The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-02-13
|THe EFFECT ON LIVE STOCK
LOSSES WILL NOT BE SO HEAVY As
IN FORMER YEARS.
condition. Have Materially Chnnucd
since the Great Blissnrd OF
1ssS.s0 Caused Devastation.

4 II il pogsible that up In the Panhandle
(, tho high table lands of the plains In
,he northwestern part Of the State there
may be severe losses In indiyiduai herus
here and there, where the owner has been
dereict in taking the necessary precautions
for the feed and care of his stock, put III /
the mountainous timbered and prushs
country In the western and southwestern
mart of the state there Is little to fear IN
the way of a general "die up from such
i, blizzard MS has prevailed. Had It been
accompanied by rain or sleet driven by !
high wind the result would have been far
more fatal but even then, the great ele-
ment of danger that has always been re-
sponslble for the heavy mortality tne
| drifting of cattle, Is entirely absent unuer
| the present system Of ranching wncre cat,
| tie are divided into small herds, cncioseu
| In we'll fenced pastures, each one proViueu
4 with its own water supply OF wen soi tam
| or running stream, and with tne weak gay A'
| lie carefully gathered every few days ana
| placed on n system of rough feeding. THIS
| is the system OF ranching In vogue IN
| TEXAS today as against the free grass, open
| range system of 1SS5-S6, when cattle Weio
herded in immense droves and would oiten
drift before the blizzard for nunnreu
miles, trampling one another unuer loo.
and growing weaker and weaker with every
step. a.,
1t is not to be supposed that even IN
South and Southwest Texas after sucn an
unusual winter as has been experienced,
stock interests will escape without an II
creased percentage of loss. There are al
ways people who will persist in placing
their entire trust in Providence ana re-
fuse to help themselves. But 1t must be
said to the credit of the stockmen oil the
Southwest that they have been equai u
the emergency this winter. Warned before
hand of the probability of winter OF I'M
usual severity they have taken precautions
lin the way of the feeding and care OIL
their stock on scale never before UNDER
taken In Texas and they have now before
Them ample evidence of the wisdom OF
their course. A new factor that has been
of wonderful advantage in this connection
has been the prickly pear burner, an IN
genius device that at Slight cost mas
made IL possible to readily convert
t enormous quantities of this excellent stock
food into a condition to be fed to cattle,
: and which in sections where grass has been
t short, has largely supplied the deficiency.
t Speaking on the subject of the probable
effect upan cattle of the present cold
stockman of San Antonio, who had some
experience with the blizzard of 1885,
A said:
"There is no possibility for any such
loss this year as compared with that OF
. 1855 So for the reason that the business In
= every phase is conducted in more con-
servatlye and careful manner. The grass
this winter is better; and the condition OF
The cattle as to flesh is such as to make
them better prepared to Withstand the
billiards. Water is more Plentiful, there
i being hundreds of wells now to one then;
N..l o.,
water and grass, ] would consider water
e the most necessary to the life OF the stock
:. The present cold spell is quite different
' from that of 1S85-S6 While the present
Q winter is no doubt equally as cold. at the
same time it is dry. while in 1885 the
weather continued cold, sleety, rainy and
snowy. do not think the present winter
: will begin to compare with that of 1sS5-S6
d as to It's serious effects upon cattle.
81 do not think cattlemen will ever again
= suffer repetition of the losses of 1SS5-S6,
q as the country is now pretty generally
n pastured, which will prevent cattle from
- drifting, as there is not enough cattle in
any one pasture to enable them to drift
and owners are prepared to secure feed for
their cattle at present. even If 1t is neces-
: sary to haul seventy-fve to one hundred
II miles. whereas in 1886 feed was not OBJ
IT taineble. Cattle were handled in big
d lunches In 1886 and with no fences. were
n Rio Grande. The most of the deaths in
ii 1886 were caused by cattle drifting. caus-
q ing cattle to become weaker and weaker,
E. until they were finally worn out. In that
year along the Santa Fee railroad fence,
from Dodge City Kan, to Trinidad, Colo,
10 on the north side, / saw dead cattle piled
up from one end to the other.
Such loss as there is likely to be this
winter, will be principally animals in
he pregnancy, as they are naturally the
* weakest and less able TO Withstand the
N severe weather. but do not believe the
loss OF cattle this winter can possibly be
anything like that of 1Ss5-S6 The losses
in 1886 amounted to about so per cent.
Throughout this section, unless condi-
II tions become very much worse than they
have been, do not apprehend any serious
We loss. as stockmen are generally feeding
I'd and caring for their cattle"
i REPORTS AS TO LIVE STOCK.
G. Carmne Texas, February 1l.-Stock il
to suffering greatly.
OF sherman, Texas February 1e-All stool
has suffered severely.
Tyler. Texas, February 12--Cattle arc suf
i, fering greatly and many VIII die.
n Caldwell. Texas, February 1.-The cat
:, lie in this county have suffered greatly
!, Lampasas, Texas, February 11-No Sc
:, rious damage has resulted 10 cattle yet
in age 10 stock on the range is sure to re
~ suit.
q Luling, Texas. February H. Much fea
20 is entertained for stock running on tn
~ range
ty Rogers. Texas. February 11,-Cattle will
"a suffer soon unless the weather moderate
y considerably.
b. Gidtings, Texas, February ia con
y tinuation OF such weather will do cattl
ct great damage 1850
re seaauin. Texas, February Ii.-cattie ar
is OF feed for them. - -
TO Mckinney, Texas. February 12.--Is is b,
~ y, mesea unsleltered stock on the range liz
nj Terrell Texas, February I-stocb Ii.
nv sunergd TO some extent, but shelter has Ice
Nv provided In mes, Gates.
&c Grspeland. Texas. February iI.--cattlc nj
is sunei ng greatly and II the cold continue
I'd much longer many will die.
he Lanlpasas, Texas. February 1e--Last uigl
was the eoldest ever known here Therrnon
"a etsr below zero. Cattle arc suffering.
~ Raeaultv Texng Eatrttnrx, 10 .,,, -, a.