Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-03-27

cattle, steers generally, from the corn
states to the plains, for several years.
Many Of the men who own or CONTROL
Wyoming, Dakota and Montana ranges
have practically abandoned the business
of breeding cattle, driven out of it by the
severe losses of female cattle during the
winters, and now confne their attention
to grazing young steers, known as spil-
grims," which they bring upon the range
from eastern states. These animals are
generally high-grade steers from the
corn states or long horned cattle from
Texas. If the latter are bought, those
that have been held over one winter in
Kansas or Nebraska or Indian territory
are preferred. In the past, this business
has proved to be fairly remunerative, be-
cause, since it has been started, the price
of beef has been high, and there has
been no exceedingly severe winter on
the plains. The country these cattle are
held in has been in the white mans pos
session for but a few years. The men
who have accurate knowledge of its eli
mate can be counted on the fingers of
one hand. The northern cattle growers
assert that the climate is mild and win
tiers balmy. There are a few men in the
northwest who have trades in the Yellow
stone valley in the winter and early
spring when the Sioux occupied the
land. Some of these men have told me
that during some winters the snow was
deep on the ground for weeks, and the
cold was most intense. They said that
occasionally the winters were SO severe
that large numbers of hardy Indian po-
MES died. It is well-known fact that
Indian ponies can endure greater de-
gree of cold than American horses, and
that American horses can endure great
er degree of cold than cattle, it matters
not where the latter are raised.
It is estimated that 100000 cattle
were driven or carried into Montana or
Dakota during 1884. The larger por-
ton of this stock was brought on the
range to be fattened. They we're young
steers. It is also estimated by compe-
tent authorities that 100000 of the $780,
900 cattle that entered the far northern
range during 1884 we're
YOUNG NATIVE CATTLE
from the corn states. The number of
''through" cattle that were included in
the great herd of Texans no man can tell.
The Texas drover is famous throughout
the arid belt for never telling the truth
as to where is cattle came from. He is
always willing to- say that they passed
the previous winter in Kansas or Ne
braska, and as cold weather kills the
Spanish fever, bis cattle are sound, and
he is not responsible for damages if the
disease makes its appearance in northern
herds. The truth is that a large proper
ton of the Texas cattle driven into Mon
tana and Dakota during the season of
1884 were fresh from the southern range.
The young cattle that are brought on to
the northern grazing grounds from the
agricultural states come from land of
plenty. They have been well fed and
attentively watered from the day of their
birth until they are sent west. They
have been protected from severe winter
storms. They have had intelligent and
anxious care. Their insticts have been
blunted by the protective care of man.
These immature animals have been taken
west and turned on the range to shift for
themselves They can do SO in mild
winter. Last year, up to September 8,
the Northern Pacific carried $500
young cattle from the east into Montana
and western Dakota. Many thousands
have been driven in, and other thousands
carried in by other railroad companies.
But let hard winter come, following a
wet autumn, and the grazing ground be
covered with snow, and blizzard after
blizzard sweep out of the frozen north in
quick succession. Then how will these
cattle fare? and how will the through
Texans fare? I answer, just as they did
in Kansas in the winters 1912. They
would disappear from the range. And if
the winter should be as severe as some Of
the Indian traders told me they had seen
in the Yellowstone Valley, SO severe that
the Indians were forced to cut cotton
wood trees so that their ponies could
feed on the buds and tender limbs, the
toughened range cattle will be decimated
before spring.