He has his own wild hay meadows to produce his winter's feed and is planning a big increase in his alfalfa acreage. During the blizzard in March, 1913, he lost 1,500 head of cattle. They drifted with the storm into Swan Lake, which was in the pasture. Orlando is his postoffice and Belle Avery postmaster.

Samuel and Charles Avery each have large ranches. Charles' ranch contains 40,000 acres with many hay meadows from which he cuts winter feed for his thousands of head of stock. His ranch house is at Orlando postoffice.

The Crescent ranch owned by Boyd and Rice contains 60,000 acres. Such large ranches give plenty of hay for winter besides the sum mer pasture. These people have a postoffice at their ranch house called Mumper postoffice.

Northeast of the Crescent ranch John R. Webster, president of the Illinois Central railroad, owned a ranch comprising 50,000 acres, called Cross Half Circle ranch. This has recently been sold to J. M. Cox whose postoffice is at the ranch house.

The cowbovs and other employes on these ranches would form a village by themselves. Mr. George Richardson's ranch comprises only 30.000 acres, some farm after all. L. E. Bal-

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

linger has but 20.000 acres in this county, all the rest of his ranch is over in Sheridan county-

On the valley and north and west table farms, the hog is the important animal. Many Garden county fanners have carried off honors from the Denver Stock show. Mr. John Mevich who settled on Blue Creek in 1886 has been particularly successful with hogs. For five straight years he took the grand prize for best carload of hogs, besides, many other prizes. He has a large pillow cover made of his prize ribbons and he is justly proud of it.