720 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



cutting done by the sharp feet of the sheep exposing the grass roots to 

 the sun's rays. This, together with the fact that sheep eat the grasses 

 so much closer to the roots than horses and cattle, is the reason why 

 sheep "kill out" a range so rapidly. 



Certain counties of the State are known as sheep counties, being 

 almost monopolized by wool-groAvers. This is carried to extremes in 

 some places. Large companies, having become rich and powerful, have 

 bought or "frozen out" small ranchers, corralled the streams for many 

 miles, and by so doing have practically shut out settlers from very large 

 tracts of country. This is a great and growing evil, which threatens 

 to lead to serious complications of many kinds in the near future. This 

 plan of procedure is at variance with the best interests of the State, 

 and is bound to become the subject of remonstrance irom the people 

 and subsequent legislation or restriction of some kind. 



Sheep are particularly free from diseases of all kinds, the dry soil and 

 dry atmosphere being a safeguard against the majority of sheep dis- 

 eases. " Scab n is the only notable ailment with which they are afflicted, 

 but owing to excellent laws rigidly enforced by an inspector in each 

 sheep county there is very little in existence in the State to-day. 



GRASSES OF MONTANA. 

 [Prepared especially for this report by Rev. F. D. KELSEY, sc. D., Helena, Hont.l 



Montana is a State of such vast extent and diversity of formation 

 that the most casual observer would expect a large number of species 

 of plants to be found in the State, whose territory is nearly two and a 

 half times as large as all New England, and whose lands are immensely 

 more broken up into plains and mountains, meadows and valleys. 

 Eastern and northern Montana is one vast prairie of matchless fields 

 for grazing, while western and southern Montana contains several sys- 

 tems of mountains and river supplies, each rich in minerals within, and 

 with grazing wealth upon them. 



The botany of this vast extent of country, with its marvelous diver- 

 sities of conditions, has had but partial study, nor has any systematic 

 survey of the whole ever been made. Three or four local botanists 

 have worked up the matter in spots, but what are so few workers 

 among so many things that ought to be studied? Our State botany 

 has as yet never been edited by anyone. In reports of various kinds, 

 in articles like the present one, the field has been partially gone over. 

 Meanwhile in herbaria at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Washington, Cali- 

 fornia State University, Missouri Botanical Gardens, also in private 

 herbaria of such men as Messrs. Canby, Eushby, Scribner, Braudegee, 

 E. L. Greene, N. L. Britton, F. W. Anderson, E. S. Williams, Dr. J. H. 

 Oyster, and the writer, much valuable material is preserved that needs 

 careful and critical examination and editing. 



Dr. F. W. Anderson, formerly of Great Falls, Mont,, and myself have 

 worked together and compared our results, and on the subject of our 



