22 MONTANA FARM REVIEW 



of 30,000,000 pounds annually ; in the next four years it dropped from 27,000,000 pounds 

 to 18,685,000 pounds, in 1920 to 16,000,000 pounds and in 1922 it was 16,700,000 pounds, 

 ranking fourth in the list of states. 



It is claimed by some that range conditions in Montana are better adapted to 

 the merino, or fine wool type, than are the cross breds, and that under the same condi- 

 tions a better quality of merino wool can be produced than of cross bred wool. Twenty 

 per cent of Montana's clip is classified as fine wool and 80 per cent as medium. Over 

 a period of 22 years the average weight of a Montana fleece varied from 6.75 pounds to 

 8.3 pounds. Over the same period the shrinkage of the scoured over the unscoured wool 

 ranged from 61 to 66 per cent. 



The sharp increase in wool and lamb prices in 1922 has stimulated interest in 

 sheep raising. Many sheepmen are planning more extensive operations. 



Horses '^^^ range horse has played an important part in the live stock history 



, of the state. The heavy demand for these horses during the Boer 



War marked the beginning of the greatest expansion in the production 



es ^^ them. Between the years of 1895 and 1918 the sales of range horses 



provided a large share of the state's income from live stock. Miles City became the 

 central trading point for horses, and was one of the most important horse markets in 

 the world, and buyers from all over the country came there, and drew heavily on 

 Montana for its horses. This market enjoyed the most prominence between 1910 and 

 1915. Warring governments during the past 30 years have purchased many thousands 

 of these horses. Most of these range horses carried more or less of Thoroughbred or 

 Standardbred blood, and through their dams traced back to the descendants of the old 

 Spanish horses of the Southwest. Such breeding, together with the conditions under 

 which they were raised, produced animals of high spirit, great courage, vigor and 

 stamina, for which characteristics they became noted. Most of these horses were raised 

 upon the open range, and received little or no feed aside from the abundant and nutri- 

 tious grasses of the range. During the ascendancy of this industry, the use of sires of 

 the draft or "cold-blooded" type became more general, with the result that average size 

 was increased somewhat. 



With the exception of the passing demands of the Allied Powers during the recent 

 war, the demand for this kind of horse has rapidly diminished since about 1914, due 

 chiefly to increased production of horses over the country as a whole, and to the more 

 general use of tractors, trucks, and autos. The interest in and production of range 

 horses within the state has become less with the narrowing outlet, and the occupation 

 of much of the former oi)en range by settlers has reduced the possibilities for production 

 along this line. 



At present there is a surplus of horses in Montana, particularly of the range 

 type, and there is not only little interest in raising them, but in many parts of the state 

 they are recognized as a nuisance on the ranges. There is a growing interest in pro- 

 ducing the farm chunk type of horse, and heavy drafters. In raising the former, the 

 range can still be utilized to advantage, provided proper attention is given to the 

 selection of breeding stock, and feed is supplied when needed. 



Records of shipments have been compiled for only the past four years, and these 

 show that approximately the following numbers of horses and mules were shipped out 

 of the state during that period : 



1922 9,200 



1921 10,000 



1920 29,000 



1919 56,000 



Comparatively few mules are raised or used in Montana, but they are slowly 

 and steadily increasing in numbers within the state. The ease with which range 

 horses have been produced seems largely to account for the small number of mules. 



