Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-07-04
INDIANS KNEW
GRASS WAS TRUE
WESTERN ASSET

And wear a1Uer year III bilc cal AACl
DAYS before railroads, great herds o.
Texas. Kansas and Nebraska steers
had been driven in to grow fat OF
Montana's lush prairies.
In the year Of 1919 when the drouth
was getting in its most devastating
blows the cattle population OF the
state had reached its al-time high
100000
The three worst years in Montana
agriculture history came in 1917, 1919
and 1919, when agriculture products
owing to the war in Europe, we're al
the highest prices in history.
MANY disillusioned homesteadeT
went broke and abandoned his land
In the decade from 1920 to 1880 the
population of the state decreased
nearly $4,000, whereas IN the previous
three decades it had nearly doupleo'
Montana agriculture was to expert
ence another disastrous drouth IN the
early thirties. which, combined with
worldwide depression, was equally as
severe as the one of the late twenties,
Costly Experience
These two drouths served to teach
by costly experience what the Inolan
chief had expressed in three WORDS
years before.
In normal weather years Montana
grows in round numbers 2,OOO,OOO TONS
of various kinds of hay, approximately
two-thirds of which is tame hay ana
one-third wild hay. The tame hay in
cludes in round numbers l,OOOOOO TONS
of alfalfa. The remainder OF the ton
mage is divided between timothy, sweet
clover and grain hay.
Montana also is one of the major
producers Of prize hay seed. A recent
iO-year average for alfalfa was $1,000
bushels. In a record year, 1890, the
alfalfa seed yield was $4,000 bushels
while the entire production OF the
United States was 1,145,000 bushels.
But Montana grass is really the
basis for all Montana agriculture. DR..
Butler says that the Big Hole basin
which produces the finest grass fed
steers in the world has 157 varieties of
grass. Montana grass is known to be
the most nutritious in the world.
Montana grass transfers a delectable
quality to the meat of the critter eat
ing it. Montana steaks, lamb chops
and pork chops command premium
prices wherever they are served.
Montana oats and barley, champions
in their own right, provide champion
ship feed for championship livestock.
Since 1884, drastic steps have been
taken by the federal government to
preserve the range land Of the west.
Each stockman knows how many stock
to Craze on a given area Of range land.
The public lands have been classified
similarly so as to prevent overgrazing.
The lowlands and the irrigated val
leys provide sufficient feed year IN
and year out, regardless Of drouth
cycles, to carry large numbers Of live
stock through long and bitter winters.
In the old days the stock had to
forage for themselves during the win
tiers, and one winter, 1886-1887, which
followed a dry summer, is recorded as
the most disastrous in Montana his
tory Thousands of stock died that
winter on the open range for lack
of feed.
Great Changes Made
Since Charlie Russell made his ia
nous painting, 1.-THE Last Of the Five
Thousand" Montana stoclmen have
made great changes. Today q stock
mans herds are limited, not by the
grazing area which he may use, but
by the valley bottom lands he con-
trolls where winter feed may be grown.
No longer is the precious livestock left
to rustic for itself during the long
hard winters. A stockman's worth |
these days is frequently measured by
the number of haystacks on his place
from which he feeds his stock during |
the winter.
Russelrs immortal picture Of a lone
COW, was made after the blizzard Of
1888, that decimated Montana herds,
which in those days were expected to |
rustic for themselves on the windswept |
prairies during the winter. Russell was |
the foreman Of a far-flung cattle |
ranch in central Montana. It was |
owned by an easterner, who read Of |
the severity of the blizzard and wrote |
to Russell inquiring how the ranch's
stock had weathered the winter. Rus
sell drew the picture, as his answer,
and sent it to the owner.
In the livestock industry the ma
tional forests, of which there are some |
100000 acres in Montana, play an
important part. Most of this area is |
natural feeding ground 1t sustains |
thousands Of cattle and sheep under
a permit system, whereby the number |
Of grazing animals is controlled so
that the forest shall not be overgrazed
and the grasses impoverished.
Overgrazing of the ranges has been |
one of Montana's difficulties of the
past. The stocBmen themselves, wise |
in their industry and always looking |
to build for the future, are carefully |
guarding against this danger.
Notable improvement Of the ranges |
during the last decade, also, has been |
due to the construction and mainte-
nance of many thousands Of small |
reservoirs Of waterholes for livestock. |
Agriculturists hope they have struck |
a balance between dryland and trri- |
gated land farming.
The addition of 100000 acre-feet Of
irrigation water to Montana's $85, 000,- |
600 irrigation system in the last eight |
years provided thousands Of acres Of
additional irrigation lands for many !
farmers.
One recent estimate said that more
than X mn form 20 a