24 STOCK-POISONING PLANTS OF MONTANA. 



accordiu^ to th© time of year and the amount of snow in the moun- 

 tains. These small streams flow out over the plains and usualh' con- 

 tain throughout their course a fairl}^ uniform volume of water, but 

 disappear at times where the bed is gravelly. A great number of 

 springs are to be found in all situations near the mountains and on the 

 plains, and on many ranges these springs furnish the water which is 

 to be relied upon in the dry season. Besides the creeks and springs 

 there are numerous lakes, some of them more or less alkaline, which 

 furnish water for all kinds of stock. Many of the alkaline lakes are 

 formed by the water from alkali springs. By the constant evapora- 

 tion of these lakes the water becomes more strongly alkaline than is 

 the water which flows into them from the springs. For this reason, 

 and also on account of the fact that the borders of such lakes are muddj^ 

 and diflicult to approach, the plan of building troughs to receive the 

 water directly from the springs has been adopted upon many sheep 

 ranches. The water in the troughs is of course less strongly alkaline 

 than is that in the lakes, and it is more easily accessible. This scheme 

 for watering stock would seem highly commendable in view of the 

 probable injurious effects of drinking large quantities of strongly 

 alkaline water. 



ALTITUDE OF THE RANGES. 



The altitude of the stock ranges in Montana varies from aliout 1,900 

 to i),000 feet. As already indicated, a large number of the stockmen 

 of Montana have both prairie and mountain ranges. The prairie 

 ranges average in altitude from 1,900 to about 5,000 feet. The lowest 

 prairie range is found in the northeastern part of the State, in Valley 

 and Dawson counties. Perhaps the highest range of this sort is found 

 in the Smith River country. Cattle and horses during the summer and 

 autumn occasionally range to the height of 8,000 to 9,000 feet, where 

 in many parts of the State they find excellent pasture. As a rule, 

 however, in Montana good range is not to be found above 7,000 feet. 

 Along the slopes of the Rockies grass and other herbaceous vegetation 

 have a definite and sharp limit, the upper two to four thousand feet 

 of the mountains being rocky and without soil. It will be readily 

 understood that cattle and horses, left as they are to their own resources 

 and grazing in small herds, will find their way to higher and more 

 inaccessible pastures than will sheep. With regard to the grazing of 

 sheep in timber, it may be said that this is not practiced in Mon- 

 tana. As a rule there is no vegetation under trees which is desired 

 by sheep, and it is exceedingly diflicult to manage large bands of them 

 in timber. On many mountain sides which are covered for the most 

 part with forests there are large open parks in which good grazing is 

 found, and such places are much coveted by sheep men for summer 

 range. The sheep, however, will not of their own accord enter the 



