Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1900-05-04
WILD HORSES MUST GO.
catuemen nsd sheepmen hSnoUcsiL.
ing water and ps..tUrEeSe.

Gradually, but surely, tie great
herds Of range horses on the interior
, plains OF Washington. Idaho and Mon
tana ara being driven to the wail. Sev-
eral causes are woil:ipg together TO
depopuiate the bunch grass ranges Of
Tie vast herds OF wild horses tnat have
hitherto roamed there. Briefly stated,
SAYS the San Francisco Chronicle,
these causes are the increased demand
for lrrigable lands by settlers and the
purchase or lease, followed by fencing.
Of great areas Of range lands by cattle
men aud steepmen. The latter are
swiftly fencing IN the springs, creeks
anal bonds that form the water sources
which are vital to range industry.
! Those facts denote II new era III the de-
vclopment of western sheep and cattle
raising, increasing production and put
ting the industry on a more solid basis.
Il ends the indiscriminate pasture re
OF cattle. sheep and horses oVeI I'M
inense areas OF the acknowledgements.
1t means the combining Of the cattle
ana sheep to lands that can be acqulr
cd, fenced and made more productive
aud the general extinction Of the
horses. The inter are being moved off
the rnngcs by the tens of thousands.
Those left are forced to exc out pre-
earionS existence on the dry pasture
lands left by the cattle aud sheep herd
ers. where they may die Of thirst in
t the summer or staive to death III the
| winter. with no one 10 mourn their
end.
| While the cattle AMI sheep men have
In effect combined against their com
mon enemy, the range horses, 1t Is no
less true that cattemen loO., askance
at the steadily increasing numbers OF
sheep pastnrrd in the open range coun-
Try. For. while the natural increase Of
the bands of sheep is rapid. tens Of
thousands more have been moved to
the northwest from California. The
sheep are profitable from the first year,
since tho two principal crops, lambs
ana wool, coming in May and June are
salable within tho fiscal year, Willie the
| herds of cattle must be maintained
three or four years before profitable re-
turns are possible. 1t Ia due to this
fact that c3ttiemen commenced pur.
| Ni'hoiiib gnu l'ii'liE tilt iH''At
several years ago. aud the sheepmen,
as matter of self protection, have fol-
| lowed suit. The need and demands Of
the sheep, on for wider pasturagc have
caused the Industry and It's custom of
occupying the open ranges to be Off
cially recognized by the United States
government in its measures for pclic-
Ing and protecting the great forestry
reserves recently set apart In Washing
ton and Oregon. The govcrnmcnts
primary object Is to prevent forest
fires which greatly iniurc the water,
sheds. on condition that they use the
utmost prccnntion to prevent any fires
the sheepmcn are permitted to drive
their bands into the rich pasture lands
on the mountain slopes of these re.
serves The forest supervisors have
divided the reserves into districts fol
the various bands. the limits being
marked 10y streams, ridges and other
natural boundaries. Several million
sheep Will be pastEred IN the reserves
of Washington alone this summer
While sheep are high in price the In
dustry Will continue to flourish, ana IL
any event for many years to come i'm
mense bands Of cattle and sheep vii
no doubt continue to occupy the grea
northw estcrn ranges.