San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-11-16
ON TIE CATTLE RANGES.
WESTERN RANGES BEING DAMAGED
BY lNJUNCIOUS GRAZING.
A Problem of Vast Importanoe-How
BuffaIoes and wild Cattle Preserved
the Plains, and How Cupidity Forces
Their Destruction--An Example.

the Plains, and How Cupidfty Forces
Their Destruction-An Example.
~ have seen several statements In the
newspapers, and have heard IL mentioned
with great apprehension by many people in
the east, that, owing to the overstocking of
the cattle ranges in the west, the pasturage
has been destroyed to such an extent that it
is only question Of a short time when stock
raising must be greatly curtailed and meat
famine ensue," said John II. Sullivan, a gem
uine ranchman, and a man of great intelli
eence and keen observation AS Bronco
John, his name Oh the plains, he Is well known
throughout the country as a lecturer and
writer on matters affecting the interests Of
stock raisers and their employees.
THAT the natural pasturage Of the great
cattle ranges has been greatly injured and
reduced in area there can be no doubt" con-
tinued MIR Sullivan, but it Is not due to
overstocking. but to an inJudicious and
ignorant system of feeding Why, | can re-
member when the plains east of the Rocky
mountains, extending north through New
Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana,
swarmed with buffalo elk, deer and ante
lope, and enormous droves of wild horses and
herds of wild cattle covered the great coun-
try south of the Republican river They
have all been driven away, and their feeding
places given TO the ranchman and his stock,
but the latter do not approach In numbers
the original occupants OF this country, who
found food supply Ii great abundance for all
their tremendous needs. More than that
one buffalo would eat and required. more
than twice as much grass for its support as
does common steer or COW A buffalo's
daily ration is on the average $50 pounds of
grass, a steers or cows, 100 pounds, The
elk and the antelope were also large con-
sumers of grass, but the deer was more
delicate feeder When these numberess
butfaloes, elk. antelope, deer, wild horses
and cattle roamed over the bluffs and plains
there was not only always a surplus of the
choicest wild grass for their Sllstenanca, but
it grew in succuleut luXuriance, reaching a
height of from three to SIX feet This Won
derful buffalo grass covered immense areas,
and its nutritive bunches-which give it the
other name of bunch grass-reached q height
Of eight inches.
NATURES WISE PROVISIONS
what was the cause OF this marvellous
prevalence Of luxuriant pasturage, although
there were thousands upon thousands more
feed than there are now, while the same
ranges now show scant, scattered and stunted
growths of grassa The cause WIS nature
Natures laws ruled and were obeyed through
the wonderful instinct, reason or whatever it
might have been Of the wild creatures that
depended on natures bounty Cor their susie
nance. Buffalo grass and wild prairie grass
are like wheat and corn They will not
grow from their roots like cultivated grasses,
but must rise from the seed Nature planted
a knowledge of this fact somewhere within
the wild animals that once fed on the ranges,
and If feeding on buffalo grass, which grows
in punches like onion tops, they ate only
every other bunch as they grazed, and left
ample patches Of the prairie grass standing
as they ate their way along over the plains
This was for the seeding of the ranges for the
succeeding crop, and nature never failed to
reward this blind obedience to her laws
The successors to these aboriginal grazers
would, if left TO themselves. render the same
obedience, but the ignorance or short sight
edness of the cattle raisers has put their own
behest above the law of natural selection,
and the cattle are forced to feed on range
until every bunch and spear of grass are
gone There Is no SEED left 70 reIlr!.ish the
wasted area. and the herds are moved on 10
..,SpOI! other territory Then the cry goes
,,... from the ranges that the ru.I to raise
cattle Is oversJUeElng the country and de
5troying the paStUTagel The fact Is there
are not halt as many cattle on the ranges as
the capacity of the grazing country can sus-
tail There is territory enough anu area
for grass enough to sustain millions more
cattle than are being raised today This cry
of oversUocking comes from tie syndicate OF
great cattle kings The policy of these mill
ionalre stock raisers and gTabbers of untold
thousands Of acres OF the countTY's area Is
to discourage the small growers and keep
them out of the region. or acquire possession
of their ranches.
THE REASON WHY
"If homesteaders and small, independent
ranchmen are wise they will not be diAcour-
aged by the monopoly cry of overstocking
They can easily Keep their ranges seeded and
always ample in pasturage 10y simple Means,
prompted Oy good Judgment. Buffalo Bill
has range south of the North Platte river,
and larT" portion of it along the river is
always Ia unusually fine grass although it is
paStured as much as the rest ot the range
The reason of bhis is that opposite that part
OF the range there is an island III The river on
which wild grass grows and is never dis
turbed more because of its isolation, how
ever, than of a desire to foster 1t. or the ben
eft derived from it This grass goes 10 seed.
and the wind carries the aet>l u the pasture
along the river. and keeps 1t constantly
seeded down and always Ill good crop Now
if Mr. Cody would simply set off small
strip, say not more than forty feet wide, of
his range along the river by fencing it away
from his cattle the winter winds and SHOWS