The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-06
ARE FAST FILLING UP
SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE
COMPLETED THEIR QUOTAS.
Edward o'Flaherty Formerly of Salt
Lake, Is Acting Adjutant of the
Twenty-ninth at Camp Meade
Discourse On Raising Sheep For
Mutton By Charles F. Curtiss.
(special Correspondencel


states volunteer infantry. The work of
forming this regiment was delayed some
what, ana the first recruits seemed TO come
slowly; But since that time the reports
from Fort Logan and the various tenn
porary recruiting stations have been ex-
ceIIent, and the Thirty-fourth now stands
Wei up in the lists of regiments approach
ing completion. 1t will, however not be
among the first to leave the country as
there are two other new regiments which
nave completed their enlistments.
There was close race in this respect
between the Twenty-ninth, recruited at
Camp Meade and having several of the
eastern . states for its territory and the
Thirty-frst, which was assembled at
camp Ihomas, KY, and was drawn from
the states on the Ohio river. The Thirty
flrst completed its quota two days before
the IWenty-ninth, and the Thirtieth form
ed at Fort Sheridan, Chicago, is now re-
ported as certain to be the next to be
completed.
The department expects to allow about
sixty days for the completion of each regi-
ment for drill tactics and experience in
camp life. The completed regiments, be-
lore spoken of, are expected 10 start for
san Francisco by Oct. l. 1t is estimated
at the war department that the Thirty
fourth Will reach the Preside about a
month later than the Twenty ninth and
expedited by reports from the command
ing officers as to the efficiency of the regi-
ment or by eXigencies which might arise
IN the Philippine war.
Inc crack Regiment.
1t can be said that the Thirty-fourth is
expected to be the crack regiment of the
new volunteer service. All reports which
have been received here as to its compost
ZION have been highly complimentary, and
1t Is believed that the organization will
SpIendidly uphold the noble record made
by the mountain volunteers whom it sue
ceedS in the Philippines.
Speaking of the Twenty-ninth regiment
reminds that one of its officers is Edward
O'Flaherty. formerly of Salt Lake. He
is a first lieutenant of Company A, but
has been acting as adjutant. He was the
first officer to report for duty to Colonel
Bell and therefore the very first recruit
in the completed regiment. He writes to
friends here that the new men sing all the
old songs around the camp fires. ''as we
did the night before San Juan. They are
contenteds and hopeful of famous cam
paign in 1uZon. The men look like reg
ulars."
Montana Last to Leave.
1t appears that the Montana regiment
will be the last one of the mountain vol
unteer regiments to leave the islands. This
regiment has been among the heaviest los
ers in the insular campaign, and would
seem TO be entitled to an early home-com-
ing. But its departure from the islands
has been governed by its time of arrival,
which, being later than those from neigh
boring states, has procrastinated its re-
tirement from the islands.
One result of this circumstance will be
to give the Montana regiment much long
er actual war service than any of the
other mountain volunteers, and presuma-
bly, bring her list of losses up close to
the top list of regiments from those
states.
1t is supposed that the Nebraska regi-
ment will be shown to have suffered the
most loss of anysofs them, and Montana
will not be far behind her. particularly If
her men remain through the entire rainy
season in the trenches. 1t is certain they
will not sail before Sept. 1.
Raising Sheep For Mutton.
Charles +. Curtiss discusses Raising
Sheep For Mutton in the current Farm
ers bulletin, issued by the department of
agriculture. 1t says:
The territory west of the Tooth meri-
dian, known as the range. is rapidly be-
coming the great breeding ground. for
sheep. Already this locality is producing
about One-half of the total number of
sheep in the United States. During the
past few years sheep have been rapidly
crowding the cattle off the northern por-
ton of this range territory, and 1t is quite
generally recognized that the range cattle
industry is gradually disappearing. except
in the southern section.
while this territory is favorable to the
natural conditions Will not permit of the
production of sufficient feed to properly
fatten and finish the stock grown there.
The finishing cansonly be done by drawing
on the surface rain crops of the upper
Mississippi valley states. This has been
largely practiced during the past few
years, owing to the shortage of good feed
ing stock in the farming sections. the
surplus of grain products and prevailing
low prices. On this account there is a
general interest in the character and feed
ing value of the sheep raised on the
range.
Value of Range Feed.
I'm order to compare the feeding value
of this class of sheep with the native bred
mutton sheep. a carload Of 252 head was
obtained by the Iowa Experiment station
in the fall of 1896. They were especially
selected for the experiment near Las CRU
ces. n. NJ, by a prominent firm of Chi
cago commission merchants
1.-The range lambs averaged only about
half as much gain per head daily as the
pure-bred mutton lambs. This. marked
difference is mainly due to the fact that
the western sheep. reared under semi
arid conditions and scanty vegetation.
have only about one-half as much diges-
tive capacity as our larger breeds, ac-
customed TO more liberal feeding. In this
experiment the range lambs consumed
more feed dry matter for pound OF
gain than those of mutton breeds. The
rations were somewhat different, how
ever. and this variation probably ac-
sumed for given gain, as their ration
consisted more largely of hay and con-
tanned a larger percentage or indlgesu-
bic matter.
Gain of Wyoming Sheep.
"A lot of ten northern range bred
parison with the mutton breeds. and it
was found that. while they consumed
less feed than the pure
breds and gained only an average of OBJ
of a pound per head daily while the NUT
ton breeds gained an average of 0.53. this
gain was made at the rate of one pound
for each 6.S pounds of feed consumed
while the average for the others was one
pound for each 7.25 pounds of feed con-
sumed; consequently they produced this
gain even q little more economically than
the lambs of the improved mutton breeds.
This result may seem somewhat con-
trary to the generally accepted doctrine
a principle of feeding which has been
quite clearly established is that animals
of pure breeding are not capable of
rendering much. if any. higher returns
for a given amount of feed than the So
called scrub or native unimproved
stock. This matter seems TO be governed
by the powers of digestion which are not
modified by artificial condi-
tons. The chief value of improved blood
lies in the capacity of higher excellence
of finished product and corresponding
ly higher selling value. Similar results
have also been obtained at other expert
ment stations where feeding tests have
been carefully conducted.
Superior Lambs For Feeding.
at has sometimes been asserted that
some of the native unimproved lambs are
superior for feeding purposes and mutton
production to the improved mutton |
breeds. This conclusion probably had its
origin in the fact that the Mexican and |
other types of range bred lambs have at |
times been quoted as high and in some !
instances little higher. than any other |
lambs on the market. This is due TO
other reasons. however, and does not
iffstffy tho conclusion that NO M q