The Empire County argus., 1856-04-05
IN ASSEMBLY.

EFFECTS OF DRoUTH ON CATTLE IN CALIFORNIA
HIsToRY. The effects of drouths on the ranch ami
mails OF California have been peculiar. In 1923 or
1924 occurred very dry season, in which very
little rain fell. The animals suffered dreadfully,
and thousands of them died. 1t was about this
time that at the Mission of Soledad an immense
number of horses-some say six thousand and over
were obliged to be slaughtered, to preserve the
pastures for the cattle. Not even their hides were
cared for Bands of brood Mares or mdnados were
known to be sold as low twenty-five cents head,
and the cash price of the best broke riding horse
was not over $40 A friend, who has resided here
Monterey since 1925, informs us that he knew
two or three hundred brood mares to be sold to
rancho on the Pajaro for twenty five cents each
He himself had been offered in 1922 by the padre
OF Purissma Mission, three or four hundred head
OF mares, if he would take them away from the
Mission pastures, SO as to his cattle; but he
refused to take them. In one of the dry seasons in
the south, about 1888, the padre of Purssima had
large numbers of unbroken horses driven by his
vaqueros over the cliffs into the sea at Point Sal on
the coast of Santa Barbara county. This was kill
ing them off with despatch but was actually neces-
sary. The country around Purssima and Santa
4nez Missions has long been celebrated for its fine
range for horses, and for its superior developments
of breed.
In 1879 occurred great drouth in the country
south of San Luis Obispo and as far as San Diego
AH0 OuuVlo anu HOrSeS uleQ OH Dy thousands. AS
many as thirty forty thousand head of cattle are
estimated to have been lost in the Missions south of
Santa Barbara. At San Gabriel and Los Angeles
twelve thousand head Of cattle were counted by the
vaqueros of the Mission, as having died from want
OF water and grass. Large numbers of horses were
killed to save the pastures for the cattle. From
Monterey north the pasture was much better, and
fewer cattle died. In 1923 and 1929 occurred the
visitation of the twenty-five months scarcity Of
aguaSeraS; that is, for that period of time not
enough rain fell to sustain the crops or pastures
throughout the whole settled extent of country
In 1888 and 1884, as we are informed occurred
another season of drouth, in which the wells of
Monterey nearly all of them dry, and very lit
tie water was to be had even at the springs near
the Encinal cemetery. The families had to send
all the way to Carmelo for drinking water, and the
washerwomen OF the town had to go out there to
wash the dirty clothes of the pueblo The cattle
in some parts were saved from starvation, by feed
ing on the leaves of oaks and other trees and seat
tered all over the hills looking for food and susie
nance. 1t is said by the Indians that in dry seasons
the oak yields acorns more abundantly than in 9TH
ers. The oaks have been covered with blossoms
this spring, which is said to be an indication of
drouth, by the native Californans.
In 1929 the priest of the Mission of Soledad of
fered to any one who chose to accept the gift, as
many mares they wanted free of charge Dur
ing the drouth of this year, all the wells on the
upper mesaS OF our town have nearly run out Of
water. From the 18th to the Dist March the
weather has again become very dry-the thermom-
eter in the shade on these days at P. NJ. stood
at 66 and 6S deg Monterey Sentinel