The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-07-24
RAISING THE BUFFALO,
EXPERIMENTS IN DOMESTIcATINC A
NEARLY EXTINCT ANIMAL,

Success in Cross Breeding Wild Butfa!oes
With Common Cattle-Great Increase
of Value in Buffalo Hitles-Domcsti-
Gated Euilaloes rs Hardy as Wild.
While the bulfaIoes have become
nearly extinct on the Western ranges,
there are quite number Of domesti-
Gated herds in this country, and ex-
periments in cross breeding them with
common cattle are being pursued with
fair success. The first attempts to
cross breed the butfaloes were made at
Lexington, Kentucky, in 1915; but
the existence OF enormous herds Of the
wild animals on the plains at that time
acted as damper upon the enthusiasm
OF the early pioneers, and the work
was soon abandoned. At lhat early
date buffalo robe commanded very
little money, and, in fact, up to 1876
a bull robe was worth only 81. In
1888 robes had advanced 80 that @
good one would net The hunter 50,
while to-day the hide Of q buffalo is
worth 500, and the mounted head OF
bull anywhere from 5000 to $500.
The incentive to raise and domesti-
cate the buffalo is thus much greater
than in 1915, and the few herds that
are in existence are highly valued by
their owners. There is small herd
in the Texas Pan Handle, numbering
less than seventy-fye, and larger
one at Ravalli, Montana, owned by Mr..
Charles Allard, numbering nearly two
hundred. This latter herd is the
largest owned by any private indi-
vidual. In 1898 the Jones herd, Of
Omaha, was purchased by Mr.. Allard
for SIS, ZOO, and the thirtyone animals
in it were transferred to the Montana
ranch and joined with the others.
Besides breeding the pure butfaloes
for museums and other stock farms,
Mr.. Allard has carried on extensive
experiments in crossing the wild ami
mails with the polled Angus stock. The
cross breeds produced are magnificent
animals, with fur that is finer and clos
er than that of the buffalo, and with
meat that is very sweet and whole
some. Nearly all Of the cross-bred
animals retain much Of the instinct of
their wild progenitors. They are
hardy and easily reared, and are able to
stand storms that kill ordinary cattle.
Nature adapted the buffalo to the
cold Northwestern plains, and they
rarely succumbed to the billiards. that
to-day destroy our domesticated cattle
by the thousands. When the snow
lies deep upon the ground in the dead
Of winter, the steers cannot paw
through it to get at the natural hay o.
the plains, and they consequently die
of starvation and cold The bufaloes,
accustomed to the fearful billiards.
bunch togethe1'in storm and form {
wedge, facing the wind and snow
with the bulls outside and the COW:
and calves protected inside Of the
formidable line Of shaggy heads. Thu'
q herd survives the widest storm, anl
when the snow has ceased to fall they
paw through the snow and ice AIT
get at their favoriie buffalo grass.
The cattle, on the contrary, a.
driven before the storm, and Otter
wander from sixty to one hundred
miles from their accustomed range
and, unless shelter is provided, the,
soon sink down exhausted. The horse
8urn their backs 70 the storm and like
wise soon yield to the cold. The nev
cross breeds, possessing many Of tn
hardy instincts Of their wild progeni
tors, face the cold storms, and seem t
survive the coolest blizzard witAou
great injury to their health. The.
have been found to be almost as vel
adapted to occupy the vast plains a
their wild ancestors, and if they 4
!, not degenerate under too close in
, breeding, they may yet roam in a
! countless numbers as the bu&faloes di
!. before the. ruthless slaughter of tn
hunters decimated their numbers
, Scientific American.