Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-30
CONDITIONS ON The RANGES
Extremely Unfavorable for Stock During the
Past Six Months.
EARLY SPRING LOSS or SIX PER CENT
Movement of Cattle from the West Is
Light Thus Far This Senson-More
Young stock Grazing Than
Year Ago.

DENVER, June 2e.-tSpecial) )-Condi
tions affecting live stock on the ranges and
ranches OF the west during the last siN
months have been extremely unfayorable
Following the unusually severe winter
came a cold and unreasonable spring. Cold
dry winds ate up the moisture from the
SHOWS as rapidly as it melted. and in some
sections no fresh grass has yet appeared
| While the season was unusually late in the
northwest. taking in Montana. Idaho, Utah
/ Wyoming and the Dakotas, and while there
was some drouth reported in this sectian
early in the season. there has recently been
sufficient rains in greater portions Of these
states to guarantee plenty OF feed, though
the grass is late in all sections That sec
! tion OF the country lying south OF line
drawn from Los Angeles, Cal. through CEN
trail Nevada and Utah and close to the
northern line of Colorado, through Rawlns,
Wyo., and then southwest taking in all of
Colorado and western Texas to the Gulf,
has been suffering from the worst drouth
known in years. Colorado and southern
| Utah and all of Arizona and New Mexico
have been almost completely without mois-
ture or rainfall since March To make mat
| ters worse, there has been constant cold,
| dry winds, which dessicated the ground.
and what little grazing there has been
| badly covered by drifting sands. In noun
tain districts, conditions have been some
what better, but the continued cold nights
far into June has not helped conditions In
the extreme east, plenty OF rainfall is re-
ported; while in the corn states OF the Mis-
| sissippi valleys an excess CT moisture has
been the rule. While these conditions have
insured an abundance of hay and pasturage,
1t has in few limited sections endangered
! the corn crop to considerable extent.
The estimated winter loss of stock, in
cluding the early spring loss of per cent,
made in a former bulletin, has not been
materially changed by later returns, in
| formation from all sections Of the west
| showing the losses TO have varied from
| to l5 per cent, per cent being considered
| a conservative estimate of the whole. Some
| indication of the number of losses may be
derived from authentic reports that $4,000
| hides have been received at Victoria, Tex;
14,5 500 at Liberal. Kan. 5000 at Las Vegas.
| N NJ. and $500 at Panhandle, Tex, during
\ the last six weeks.
| All sections report a light calf crop and
| considerable loss, owing to the cold nights
and the poor conditions of the cows. In some
portions of the Panhandle of Texas, Okla
homa, Indian Territory. New Mexico and
cause reached as high as % per cent
| Spring Movement of Cattle.
The spring movement of cattle has been
| lighter than usual. The movement from
| the south was late starting and the bulk
| of the cattle moved went to the northwest,
| the movement that way showing an in
crease over last season of fully 80 per cent,
but a falling off in the Missouri valley
H,,11, lie pn,,-
| however, is fully 10 per cent below that
| for many years prior to 1898. Prices have
ranged lower than a year ago on this class
| of cattle. The drouth in the south and
rather crowded ranges induced more liberal
selling on the close OF the season. All the
cattle moving consisted of yearlings and
| few 2-year-olds there being nothing In
| sight above those ages
The movement from the west was very
| light. This was due TO two causes. In
the first place there were less cattle in
the country 10 be moved, and in the second,
the scarcity of cattle on the Pacific coast
has made such a strong demand at home
that not only are the cattle the coast
remaining at home this season, but the
demand is drawing on the supplies in Mon
tana Idaho and Utah. The result has been
a strong demand for this class of cattle
at prices rather higher than year ago,
and the outlook for the fall is not consid-
cred good for anything like an average run.
The supply OF feeders for the fall will come
from Colorado, Utah and the Panhandle
of Texas. There will be a few feeders
from New Mexico and a few from Wyo-
ming but the first named sections will
supply the big end of the demand.
Reports from northern ranges are to the
effect that grass fat cattle will be late in
moving and will be fewer in numbers than
in previous years Estimates Of the decrease
in supply vary from 40 TO so per cent. In
eastern Colorado, western Kansas and Ne
braska, there are more young cattle graz
ing than a year ago, but few of them are
expected to be fit for beef and will rather
90 to market as feeders. All sections report
almost no steers above the age of two years,
and the bulk of the feeders are expected to
be young cattle.
sheep.
Reports as to winter losses on sheep are
rather more definite than on cattle, and in
dicate loss of from IL TO 30 per cent. Prob
ably IS per cent would be a conservative
estimate. Cold nights were bad on lambing
in nearly every section and Losses have been
heavy few sections reporting over so per
cent OF crop, and some as low as 40 per
cent Idaho, Wyoming and Montana report
most successful lamb crop; Utah only fair
New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona and the
extreme western Texas very bad. In the
southwest the drouth left so little feed for
the ewes that in many sectors the lambs
we're killed to save the mothers; and the
herds are kept alive only by cutting down
brush and young trees along dry creeks or
the foothills for them to browse upon. A
heavy loss will result to the Utah sheep
men by the action OF the government in eX-
Guiding them from forest reservations,
where heretofore they have found summer
range. They are now thrown upon the
desert which, at this season of the year,
will cause the destruction of thousands of
animals from heat and lack of water. Re-
ports from Arizona and New Mexico indi-
cate less than half lamb crop and heavy
losses in ewes. Movement OF lambs TO
feed lots from south will be late and lambs
will be poor. Western lambs will be in bet
ter demand for the feed lots than southern
stuff, owing to the fact that there has been
better feed in the northwest.