THE WEST SHORE. 189
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.
THE rapidity with which cattle are being shipped into
Montana this spring is truly alarming. Every poier
from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains is teeming
with items concerning it The live stock world seems to
have awakened all at once to the knowledge of the exist
ence of our Territory and its facilities for stock growing,
and every capitalist is seeking to engage in the business.
And instead of using good business judgment and buying
on the range, they seek to save money in their investment
by buying in the States. The result of this movement
will be that the business will in all probability got a
very black eye next winter. Pilgrim cattle that are
accustomed to standing around a hay stack in the States
are not calculated to stand our winters and rustle for
themselves, and the loss in winter will unavoidably Imj
great The mortality of pilgrim stock last winter was
more than three times that of our natives, and the same
will in all probability be the case next winter, notwith
standing they are being shipped earlier and will be in
better fix before cold weather sets in. Then the rushing
in of so much stock is bound to overtax our ranges, and
this will also increase the probabilities of loss. A few
unwise journals have advertised that there are plenty of
unoccupied ranges in Montana and have gotten up quite
a stampede upon this fabrication. But the truth is the
unoccupied ranges of Montana are very limited and are
dry and remote from the mountains. The shipping in of
25,000 cattle from Wisconsin and Minnesota, 25,000 from
Iowa, and the driving and shipping of 25,000 from Texas,
will more than stock these unoccupied regions. But we
have no assurance that these unoccupied ranges will
alone be sought Herds will in all probability bo brought
in and turned out upon our ranges that have been fed for
ten years. We noticed only recently that there were
9,000 Texas steers in Wyoming en route for the Mussel
shell, a region in which every meadow of consequence is
occupied by a sheep ranch, and upon which there are
already innumerable herds. Our position in this matter
is for the interest and welfare of the industry. We want
to see Montana produce every pound of beef possible and
its ranges grazed to their full capacity, but we don't want
to see the very life of the industry imperiled by over
stocking range Husbandman.
One of the best managed and accommodating trans
portation companies on the coast is the Canadian Pacific
Navigation Company, whose steamers run from Victoria
to various points in British Columbia. Mr. John Irving,
the manager, is a gentleman who not only understands
the needs of his company, but fully appreciates the wants
of the traveling public. The boats of the company are
large and possess excellent accommodations for passen
gers. A trip up Fraser River on one of these steamers
is not excelled even by a Bail on the world-famous Colum
bia. The scenery is both lautiful aud imposing. Every
route upon which the bouts ruu is calculuted to impress
the most earnest business roan with the idea that bin
journey is but a pleasure excursion.
GOVERNMENT LAND IN KITTTTAH pnrrwrY.
rjlIIE Kittitas IjoaiUzer thus speaks of the vacant land
J in that region: "The question is often asked, Is there
any Government land to lo hail in Kittitas County? Wo
can say yes; plenty of it yet in the Teanaway Valley. Wo
would judge there are almut 45,000 acres of good bun
veyed land and alxiut (50,000 of unsurveyod, all lying in
the beautiful valley west of Kittitas and east of the Sno
qualmie Tass, known as the Teanaway country. A wagon
road, which runs through this valley, is being constructed
over the Cascade Range to Seattle, which brings us within
100 miles of that city one of the best seaHrta in
America; also the Cascade branch of the Northern
Pacific Railroad is surveyed through this valley to the
Sound. This valley is unsurpassed for growing grain,
grass and all kinds of vegetables, plenty of good timltcr,
excellent water, with ahuudanco of fish, and is destined
to be one of the best valleys in Washington Territory for
fruit growing of all kinds. It is surrounded by the Cas
cade Mountains, which protect it from the severo winds.
Snow falls on approach of cold weather in tho winter and
stays on the ground until wild weather is past in the
spring, which keeps trees from starting out in bloom
until all danger from frost is punt. As soon as the snow
is gono all Nature is clothed in a garb of green, inter
spersed with a hundred varieties of wild flowers. Tho
ground dims not freeze here during winter, consequently
all hardy kinds of vegetables live in the ground all winter
and come out in a growing condition in the spring."
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VACANT LAND IN LAKB COUNTY.
A CORRESPONDENT writes the Lakeview Examiner
iV as follows: "As it may be of Homo interest to your
immigration society to know' the extent of tho public
land that is vacant on this side of tho valley, I will give
you a short sketch. There aro at least 25,000 acres of
Government land vacant Itctwocn Thomas Creek, Cotton
wood, Drew's Creek and Dry Creek. It is covered with
black and white sago brush, and is easy to get in cultiva
tion. As a general rule, two men with a good team aud
sulky plow can clear three, acres a day, ready to put the
seed in, and in Utttor shae than by tho old method of
grubbing the sage brush. Tho plow tears tho root out,
and all thero is to do is to burn brush, roots and all, as
tho plow turns them out The land will compare favor
ably with any in tho State, yielding from twenty-flvo to
sovonty-fivo bushels of small grain to tho aero. TiinlxT
is handy and easy of access.
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ExcEEDlKOLT desirable lots in Seattle, the "Queen
City of tho Sound," can bo purchased of Exholnmn,
Llewellyn k Co., lending real estate dealers of that city.
These lots are 25x125 feet n'"l nT0 the same spoken of
in their advertisement in another page, in which tho size
is incorrectly stated at 20125 feet
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Os the 20th of May the JWird of Direct of the
Northern Pacific authorized the hitting of contracts on
the second section of twenty.five milm of the Oiwndo
division leading east from Taconis.