The leaseholds of the four leading companies of the ranch establishment are identified on this map (the Cochrane Ranch Company Ltd. 367,500 acres; the North West Cattle Company Ltd. 114,000 acres; Walrond Ranch Company Ltd. 260,000 acres; and the Osley Ranch Company Ltd. 181,000). The relative size of these ranches might be compared with the Indian reservations in the vicinity, or compared with the standard 160 acre homestead (too small to be shown on this scale). Cattle ranching is an extensive form of land use. The cattleman required vast areas to graze his herd efficiently: in the foothills he required 10 to 20 acres per animal and on the drier plains to the east he needed 20 to 50 acres an animal.
