Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-05-04
THE EVENING NEWS.
SUPPLEMENT
The Drought and the Dying Cattle


On Saint Patrick's Day, the ever to be re-
membered 18th of March, fine shower Of
rain fell between and s o'clock in the morn.
ing, on the coast below Point Conception,
but accompanied with very little wind. To
squeeze out this forum Of water, it took seven
long DAYS gathering of equinoctial clouds, for
it is an old belief in California that the patron
saint of Ireland, who was in high reverence
in the times of the Missions, was scarcely
ever unmindful of the invocations of the
Christian pastors and their focks i'll these
parts and rain seldom failed to come on the
18th Of March, however it might be stingy in
its droppings before or afterwards.
The scarcity of water in the South begins
to be attended with some queer quarrels and
perplexities. All the available or comeat-
able cauadas and mountain tops of the lands
back from the coast hills have been sought
out and squatted on, and the manadas, cattle
and sheep driven off from the old pastures
adjacent, which are becoming daily fed off
close to the ground. The sheep get very
wild, and occasion mint of trouble, expense
and loss from wild animals, and rocky, new,
strange, precipitous pastures. Below Mon
terey, most Of the lambs this year will be
loss, except in particular localities of extra
fine grass on the higher hills, not covered
with brush and chemisal. The cattle and
horses of the rancheros infringe on each 9TH
ers' pickings, mix Oand with band, and set
the owners squabbling, disputing and quar-
reling, and hot water as well as cold water
scalds and deepens between them. Nearly
all Of them are in debt, and not two out Of
twenty in the State of sound prosperity.
Not single one will make anything extra on
sheep in 1864, except, if we may except, three
or four of the most long-headed Of them.
There can be scarcely doubt that more
than one half of the cattle between San Jose
and San Diego, coastwise and with the stage
road range. persisted between the LIST of No
vember last, and, say, the Goth Of March.
From reliable sources we find that the losses
are estimated at 10000 in San Luis Obispo,
10000 in Los Angeles and San Bernardino,
and 10, 900 each in Monterey and Santa Bar
bara counties. How many more in the Sa-
cramento and San Joaquin districts has not
yet been ascertained. II no E.gre rain falls,
one half of the remainder musl ~ 90 the
coyotes and wolves. This state o. tL'.gs,
taken with the matansas and Losses =! 1913,
must result, in 1860, in scarcity o. good
cattle; and the rancheros will at least have I
better chance to get reasonably elevated
price for the remainder. The calying of the
cows and the foaling of the mares this year is
very inferior also /; and so the better pastures
of the season of 1896 will have in pleasant
prospect the furnishing better beef and NUT
ton for California than they have done since
the great increase of animals after 1856; for
these natural pastures of the State can feed
only limited amount of stock, one year with
another of the capricious seasons Of Califor-
MIA. Some Of the mountain pastures are Still
good, and the cattle from them have been
sold at SIS head in San Luis Obispo town,
S25 in Los Angeles, and at similar prices,
when in proper condition, in Monterey and
Santa Barbara. The beef of the old pastures
near the settlement is not fit to look at, much
less to eats. +. Bulletin.