Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-06-08
THE WYOMING RANGE,
Condition of the Cattle After the Sever
Winter.

Winter.
Cheyenne correspondence Chicago Times.
The lato copious rains have had the
effect of making the grass grow more
lnxnriantly for this season Of the year
than most people can remember. 1t
comes, no doubt, MS a compensation to
the starved out animals for the winter
famine they have so recently experienced.
have never before seen SO many
wretched, hlde-bound COWS and steers.
thousands of them almost too weak to
crop the grass within their reach.
Dccaying carcasses of animals Law
within sight of the railroad track, in
some cases at long intervals, but in many
instances quite close together, giving a
sad intimation Of the mortality that must
have overtaken the unhappy brutes dur
ing the depth of snow of n winter savage
enough to have inspired to another and
even more splendid effort the great au-
thor Of "Hiawatha." A gentleman we'll
posted on the stock business in Nebras-
ka, Wyoming and Colorado told me that,
from what he had observed, there lay
dead in the valley OF the Platte, from the
junction of the two great forks to Jules
burg, and again from the latter place on
toward Denver, at least twenty thousand
head of cattle, which in ordinary years
would come through the winter in excel
kkaent shape.
L have learned by frequent conversa.
tions with stockmen that there was a
double cause for the great destruction OF
stock during the hard weather of 1891.
In the first place the ranges were all
overcrowded, having upon them, under
the most favorable circumstances, twice
as many cattle as the grass could sup
ply.
In the next place, the weather remain
ed so cold all the time that the streams
were winter-locked, while the frost and
snow rendered the grass almost unreach-
able even by the most vigorous beasts.
All these causes served to swell the death
list. In other years the winter was severe
only by spurts. There were occasional
spells when the cattle could get along
quite comfortably, but the last one lifted
the black flag from the very first and
held it over the wide ranges remorseless-
ly until the sun grew strong enough to
strike it down,
The only season that at all approached
last winter i'll severity was that of 1868,
when, however. the grass ranges were
but thinly stocked, and most of the cat.
tie weathered it through successfully
After the lesson they have Just been
taught, it is probable the stockmen will
be mole careful in the future how they
overburden the pasture lands, especially
in the sandy and alkaline regions, COM
mon IN this part OF the world, where
grazing has the effect of thinning the
growth OF grass. instead of stimulating
it.. On many Of the ranges the growth
i Nf hnrno oCraH H,,nc r,,,oo,
five years ago than it is to-day. Within
that period the ranges have been extend.
ed almost indefinitely toward the north
and west. All along the Big Horn noun.
tains on both sides of the range, and
along the rivers tributary to the Yellow.
stone, cattle ranches have been estab,
lished and domestic herds, taking the
place OF the fast receding bison, or butfa
10, begin to cover the entire country, Re
ports from that far off region say tile cat
tie wintered along tho mountain came
out excellently well, while those exposed
on the plains died in great numbers, as
III other sections of the Platte and Lara
mie rivers, where the herders would glad
" spread their cattle out toward the
north We're it not for the immense dis
tance they would have to be driven dur
ing and after the roundup.
Latterly tho Texas steerand COW which
at one time was considered indispensable
to stock raisers have been going out Of
fashion, and the breed has been crossed
so much that comparatively few of the
genuine specimens remain in these parts
Breeders are importing every year "im
proved bulls" and every cattle trail
from the east brings score or two o
Durham sires and dams to improve the
coming bovine Of the plains. Men of ex
perience, like the Coad brothers of this
. place, declare that the old idea of til,
superior harliness of the Texas cattl
has been pretty well exploded. Afte
one winter fine bred cattle do just a
well, and the quality of the hides an,
meat is greatly improved. Within fe,
= years the long-horned, raw-boned Texa
: steer will have followed the buffalo int
! eternal oblivion. and the west will be
= land of prize cattle and fat sheep, unsul
! passed by any section Oh earth.