CHAPTER XVI

Stock Raising in the Bow River District compared with

Montana.

[THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN BY ALEX. BEGG, ESQ.]

American Writers Ignore our North-West, or Speak of its Sterility-Bow River District Defined-Montana Stock-raisers Testify to the Superiority of the Bow River District -Description of North-Western Montana-It Improves as We Go North-Cattle now in the Bow River Country-No Loss from Winter Storms-Renting Grazing Lands Statistics of Stock in Montana-Chinook Winds-Description of the Rocky Mountains-How to Stock a Ranche-Sort of Cattle to Choose-Comparison of Varieties of Stock-Capital Necessary to Establish a Ranche-Size of a Ranche-The Rate of Increase-Profits on the Investment-Will There be a Market?-Another Estimate of Cost and Profit-Is it Wise to Lay in Some Hay-Sort of Men for Herdsmen-Men and Cattle Should be Comfortable-The C P. R. to cross the Bow River District-Sheep-farming as a Future Business—Every Requirement in the Region in Question-A Perfect Sheep's Paradise-No Sheep Ever Lost by Severe Weather in Montana-Little Disease among Sheep-Profit from Sheep Farming in ColoradoEqually as Good in Bow River Country-Breeding and Rearing Horses-Conclusion.

IN a United States work on Stock-raising, published in 1881, the author says:-"There are but five great national grazing grounds in the whole world, viz., in Central Asia, South Africa, South America, and the Plains of North America. The first is larger in extent than all Europe, the second is as great, the third half as much, the fourth is as large as South America, and the fifth the boundless Plains of the United States, containing 1,650,000 square miles, with over a billion of acres."

The writer referred to does not include in his estimate the vast provinces of British North America, with the fertile slopes and sheltered foot hills east of the Rocky Mountains, embracing a larger, richer, and more valuable area of grazing lands than those of the neighboring territories to the south. The whole of the northern country is ignored; as speaking of Montana, he says, "it has for its boundary on the north the bleak and almost limitless British possessions." True, they are almost limitless, but not so bleak as the greater

part of Montana, which he represents as the best grazing district of the United States.

The best pasturage lands belonging to the Dominion of Canada, are, as far as yet ascertained, to be found in what is generally known as the Bow River District. It lies east of the Rocky Mountains, commencing at the base of "The Rockies," near where the 114th degree of longitude, west of Greenwich, or the fifth principal meridian of the North-West surveys, intersects the international boundary line, which conventionally separates the district from Montana territory.

Those grazing lands extend, in more or less perfection, eastward along the boundary line for over a hundred miles, as far as the Cypress Hills, and northwards parallel to the Rocky Mountain range, across the head waters and along the valleys of the North Saskatchewan, Athabasca, Peace, and the Mackenzie Rivers. This vast region, especially along Peace River, although not fully explored, is on account of isothermal lines, reported to be milder than Montana in winter, less subject to summer frost, as rich as the lands on the head waters of the South Saskatchewan and Bow River, if not richer, and well adapted for stock-raising and farming.

As a stock-raising country the Bow River district is the best in America. I say this advisedly, as I journeyed through a large portion of Montana and through the Bow River district, as far north as Edmonton (about 500 miles north of Fort Benton), in August, September, and October, 1881, and closely observed the capabilities of each section along the route. Cattle owners from Montana and Texas, who have resided in the Bow River district for the past six or eight years, and raised stock west of Fort McLeod and north towards Calgarry, testified freely to the superior grazing properties of the country; whilst the excellent condition of the cattle which had all wintered out in the severe winter of 1880-1, was ocular demonstration of the truth of their statements.

STOCK RAISING IN THE BOW RIVER DISTRICT.

Bordering on the Missouri River as far as Fort Benton, which is more than half way west through Montana, the country is almost destitute of running streams. The grass, when I passed through in August, was stunted, crisp, and dried up. The soil is chiefly a close, retentive adobé clay, which becomes exceedingly soft when wet, but when dry bakes like brick. The consequence is that on many of the upper plateaux during fall and spring small pools are formed, which dry up in early summer, leaving the surface almost bare of vegetation. Cactus and sage brush abound. Hundreds of thousands of acres of what is denominated "bad lands" are bare, and large tracts of the "better lands" are only about one-quarter covered with grass.

