The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-27

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An exodus Of cattle from the south
western corner Of Utah has begun
which may excite serious apprehension
and cause Alarm The lack of rain for
practically eighteen months in Wash.
ington.s Kane and Iron counties in Utah
and Gavapai and Moilave. counties in
Arizona has caused alarm among the.
stock raisers that has developed, into
a rapid movement of cattle and horses
to markets.
The stock raisers of these counties in
the southwestern part of Utah and the
northwestern part of Arizona have
come to the conclusion that unless they
ship their cattle at once they will have
none to ship next spring. Many herds
have come already more are coming
and it IS possible that most of the cat
tie will BE out before the rigors of win
ter begin and feed becomes a thing of
months ago.
A Parched Waste.
The drouth has been disastrous, the
hillsfdes are parcheG. the valleys are.
black and barren. the bunch grass is
burned till there is no covering TO the
dry and hardened soil. No grass came
during the past spring and summer, be-
cause there was no rain. Instead of
bunch grass inches high on which cat
tie and sheep might feed all fall and
winter and until it came again in the
spring there is an arid waste. There
is practically no grass, CATTLE are now
feeding upon shrubbery. the buds and
leaves Of trees in unprotected valleys.
They have grown thin so that they
will not be able to stand the rigors of
the coming winter.
This is the story given Bishop James
Andrus of st. George, who has already
shipped 900 head of his cattle and will
return today for the remainder. He be-
lieves that unless he got his cattle out
at once he would have few head to
bring next year.
Waited For a Rain.
1--WE have waited long for the rain to
come" said he yesterday, "but it has
not come Since July, when we had a
light sprinkle, hardly more than suffi-
Gent to lay the dust there has been no
rain. The country is burned up. There
is no feed 1t is useless to think about
keeping cattle UP this winter and feed
ing hay, for that is already $40 per ton
in St. George with chances of its going
higher Anyway there is not enough
hay at any price to feed the cattle in
our country.
All through Kane and Washington
and Iron counties there is no grass.
nothing but the hard, dry, rocky soil
and lava beds bare Of vegetation. Here
tofore when it rained the water has !
settled out in the plains and about it .
thick luXuriant grass has grown, which |
splendid feed for cattle. They. !
coming down from the mountains, (
found these places and grew fat. But |
when they go, down now they find no (
water and no grass.
Gathering Up Cattle.
''The cattle left in the country are /
feeding in the mountain valleys on I
shrubhery and in hooks and corners i
where the sun has not penetrated to /
pareh the ground. They are being gath .
cred in just as fast as men can get I
them UP. They have strayed over the ;
hills and wandered far away looking
for feed until it is difficult job to /
find them. But the large growers have :
men out hunting their cattle and they
are making shipments as fast as the
herds come in.
1.-THE big cattle dealers such as Cut
Ter & Jolly Of Kanab, who had about
!, GOO head, the Pipe Spring Cattle COM =
pany, which had about 1000 head. Muir
lock e. FaFnswortl& with 800 to 1000
head and William Mansfield with 500 =
to eco head, have already made big /
and they have not great
many cattle Ieft- Inc s2ma1nQeF Will
be sent out Just as fast as they can be
gathered off the ranges.
We must drive our cattle to the rail-
cad 125 and 40 miles from different
'anges in the southwestern end Of the
state. Feed is so scarce along the route
hat the cattle must be driven in easy
stages and places for them to feed must
,e picked out At one time we could
lrive without trouble and there was
plenty of feed along the route, but now
We must hunt valleys and hiIlsides
where there is green foliage. The ami
nails are not in a good condition when
We. reach the railroad
Il don't think that many sheep will
re- driven out Because they can find feed
,etter than cattle and they will be able
o scrape through the winter"
Bishop Andrus said that there were
In all 10000 or $4,000 head of
attle in the southwestern corner of the
tate which would be sent out. He was
that the cattle which re-
NAMED would perish during the win
er. Up to the present time there has
leen no loss by deaths.