Daily Republican., 1881-04-11
NEBRASKA CATTLE.
The Great Number Left 20 Shin for
Themselves Daring Winter.

Frpm the Grand Island Independent.
1t is probable that very few people
outside Of the cattle country have any
idea of the amount of stock that :s rails
ed in the State of Nebraska. We occa-
sionally hear of herds containing s.
900 or 10000 head OF cattle, but if asked
for the aggregate number in the state,
the replies would be very far from cor
rect.
A careful estimate shows that at the
beginning of the winter there Were upon
the Nebraska ranches more than half a
million head of cattle. These would
average Sl5a piece, making total
about s., 800, 900 invested in stock in the
cattle raising portion of the State. Inc
usual and expected lcss from the effects
of cold weather and snow is five per
cent. Often it does not reach that fig
lrp. This winter the continued cold
and depth Of the snow have Incl cieaSed
the fatality to such an extent that there
is no probability Of saving one-hali,
and in many instances the loss has al
ready rxceeded that amount, and bids
fair to take OH seventy-tiyc per cent. ot
the stock upon many OF the largest
ranches.
The causes OF this wholesale slaugh-
ter are very apparent. No hay is put
up for these cattle, but they ar" expect
ed to gain their Subsistence through
the winter upon the short buffalo grass
which cures itself upon the ground
where it grows, and Of which there Is
an abundance when it il uDt covered
,t !, ~, ,,t I,nf m
are generally light and there are usl-
ally ravincS and hillsidc1 where grass
can be found sufficient for few days
when the stock is driven from the prai-
ric by the storms. This year ,na .noM
has lain deep upon the ground for rey-
rral mon. i..,., And ~ 4 consequence the
Sn,,rly OF TODD obtained by the stock
has been barely sufficient to have SuS-
tanned life in warn weather But, ad-
atd to the weakness caused by atlrfa-
lion, there has been such very iold
weather that the entcrbIcd animals
have frozen to death, nr, lying down
have been too much brnunbtN to rl*o
again, and have consequently perShsd
From thrS4. causes many stock men
have already lost their herds, and the
end has not come yet. The fact is that
III. fatal time for cattle has not yet AZ
rived. The heavy losses usually come
about the last of March, Just before
the new grass starts, and the losses h-
tween the middle Of March and the
middle OF April are expected to exceed
those of the entire winter preceding
Should such prove to he the experience
this year there will be- no cattle left
upon the western ranches.
Upon pony ranches the state OF AFFAIRS
is no. 50 bad These animals will paw
the snow away and eat the grass they
uncover, but the cattle will merely
drift along with the storm until they
irop dead with exhaustion.
nne ranchman says that ST., 600 would
not compensate, him for his loss upto tins
time. Another offers $780, 900 to insure
him against further loss The Olive
Ranch, with sixteen thousand head,
has already lost seven thousand, These
are only instances taken at random, anu
are not exceptions. Reliable reports
from all sections Of the grazing region
show that the same or even n worse
state of affairs exists. A few Of the
smaller stock men put mp hay for their
cattle, hardly sutticient for their own
uSc, but probabl; enough to carry them
through if they had been left alone.
The large herds from the ranches dritt'
ing before the storm, mad" short work
of these scattered stacks OF hay and the
whole country i, lett III thr same con
dition of starvation aud death. The
loss among thu smaller herds will be
nearly if not quite 4. large in proper
tion lS that OF the larger ones, and th'
aggregate loss of the rattl" raiS"rS Of
Nebraska can hardly fall short OF
1000, 900.
There seems to hr hnt one Safeguard
against such an experience %s this, and
that is for each rauchmau to put up hay
enough to carry hi, own stock through
the winter. III" cost, although quit,
an item, would he nothing compared Il
the losses Of 4 winter even halt 81
severe as this.