172 THE BEEF BONANZA. 



Of the herds on the south side of the Missouri there 

 are 20,000; on Flat Creek and on Dearborne, 10,000; 

 and on the smaller streams fully 2000 head. 



The governor of the Territory, Hon. B. F. Potts, is 

 one of the most successful sheep-growers in Montana, 

 and owns large herds. General A. J. Smith is also a 

 large owner of this kind of stock. __ 



I have visited many of the stock-ranches and con- 

 versed with their owners, and all seem highly pleased 

 with their experience as stock-growers. They have 

 large expectations of future profits, and some of the 

 heaviest owners declared they would not exchange 

 their herds for the best gold-mine in the Territory. 

 The profit on herds is estimated at from 26 to 48 per 

 cent, on the capital invested, and, large as this may 

 seem, I do not think it too high for realization. 



H. F. Galen, a practical stock-grower, writing re- 

 cently to the author, states : 



"I bought my sheep, in the fall of 1876, of Mr. 

 Calhoun, who drove them in from Nevada. There 

 were 3500 head in the flock. I afterwards sold 1000 

 head to Mr. Hussey, who is a sheep-grower on Smith 

 River. In consequence of my inexperience, I leased 

 the remaining 2500 to the Smith Brothers, on Crow 

 Creek, who are worthy gentlemen. They, too, had 

 little experience in sheep, and the herd took the scab 

 very bad the first year and did not do well. We lost 

 half of the lambs by their being dropped in winter. 

 Out of over 1200 lambs we only saved 785. Of wool 

 we had only 7000 pounds. Last year we did not turn in 

 our bucks with the ewes until the 6th of December, and 



