Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-04-08


reasons, but estimates believed to be approx
imately correct, at least, were obtained in
several quarters. In Kansas, west of the ag-
ricultural line, which is fixed for convenience
q little east of the Goth parallel, there are
probably 700, 900 or 500, 900 cattle. In Ne
braska, west Of the same line, there are near
" zoo, 900 cattle. The official reports of
the auditor Of state only show about 100, 900
in this region, but only a few struggling
thousands are returned for taxation in the
area north of the Platte river west Of a line
running north and south through Kearney,
whereas the whole face of the country is alive
with herds, clear to Dakota and Wyoming on
the north and west The herds numbering
1900 and upward aggregate more than AGO.
000 and in addition to these there are scores
of lesser congregations of cattle which count
up rapidly Last summer there were about
$50, 900 cattle in Wyoming, but quite u num-
Der of large lots were driven in on fresh
ranges during the fall, and the total at the
present time is nearer 60, 000 Colorado claims
$50, 900 cattle, and last summer the state may
have contained that many, but it will be nec-
essary for the ambitious young state to chop
off big slice of the claim at this writing.
Probably not less than a million head have
found their way across the border since last
August, having been driven into Kansas Tex
as Nebraska and Wyoming, so that 600, 600
would be liberal estimate at the present
time. Montana is believed to,have not less
than $50, 600 cattle on her pastures and in
Idaho and Utah there are as many more, ac-
cording to the best estimates Not taking
into account the territory of New Mexico,
Texas, or the ranges of the Pacific slope,
which were not within the scope OF these OBJ
servations, there are, according to the esti-
mates given, 3, $50, 600 grazing cattle in the
country drained by the Arkansas and the
Missouri and its tributaries, and the stretch
of ground across the 'divide" which cannot
well be included in the Pacific slope Even this
does notrepresent the extent ofthe beef empire
of the great west for in Kansas and Nebraska
east of the Doth parallel, there are quite l.
200 beef cattle, the greater proportion Of
which are of a grade much superior to the
grazing cattle of the plain, the owners putting
better blood in them and caring for them bet
ter than it is possible to do further west The
farmers, instead of selling their corn, put it
right into cattle and hogs and sell it in that
shape, thereby making profit both ways.
The grazing cattle drift eastward, steadily i'm
proving all the time. 1t will be seen, there
FORE that the four-footed inhabitants of the
far-away plains and mountains are not always
shipped directly to the eastern markets, but
are worked through civilizing process which
puts more and better meat on their bones be-
fore finally reaching the consumer, for which
the consumer is duly thankful 1t will be
observed by the foregoing figures that the
SHOWS and winds of this bitter winter have
had plenty of raw material to work on, and
it is also patent that, however great the loss
of life among cattle may be, there will be a
few left so that, come what may, there is
no immediate danger of beef famine as a
result of the campaign of cold.
In Montana it is estimated that 50, 600 of
the herded cattle have persisted. What is
more astonishing than the loss is that IS per
cent. should live without shelter or feeding
through the intense cold of the winter, to say
nothing of storms and billiards. The great
err part of the territory of Montana lies north
of the latitude of Montreal, and the winter
cold is more severe than in the same latitude
in Canada but it is reported that the north
ern portions of the territory escaped with
trihing losses, the herds from which the great
est number died being in the southern part,
where the deeper SHOWS prevented access to
the grass. The Times correspondent de-
scribes the fearful sufIerings of the cattle in
portions of Nebraska and Colorado, and sums
up his estimates of the number that have per-
ished and computes their value;
There is succession of mammoth herds
| on the North Platte, Loup, and Niobrara riv-
ers, and the mortality among them is be-
| lieved to be between 25 and 40 per cent, ac-
cording to the location. West of the Black
Hills stage-route from Sidney the loss will
| not be great but east of that boundary
they have died by the wholesale. On the
Niobrara ranges east of Antelope creek own
ers themselves admit loss of so per cent,
| and south of that there is O bovine cemetery
until the Platte is crossed. The great loss in
| this particular district is due. to the heavy
SHOWS, which were preceded by storms OF
sleet and rain, converting the surface of the
earth into one far-reaching skating rink
Even had there been no snow the cattle could
not have gotten at the grass, which was un
der coat of ice, but the snow aggravated
the troubles somewhat. Usually the terrific
winds which prevail in that delightful region
blow the snow TO pieces or pile it up in drifts
and this winter was no exception to the gen.
eral rule, though the inhabitants do affirm
that it blew less this year than usual. How
ever that might have been, it made little diff
ference to the starving cattle, and for week
they endured the horrible torture of SLOW
starvation. Thousands upon thousands drift
ed down from the South Platte after gras
and water, but as the rivers were frozen the.
could get neither. When the writer passed
through that locality the snow was fast disap
pearing, and the people were nursing tn
hope that their wretched cattle would nov
have clear sailing for the remainder of tn,
season. The heavy snow storms which visit
ed eastern Nebraska and the northwest d
not trouble the burnt district, kindly sheer
ing off il another direction, and SO there is
prospect of brighter days. Thousands o
dead cattle cover the ground between Sidne
and North Platte, within sight of the railroa
track. Many of them have been killed b
the cars, but by far the larger per cent. die
from cold and starvation. They were masse
between the two forks of the Platte, whic
come together at North Platte, and the suf
fering of the poor brutes is said by those VIII
saw them to have been frightful. They file
the air with their cries of agony, and wander
ed about until SO weak that when they lai
down to rest they could not get up. Nothin
5 could be done for their relief. 1t would hay
been a hopeless task to have tried to fee
: them. thousand tops of hay would NJ
have gone around one meal. The poor thing
overcome by cold, could not be driven bac
on the ranges They resisted force by sulle
refusal to bulge, prefering to remain whei
they were and to die than to move. The
= devoured every vestige of grass that could |
seen, and even chewed the hair on their tail
n The scenes that were witnessed by the inhal
itants are described as heart-rending.
When the winter began to moderate, IL
a latter part of February, the thawed-out Gait
e of their own volition started for the range
p and at this writing they are pretty well sea
+ tered again. Wellposted men put the mo
IS tality among cattle in this district, taking
d through, at 25-per cent. This seems like
o large figure, but is believed to be withintl
IS limits. According to this estimate the nun
d Der of dead cattle in western Nebraska al
IS the northeast corner of Colorado will appro
# innate l25, 600 representing 81, 5000
Al summing up the estimates made, il Is disco
n cred that the mortality will be about IL or
@ per cent. of theentire number of grazing catt
d north of Texas and southeast of the slope,
y 1901 900 in all. AsS20per head would be amo
% crate valuation TO put on these cattle, Il
10 outright loss in money will be So, 900, 600,
'r which must be added the inevitable curta
m ment in the natural increase of the stoc
r Great numbers of COWS and heifers will