The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-06-27
DYING Bf THOUSAND.
New Ncxtcu Cattle Starving 60 Death Nd
RnIn for Six Months.


Rnin for Six Months.
SILVER Cry, y. M., June 14-Stockt
men in New Mexico have never BET
fore suffered anything like the losses
which arc now being borne on aci
count of the extreme shortncss OF
feed, which has been brought partly
on account of ovcrstocked ranges,
but mainly on account of the long
continued dry weather. There has
| been no rainfall for moro than SIX
months in the southern portion of
the Territory, md the consequence
is that tho ranges arc bare and brown
and cattle arc dying by the hundreds
daily. The Lyons IL Campbell Catr
tie Company, one of the large compa;
nics of this county, reports an average
loss of about forty hoad per day.
This company has shipped several
thousand head of cattle within the
| past two months. IA many other
companies and individual owners
have done, but tho ranges will not
support the stock now on them unless
there arc heavy rains befolc many
days to start the grass.
| Some of tho oldest rnnchmcn III
this country say that if the dry
weather continues II month longer
they will lose onc-fourth of their
herds. Fcw cattle die out on the
ranges. The grass has boon eaten
down close TO the ground i'll the vi,
cinity of all the wntor courses and
watering places, and the herds i'll
some instances so miles into the foot
hills or out on the mcsas, where tn orc
is better grass to feed. They ro-
main out until thirst dricves them III
and they drink their fill of water af-
ter which they invariably lio down.
| The weaker ones never got up
| Thousands of bloatod carcassos OF
dead cattle lie rotting in tho scorch
ing sun in New Mexico. but the stock
mon are bearing their losses philoso
phically. Good prices arc boinl
obtained for cattle slir ped Nortl
for feeders. Steers which are now
selling hero for from $16 to $40 pei
head would not have nettcd shippers
more than SO to 80 per head two
years ago. AS long as such low pri
cos prevail thero were very few cat
tie shipped from Southern Now Mex
leo, consequently the ranges became
overstockod. Stock shipments from
this Territory this spring have bccn
unprecedented. For more than two
months tho Atchison, Topeka & San
tn Fc railroad has bccn taxed to it.
utmost to move stock North, and nj
though extra crews have been put
on and the motive power has bcor
made to do extra duty, the company
has been unable to furnish transpor
tation for stock rs fast as it has beer
brought in from the ranges. Over
10000 head of cattle have boon ship
ped over tho Santa Fc in the PAS
two months from this county alone
but tho shipment of this large mum
ber of cattle has made no apprccia
bic improvement in tho condition O
tho ranges, and losses from dying
stock will continue at tho rate O
thousands of dollars daily until there
is good rain fall. In tho northern
part of tho territory thorc has beer
rain, and cattle arc not suffering, but
the losses of stock sustained by
! lS6ed lS1.umlDer WEro a6SHt :. S6~vys";
they nre in southern NcI Mexico
now. During the past eight months
more stock has been lost in Nov
Mexico than had boon lost in a
many years previous to last October
Notwithstanding tho unusual losse:
of the past eight months, tho average
percentage of loss in Now McXico fol
ten years has been less tlnn that o
any other stock raising section O
this country.