The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-26
RUINED x RANGES.
THEIR EIHl USTION DESCRIBED IN
4 GOVERNMENT IMPORT.
Aeehiens Operations OF the RAnchmen In tho
seuthvsst AFTER the Cattle Hosn Vet In
Natural Consequescea-Present SLnte or
the nnnrn and nHnnnu nj 10000

Natural Consequeneea-Present state or
the Range and Means or Restoring n.
WASHINGTON, Juno 25.-Tho cattle ranges Of
the Southwest arc tho subject Of n report made
by ii. l.. Bentley to the Department of Agricul.
ture. Ho says that they aro practically ex.
hausted. Ranchmen who have for yenrs pcr.
mitted their cattle to roam at large over vast
tracts of land, paying no attention to the posi-.
Die exhaustion Of their ranges, are now realizing
that something must DO done or tho greatest
cattle-producing region OF the United states
Will soon cease to fill the demands made upon
1t. To the uniformed the idea that the great
stretches of country which have sont to the mar.
kots OF the world so many millions of cattle in
the past twenty-five years could evor become
exhausted may seem almost incredible. Cattle
King has been n term synonymous with unlim-
tied wealth since the civil war; but MIR. Bentley
shows that tho term has been deceptive and that
In many instances tho more cattle possessed the
poorer the poBsessor.
with the development of tho Southwestern
country that followed the close OF the civil war
cRmo the great rise OF the cattle men. The
cattle ranges OF Texas include all the counties
OF Stonewnll, Haskell. Throckmorton, Fisher,
Jones, Shackleford, Nolan, Taylor. Callahan.
tunnels, Coleman, Tom Green, Concho and Nc
Culloch and parts of tho counties of Kent,
Scurry, Mitchell, Coke, San Saba. Brown, East.
land. Stephens and Young. The region en-
braces u territory about 100 miles in length
from east to west and 200 miles from north to
south. In 1865 this plain was largely covered
with herds of buffalo. They ranged at will
undisturbed except by the hunter who killed for
food. In ten years from this time they had al
most disappeared and their place was taken by
tho wtde.horned cattle. The cattle men entered
the country about 1865. The ranges were un-
guarded and they were at liberty to help them
selves. The owners regarded the land AS SO
much waste, little farming was carried on aud
there seemed to be small possibilities of develop
ment- Therefore thoy did not concern them
selves regarding the encroachments of the
cattle men. The ranchmen found the black fer
tile plains covered with a long growth of the
richest grasses. The luxuriancc of the growths
has never been equalled in this country. In
some portions Of the plains the grass grew to a
height of three feet. The region was watored
by sweet streams and had a rainfall of thirty
inches n year and an elevation of from l 800 to
1900 feet. 1t was a paradise for stockmon and
they were not slow to take advantage of their
opportunities. In the later seventies the
ranches were few and the cattle roamed Mt will
over hundreds Of thousands of acres attached
to the ranches. When a newcomer arrived
and took up a range the older settler drew q
line and the rights of each wer Q respected. The
cattle kings, backed by their cowboys, were tho
undisputed masters of the ranges. They knew
not the man with the hoe, who was to prove a
factor in the undoing OF the cattle men.
At thi, time it was estimated that 500 cattle
could be supported on $40 acres of grass. Alb
solutely no care was taken for the preservation
of the ranges, no rent was paid and it WAS be.
lieved that they were inexhaustihle. The
stockmen in the goodness of their hearts toll
Grated the presence of the shcepmen, whose
tlocks began to cover the edges of the ranges,
where the grass was shorter. But still all
might have been well had not the great year Of
prosperity which made them so much money
proved their undoing. The country was opened
for settlement by the Texas and Pacific Rail
road in 1888. Owners of tracts of land in
Texas took advantage of the opportunities
thus offered to visit their property and finding
the cattlemen in possession took steps either to
secure the ground or get a rental for 1t. About
the railroad stations, little settlements sprung
up, and the hester or the man with the hoe,
made his appearance. The latter cared moth
ing for the sueeulent grasses, but rp,rotorred to
demanded the privilege Of locating where he
pleased, and the ranchmen resented his intru.
sion. They adopted fencing as a method of re-.
s%trlcting him, as well as providing some protec-
tion to their ranges. The %''nester" resented
this and cut the fences. This led to disturb
cattle men and the 'nestcrs:' The great evil.
though. was overstocking., In 1ss2 the ranch
ers began to realize that the days of free grass
ami water were drawing TO an end. Railroads
were about to be built. and the'counties opened
for settlement. In order to make the most
money in the shortest time they began to stock
more stock sent the price up. This, coupled
with a sudden increase in the demand for
the fever Of speculation spread to all parts Of
This country and even to f.urope. Those who
had stock on hand and sold it realized enor-
nous profits. Old men, middle-aEcd men, and
young men, representing every sphere of life,
were eager to give up enterprises with which
they were familiar to go into the COW business.
Every state in the: United States was repre-
RvarN Cn1lntV in the Stltp rppngniZnl uA al nrk
country Englishmen, Scotchmen.. and. indeed,
men from most OF the countries Of Europe were
rushing to get n fOOthOld, range right, and
herds OF cows to make them rich in a hurry.
AS prices went up the demand for money be,
vanced until lie to ? per cent. q month was re,
rardsd as the standard rate;
overstocking of the ranges. Herds of cows
were doubled and the ranges were quickly eaten
Permanently injured, If not indeed ruined. One
cattle man wen. to:Fort Worth, Tex, in 1882 &c
frankly admitted that he did not own a foot OF
the land. but insisted that he had a right to use
100000 acres on which he was holding $1,000
head of cattle. He did not: secure a sale and
held his herd through the winter of .lsS2-s3
Owing to the severe weather in the folIowinp
spring he was able to round up only aboul
10000 head. To increase his receipts he added
TO his herd, ovcrstocked his range, made no pro
vision for winter feed and provided no shelter
for his stock. As a consequence he was forced
The winter OF 1888 paved the way for tn,
collapse of the stock business in 1854. Durinl
the summer of lSS2 the ranges were eaten bare
and no feed having been provided for the win
ter, when the Billiards came the stock suffered
greutIy and died OF by thousands. The follow
ing spring their bones lay bleaching all over til,
range. From this blow The business did not ro
cover and the collapse came In 1884. BY thi
time the range was :artly ruined, and Wher
len years before 300 cows could he maintainet
on every square mile, the capacity had bcel
diminished until ten acres to a cow were neceE
sary. This year also marked the beginning o
the end of range rights. With tho railrOa,
came the "nsster,' the man with the hoe; an,
with him came the owner, or agent, of the land
up to that time held rent free by the COW men
Disputes over titles and boundary lines fol
lowed, but II was really a fight over a crust
The best grass was gone and with every cLss q
stock a drug on the market nj the lowest price
ever known, il was difficult for any one TO max
stock raising profitable.
This overwhelming of tho ranges has cor
tinued year after year, and. the-rOntnman ht
been assisted In his work of destruction by Tn
prairie dog and the Jack rabbit. In the opinion
OF many experienced stock raisers OF centro
Texas the injury is almost beyond repair. Rest
L.. H. nn.a ,.,lI pp.utIF hglI IL Itt n Npil -