From Fort Benton northward, nearly to the boundary line, there is not much improvement in the general pasturage qualities of the country, except along the narrow valleys of the Teton and Marias rivers, where there are some small ranches.

Near the international boundary line there is a perceptible change for the better, more especially after leaving the "alkali flats" and reaching the plateau above the "rocky springs," which extends to and beyond Milk River.

Farther north and westerly the land improves, and nearer the foot hills of the Rocky Mountains the whole country is better watered, and is more moist. The grass is more closely rooted and greener all the year round.

Stock-raising in this region is only in its infancy. Up to April, 1881, the number of cattle in the Bow River district only amounted to about 3,000; since then, up to spring 1882, they have increased by importation and the formation of new ranches to nearly 15,000. By the spring 1883,it is expected the numbers will reach 75,000. 300 breeding mares were imported by "The Cochrane Ranch Co." in 1881.

This progress is considered satisfactory. The cattle have so far wintered out remarkably well. None were lost through severe weather during the winter 1880-1 in the Bow River district, although many perished in Montana and farther south. Reports for 1881-2 are favorable—not much snow, and stock in excellent condition.

Provision is now made by the Dominion Government to lease sections of grazing lands as ranches for a term of twentyone years, at the very moderate rent of one cent per acre. Ten acres are allowed to each head of cattle, to be placed on the ground leased within three years of the granting of the lease. A large number of applications have been made for ranches, and as stock of all kinds for breeding purposes are admitted free of duty, the increase during the next few years will be very large.

In Montana the business of stock-raising has increased to a large extent, and has been profitable to those engaged in the trade. A return by the assessors of the territory gave the following as the number and the value of live stock in Montana in the year 1877, viz. :

Since then the stock there has been doubled. There is nothing to hinder equal progress in the Canadian NorthWest. The natural features of the country are most favorable. Nutritious grasses in the greatest abundance, up to the base of the snow-capped "Rockies," penetrate gorges which frequently open into valleys walled in by perpendicular cliffs, or grow in lovely glades amongst evergreen spruce and other trees which clothe their lofty sides. Sheltered coulées and ravines leading from the bottom lands or valleys

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of creeks and rivers, to the higher levels of the prairie, afford ample protection from storms when they occur "Chinook winds" from the Pacific coast rush through the Kootanie, Crow's Nest, Bow River, and numerous other passes, along the head waters of hundreds of crystal streams and around the ends of longitudinal ridges, which divide the mountain ranges, forming channels or conductors for those warm winds to increase the temperature and dissolve the snow as if by magic.

From Chief Mountain, which rises like a huge pyramid near the international boundary, the serrated crest line of the "Rockies" continues in picturesque and Alpine grandeur to Mount Hooker, which is 15,500 feet high, where the head waters of the North Saskatchewan have their rise, and some distance farther north, at Mount Brown, 15,990 feet high, is the feeder of the river Athabasca. Beyond this point the crest gradually declines in level to the Arctic ocean. In lat. 62° its height is estimated at between 3,000 and 4,000 feet Northward of lat. 55° the main eastern range ceases to be the water shed of the drainage of the country between Hudson's Bay, the Arctic, and the Pacific. Peace and Mackenzie rivers cleave this great chain and have their sources in ranges farther west. This seems to account for the geniality of the climate in the neighborhood of those rivers, although so far north.

In reference to the best way of proceeding to stock a ranch in the North-West, I cannot do better than quote from a lecture delivered by Professor W. Brown, of the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, before the Farmers' Club at Markham, Ontario, 6th December, 1881. Mr. Brown had given considerable attention to the subject, as parties had been in correspondence with him as to the character and standing of the entirely new line of cattle grazing opening in the North-West territory. After preliminary remarks he said: "I would recommend the agreement of three