5 Ways to Avoid
Loss From Bloat
By J. O. TRETSVEN
Extension Dairy Specialist
WE ARE AGAIN approaching the
seasqn when bloat in cattle becomes
prevalent. Unfortunately, there is
no reliable way of preventing bloat
when cattle are feeding on succulent
pasture.
While bloat is more common in
some seasons than in others there
are times and conditions when it
is more likely to occur. These may
be listed as follows:
1. When cattle are first turned on
to succulent pasture.
2. When pastures contain a high
percentage of clover or alfalfa.
3. During periods favoring very
rapid growth.
4. When the grass is wet.
Following are listed some of the
means recommended to avoid losses.
1. Give the cows a good fill of
hay before turning them out
2. Do not turn cattle on to wet
grass for the first time.
3. Get the cattle accustomed to the
grass by turning them on for short
intervals at first.
4. Watch cattle closely at first
and during periods of greatest
. growth.
5. Provide yourself with a trocar
for tapping bad cases and coal oil"
(kerosene) and a drenching bottle
for treating the milder cases. A dose
for a mature cow is 1 small tea cup
©f coal oil mixed with 1 pint of
whole milk or raw linseed oil.
Hughes Heads
Targhee Group
CURTIS HUGHES of Stanford was
elected chairman of a committee to
organize à national Targhee sheep
registry association. The election was
held at a meeting of Targhee breed
ers held at the United States sheep
experiment station at Dubois, Ida.,
where the breed was developed.
Also on the committee are three
ether Montana breeders: Henry
Hibbard, Helena; Henry Yoppe, Liv
ingston, and Dr. H. C. Gardiner,
Anaconda. Other members are Steve
Thompson, Heppner, Ore.; Leo Pfis
ter, Node, Wyo.
Targhees are polled, open faced
•nd carry a thick covering of natur
al fleshing. They have been selected
Sot a practical range sheep and ewes
•f the breed have shown exception
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A roto beater chewing up sagebrush on Clarence Hagen's ranch, Ravalli county.
The operation of this machine was demonstrated during the field trip foe mem
bers of the American Society of Range Management. (Branson photos)
Livestock Sales Dates
STEVENSVILLE: Porch's Three-Mile Hereford
dispersion, Sept. 22. •
GREAT FALLS: North Montana Hereford
association annual fall sale Oct. If.
GRASS RANGE; N Bar ranch annual com
mercial and, purebred Angus sale, at the
ranch. Oct. 13.
MALTA; North Eastern Montana annual fall
Hereford sale. Oct 15.
LEWISTOWN: Montana Aberdeen-Angus
association annual feeder calf sale. Oct. 15.
LEWISTOWN: North Rocky Mountain Aber
deen-Angus association annual fall regis
tered Angus sale. Oct. 16.
TWIN BRIDGES: A. C. Bayers annual Here
ford sale. Oct. 22
HAVRE: Bear Paw Hereford Assn sale. Oct. 24.
PULLMAN. WASH.: Unsey Staley annual
Hereford sale. Oct 26.
ENNIS: Jumping Horse Stock ranch-Orr
Herefords combination production Hereford
sale, at Tumping Horse ranch. Oct. 27.
KALISPELL: Northwestern Montana annual
Hereford sale. Oct. 27.
MILES CITY; Tri-State Hereford Futurity.
Nov, 5.
BUTTE: Western Montana Hereford associa
tion annual fall sale. Nov. 9.
LEWISTOWN; Central Montana Hereford
association annual fall sale. Nov. 10
CASPER. WTO.: Wyoming Hereford associa
tion annual sale- Nov. 19.
MISSOULA: ' "Top Cut" Hereford annual con
signment sale. Feb. 4, 1952.
al mothering ability and high lamb
production. They produce a high
yield of half-blood wool that has a
versatile market demand.
The breed has been under devel
opment since 1926 and individual
breeders have been getting sheep
from the U. S. station since 1935.
There are now 24 breeders in Mon
tana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colo
rado, Oregon, California and Penn
sylvania.
