The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-07-07
DEATH AMONG THE CATTLE.
Ane Work Of Hunger, Thirst, ana
Cold mpOn the Plains.


The stock-growing industry has about
reached point where, in the interest of the
pocketbook, as well as in that of common
decency, 1t must in most places be carried
ON with more conservatism As long as no.
body suffered materially in purse il matter
ed little to the men heavily engaged in the
industry whether the most outrageous
cruelties were inflicted upon the dumb
creatures in their keeping or not; but now
that the mortality among stock is becoming
SO great by reason of exposure in winter and
scant feed in summer as seriously to affect
profits, 1t is seen that if the business Is to
be prosecuted hereafter it must be done
under more favorable circumstances.
Nobody can estimate the amount of agony
which has been inflicted on cattle in the
West In the last ten or fifteen years as a re-
suit of the mistaken notion that all that was
necessary to bring in rich returns was to
turn cattle loose on the ranges and leave
them to shift for themselves. If FIVE, ten,
niteen, or even thirty per cent. of them
died inthe SHOWS of hunger and cold. or
We're frozen stiff in their tracks, is was easy
enough to send out reports to the contrary.
and the skeleton-strewn plains are not often
under the eye of any one who will take the
trouble to describe what he has seen. The
cruelty to animals in the East to suppress
which there are societies in all large cities,
seems so insignificant in comparison with
the Wholesale barbarity practised in the
West in order that few men may become
rich TINT it is strange that no national
movement has ever been started for its sup
pres ion.
travellers on many of the railroads in tho
West and Southwest at this season of the
year will see from the car windows hosts of
whitening skeletons, in some cases great
piles of them. They are the remains Of
cattle which few months ago found their
way to the railroad track as the only place
within their reach that ever manifested
signs of life, and there they stood furnishing
and freezing until death put an end to their
sufferings. The greed of man was respon-
sible for oil this. Trusting to luck for food
and water, thousands of these poor brutes
have been turned out every year by their
ouporo o., oxra.;o..a. A. ...r,
fsrino ana ds..h NH .,sesa 49, .a.. , sui-
s,,r,;nos - -. ..'". 'N.'e
Tost winter ,s,,ar .na uo..aa BE nav,
road wos bloclods,, w;,h s,sam " sas -.'
steel nlouobs wore attached - H. - e.
tives n WAS fyo,,e,tl, f,,,na s,,,,,a.a;,,ls A.
"bunt y ont tho c,ts ha.a,,aa haaoa.l ~
mass Of snow were sco,os 80 oo..,o a.. "a
huddled together in tbeao nlscos j., t,a hr,a
of mitigating in n small degree Tho i,eroa,ass
of the blasts, Some of tbese ,lonohs af.or
one or two ene,nu,a,s With s,,oh -
tons of dead cattle loo ond snow Ioa,,aa
as tl1ouob they had bean r,n th,a,,oh
slaughter bouso
Jnstno,v there are more than ,oo ooo h..a
of cattle en- route N the No,tb fro,,, IT,.
on the old DODGE trai, The snfferinas -
these animals from the dro,,,b, hova 49,,
most aronizino. The whole eorth l. ,,orch
ed. and as everybody Trusts 10 Incl i, s,,,
mer for water. as 10 The rule In wtntor g..
foou, me failure Of the natural supply has s
produced hardship that almost rivals that
80 sl,a lIaol, ,,,rtl,a,,, ,,,.,..a. =. m.