296 
Canadian Agriculture. 
to anything approaching the same extent. It is but fair to add 
that the winter was a particularly severe one, and that a much 
larger percentage of cattle was lost in the Western States than 
north of the 49th parallel. The Cochrane ranch has since been 
removed farther south towards the Kootenay Pass, and last 
winter it was very successful, the mortality not exceeding 1 
per cent., against 6 per cent, in Montana, and more still in 
Colorado. Many of the ranch cattle are of the old Spanish 
breed, but on the Cochrane ranch thoroughbred bulls — Short- 
horns, Herefords, and particularly Polled Angus — are being 
used. These bulls were imported from the Cochrane herds ia 
Lower Canada ; a journey of 3000 miles by rail and boat landed 
them at Fort Benton, on the Missouri, whence they were driven 
400 miles to the ranch. On arrival, the Shorthorns were in 
extremely low condition, the Herefords were not much better^ 
but the Polled Angus were in excellent order, and showed no 
signs of giving way during the severe winters of 1882 and 1883^ 
One bull is allowed to each hundred cows, and always runs with 
the herd, though on some ranches the practice is to keep the 
bulls separate from April to August. Thoroughbred bulls are 
also in use on the Walrond, Oxley, and other ranches. The 
demand for beef in the North-West is in excess of the supply. 
The Government are large buyers for the North- Western Mounted 
Police, and for the Indians, every one of the latter being allowed 
1 lb. of flour and 1 lb. of beef per day ; these rations, with a 
certain area of land in the Indian reserves for each Indian family, 
being in accordance with the stipulations made with the abo- 
rigines when the pale-faced settlers deprived them of their land^ 
and brought about the now almost complete extinction of the 
buffalo. The settlers, too, are considerable buyers, and there is 
a prospective market at Chicago, for the Montana ranchmen do 
a considerable trade with this city, their cattle being driven 
northwards across the international boundary to Maple Creek on 
the Canadian Pacific Railway, whence they are conveyed in 
bond to Chicago, via Winnipeg ; this suggests an outlpt for 
their produce which the ranchmen of Alberta are not likely to- 
ignore. The price of steers last season was from 12Z. to 14/,, 
and of dry cows from 10/. to 12/. The natural annual increase 
on the ranches is estimated at about 65 per cent., from animals 
two years old and upwards. Among the leading owners of 
Canadian ranches are the Messrs. Cochrane, Mr. Staveley Hill, 
Q.C., M.P. (who is interested in the Oxley ranch). General 
Strange, Sir F. de Winton, Lord Boyle, Lord Castletown, Earl 
of Lathom, and Sir John Walrond. The life of the " cow-boy," 
as the rancher is called, is necessarily rough and arduous, and 
often involves the spending of many hours in the saddle. The 