Steers Contracted
At 35 Cents
PRICES RANGING from 32 cents
for heifers to 35 cents for steers are
reported by the First National bank
in contracts made since the an
nouncement of the "rollback"
cattle prices. Contracts include:
Two Dot area, 300 yearling steers
at 32 cents, 160 Hereford yearling
steers at 32 cents, 35 Hereford short
2-year-old steers at 32 cents, 40 Here
ford yearling heifers at 30 cents, 50
mixed Hereford calves at 33 cents for
heifers and 35 cents for steers; Roy
area, 125 mixed Hereford calves at
33 cents for heifers and 35 cents for
steers; Ärmels area, 300 mixed Here
ford calves at 33 cents for heifers
on
and 35 cents for steers; Lewistown
area, 200 mixed Hereford calves at
33 cents for heifers and 35 cents for
steers.
All contracts call for fall delivery
and weights at from 2 to 4 percent
shrink.
Noxious Plant Eradication
Discussed at Range Meet
By F. A. BRANSON
Animal Industry and Range Management
Department, Montana State College
THE ERADICATION or control of
poisonous and other noxious range
plants was a major topic discussed
at the spring meeting of the Ameri
can Society of Range. Management,
Northern International Mountain
section at Missoulà. In addition to
noxious plant control, there were
discussions of big game management
and a field trip to view sagebrush
eradication and grass reseeding.
Following the business meeting,
conducted by Tom Lommasson, pa
pers on noxious weed control were
presented. O. J. Murray, rancher
of Thompson Falls, discussed the in
troduction of beetles to control goat
weed (also called St. Johnswort and
Klamath weed) in northwestern
Montana. The beetles, brought by air
from California, graze and destroy
on ly the goatweed.
Alex Johnson of Lethbridge, Can
ada, presented the general weed con
trol picture for southeastern Alberta
and southwestern Saskatchewan. He
suggested that one of the most prac
tical control measures is conservative
stocking to prevent introduction or
increase of noxious weeds.
Larkspur, Halogeton
E. E. Redman, supervisor of the
Beaverhead National forest, pre
sented information on management
to prevent cattle losses on areas in
fested with tall larkspur. In areas
grazed after the larkspur has reached
a certain stage of maturity there are
few or no- losses of cattle.
Ray G. Johnson, Montana exten
sion range specialist, presented ma
terial on the distribution, ecology
and control of Halogeton. At pres
ent this poisonous plant in Montana
is limited to an area in southeastern
Carbon county. Johnson pointed out
that measures are now in effect to
prevent the spread of Halogeton in
our state. Larry O. Osbumson, soil
conservation service, was chairman
of this panel and C. R. Hunt, Mon
tana department of entomology,
moderator.
The afternoon panel, under the
chairmanship of W. R. Hanson of
Alberta, Canada, discussed material
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Destruction of sagebrush is the first step in preparing the land for reseeding of
grasses. The tractor and heavy duty one-way plow shown above were used by
Ed O'Hare. Ravalli county, in obtaining excellent grass stands.
on livestock management and graz
ing habits of antelope and deer.
ough, told of his buying, fattening
and selling operation. He disagrees
with range'managers who propose
that salt be placed at points on thè
range away from water to obtain
better distribution of livestock. He
presented evidence indicating that
Don Hunter, rancher from Green
cattle receiving an abundant supply
of salt would store sufficient water to
Adams of Missoula outlined results
allow them to travel greater dis
tances from water to obtain forage.
John Swartz of Moiese, presented
a paper on management and grazing
habits of pronghorn antelope. Lowell
of research on the whitetail deer
range in Lincoln county. Results of
the research showed that the large
deer herd of this range destroys seed
lings of the valuable western yellow
pine. Lowell was also toastmaster
at the banquet at which H. J. Har
grave of the agricultural experiment
station, Lethbridge, Canada, spoke
on "Range Resources of the Far
North and -the Reindeer Herd at
Aklavik.
Field Trip
First stop on a field trip was at
the U. S. Forest Experimént station
grass nursery on Stanley Antrim's
ranch near Florence. The per
formance of the many grasses was
explained by Rould Peter son.
At the Ed O'Hare ranch the group
looked at the excellent stands of
beardless wheatgrass, big bluegrass,
and rough fescue with some alfalfa;
other portions of O'Hare's range were
seeded to intermediate wheatgrass
and to crested wheatgrass. Two fac
tors that contributed to the good
seeding results were thorough prep
aration of the seedbed and the use
of fertilizer to give the 1 seedlings a
boost.
An added attraction on the O'Hare
ranch was a demonstration of sage
brush removal by the use of a heavy
duty one-way plow. Another method
was demonstrated on Clarence
Hagen's ranch. Here the roto beater
did quite a clean looking job of
chewing up sagebrush.