
ot be grazed. 1t
The only sheep ranch visited is
Tned by Fritz " Zook. Here forest =
rvice officials guessed buffalo grass ho.
; having an 30 percent density. Lambs 5rs
ere observed that will average about m :
pounds next fall, 10 pounds more o. =
ian Zook reported before he allowed II IT,
Is sheep to Craze without herding. nj
The range over the ranch was de- ~
ribed as Gin better condition than If a.;
andled under the herding system and Il.
st as good as adjacent COW land" 1 o1,
7 LommaSSon. ios
Another Cow Paradise h sSsA'
Another paradise for COWS was found sIes