Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-03
They Are in General Use in the
Southern Provinces.
MANY GOOD POINTS In THEIR FAVOR
Easily Managed and Able to Do
an Immense Amount of Work.
HOW THEY ARE CARED FOR

the Black sea You will have the northern
boundary Of the region in which camels
are usually employed. In the two southern
districts of our province, where l have
often seen camels at work in the fields, the
climate is still pretty severe, for, although
in midsummer the Centigrade (Celsius)
thermometer often stands for weeks at 80
degrees above zero. the snow lies pretty
deep tone 10 three freU. from the end of
November till the end of February. and in
January froSts as severe as - OF 30 degrees
(centgradej below zero are by no means
rare. Generally speaking. the climate IS
continental in character, dry hot in sum-
mer and cold in winter: sharp changes IN
spring and autumn very frequent Wheat
fiourishes under these conditions (unless
destroyed by severe drouth or locusts) but
maize Is not cultivated: tobacco Is grown,
bIt We have no vineyards.
From this / think cameiS will thrive in
California unless the climate is too moist
CImels easily support any degree of heat
or cold. but they suCCumb to damp, devel-
Oping whole string of diseases peculiar to
that animal In general. | must say the
camel is very healthy animal, infinitely
more So than the horse or the OK. You can
work him in snow, in brOiling heat. in
burning sand, OF in a freezing slush and
miTe-onIy you must that he has a dry
place II lie down on. both for mis- midday
Journey goods are carried in carts or
sledges drawn by cameis for hundreds of
miles hersl. men that care for their beasts
usually make bonfires of straw and brush
wood when they have to camp out. and let
the camelS lie down on the warm ashes.
This is not necessary in the hot and dry
season. but is excellent in spring and au-
tumu.
Feeding and Watering.
Games are generally fed at evening, after
the days work is over. and during the mid
day rest. One can choose other hours. but
he must stick to them. The camel is a
beast that takes habits. and if you aCcus-
tom him TO have a rest and food, say from
l. 70 > 2. m. ne will never let you forget 1t.
Whether a field work or drawing load. at
l. precisely ne will strike work, and, lying
down. refuse to move Till ,, and nothing
short of lighting a fire under him can make
him start. AT pm. he will be ready for
work again. Camels are watered early in
the morning. and after work in the evening,
or even only once in the twenty-fOur hours
On an emergency they can go without wa
ter for three OF four days without any bad
results. like horses. they must never be wa
tered when hot from work. Unlike asses,
they Will drink any water. In the matter
of food they are UNNECESSARILY more eco
nomical than any other animal. and, al
though they will thrive all the better for
bundle of good hay and a few pounds of
oats -four to SKI. yet they can live and
work nothing but the coarsest kinds of
straw and hay OF grasses that no horse
would touch. like thistles. burlOCks, prickiy
weeds and thOrny bushes-the drier the bet
ter. Marshy meadows and rank, soft
grasses are the worst for camels.
4 nrver-failing index TO the camels con-
dition is his hump Tor humps, which is
nothing but bag OF skin filed out with
lat. and which plays the part of store-
house So long as the humps are firm and
sand up. You may be sure your camel is
IN good condition: whenever the humps in
u sns4 or i,aur
down his back the camel is in need of bet
ter noUrishment. have often seen camels
especially IN spring. 50 emaciated that
their humps looked like a fold of skin and
were quite empty Certainly the animal
becomes qus;e weak then and cannot work
You can easily make your camel regain
strength and flesh in a very few days by
the following curious process universally
employed in the steppes): You melt four or
five pounds of tallow or grease over a slow
fire. let it cool down TIL it is lukewarm. and
then pour Il down the camel's throat or,
better. through it's. notrils Repeat the
process in a day or two. and that is all
His humps will rapidly fill. and the beast
BE- ready for any work within a week or
miristered In this way whenever you see
the humps falling. will keep your animals
In excellent condition.
Mild and Afectionate.
The camels need no particular care; their
wool or fleece is shorn once a year in the
spring and has a marketable value. They
can he penned like sheep but they hate
confinement. and they must not be stalled.
but kept Cand that only in the severest win
Ter weeks in large shed or barn where
they are free to move. A dry yard, with a
1oof at one end for shelter is the best
Thing all the year round. CameIs never
feed in packs. and will go roaming apart
over all the field they can get but they
will let YOU come up ard catch them when
& Yer wish. Their character iS 4
anrciionate. more like sheep than any
other animal: they are afraid of strangers
ana resent bad usage. but they will follow
q friendly hand like dogs. They very soon
become attached to their masters and are
so Ohedient that here you scarcely ever see
but a simple halter used to lead
theih' though IN the steppes the animals
are usually noSe-ringed (bits are never
used. Or rather a short stick is passed
through the cartilage Of the nose, with a
cord attached TO II. which serves as a rein
l ne harness Is a simple broad collar of felt
ana sacklng- bearing against the hump
ana kept in place by a breaStpiece and
bellyband- This collar is usually never
taken off during the working season: the
" hen necessary
Camels are used for riding drawing cars
Tlows- reaping machines. mowers etc, They
can De harn.ssed together with horses and
even oXeE They are especially useful with
the reapers and mowers. because of their
strength and stride. Working with horses
theE VIII keep step with them, but used
separately. can be made to walk much
faster In carts or under saddle they can
riot or amble very fast. and for distances
mat no horse would like. The SINGLE
humped breed (dromedariesD are the swift
est ana strongest Camels live to the age
o. thirty or forty years. and can be worked
NHtu they are three or four years old
! hs!r strength varies according TO the
breed and individual: the doubIe-humned
Cor Bactriam camels are generally much
less II size. and full grown beast will
ara" tower natural roads that is ruts
mir ttHp on an average a load of about
i-'Th pounds in single harness. The single
huinped camel is taller. better built and
inIch faster. they draw about y ODD poun5s
IL the road is not too bad. Il am snaakinc
OF fanny good bcastD Pure bred sinrIs1
bumped camels (dromedaries) are scareaIv
ever used Tor farm work They are usa5
Tor rldlng and caravans. and are swift ard
strong but not by any means so hardy az
the different crosses. They are bronpbt
from Chiva. Turkestan, etc. cost a GOOD
price and are used mostly as breeding ami
mails The price Of a thoroughbred droma-
aary ranges anywhere from $50 to 500
thoroughbred Bactrian (double-humpen
eameis are also considered unfit for farm
work. being slow beasts, small in size ana
comparatively weak They could be got in
OreHbtsrk CralSk for ahout So0 70 s1z -