The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-29
NAY NOT GET /
Buffalo Jones' Plan for Big
Government Ranch Fought.
NEW MEXICO OBJECTS
Says the Indians and Buffalo
are Things of the Past.


audience. In that paper he says:
About thirty years 1 moved to the from
tier. I was poor and it became necessary
for me to join the skin hunters. l was
good shot and soon became an expert !
hired myself out to a company OF FARMERS
to shoot down buffaloes at 80 cents each.
1 was a good hand at this bloody trade,
and my bosses made money following me
UP, skinning the animals that 1 shot and
marketing their hides at 81 each. l real
lied that the work was cruel and wicked,
and many time. as l stood and looked
down into the dying eyes OF the great
mcnarchs of the plains and listened to
their groans felt like swearing off the
whole business. Next morning | would
ba awakened by the "clack! crack!' Of the
rifles all over the plain, and, concluding
that the work of determination would not
be delayed over fifteen minutes ali by my
small efforts, would again join the chase.
Even while we were killing thousands
of the noble animals each year, made
up my mind that l would one day atone
for my cuSsedness by rescuing few of
the bisons, herding them and protecting
them as best might be able This have
done. On the western plains the cowmen
and the ranchers will tell you how much
OF an effort has been necessary in order
that a few of the remaining buffaloes
might survive up to the present. l am
in Washington now to see if the American
people are ready 10 keen their faith with
the bison as they have kept 1t with the
Indian, and allow 10 the noblest animal in
the world a small portion of the hundreds
Of millions of acres Of the barren lands
that are useless for anything else.
When the Creator brought into exist
ence the midcontinent of North America,
with its raging storms, bowling blizzards,
seorching siroccos, and made the great
American desert, where the water and
the grass are but scant, he also brought
into existence the only animal in the
world perfected for living there-the
ages to bring w this wonderful animal
and to fit him for existence in his De
culiar home. How dreadful then, is 1t
to realize that through the cupidity and
wastefuIness of mankind millions of buff
faloes have been in short time-thirty
years-almost exterminated!
Any one who has seen a herd Of cattle
grazing knows they run all over the fields
cropping a mouthful of grass here and
there and tramping down more than they
eat. Moreover, they bite off at first only
the portion of the grass which bears the
seed and afterward return to eat it nearer
the roots. But herd of bisons line up
almost like soldiers, about eight feet
-. =
and grass as he goes, but leaving te-
tween himself and his neighbor a strip
of four feet of grass, which serves by
the next year to seed the land over which
he has eaten. So each year the plains
over which the buffaloes roamed were
covered with fresh, luxuriant grasses, To-
day, after twenty-five years Of cattle pas
turage, 1t requires just twice as many
acres of land to support an animal as it
formerly did
Year after year it has been demonstrat-
native range cattle. Diseases are in
creasing, pasturage is decreasing, and a
larger percentage of loss comes annually
to our cattle growers. Texas fever is as
fatal as ever, while tuberculosis has in
creased at an alarming rate in the last
decade; and the blackleg and the mango
are so destructive that many animals
which do not die in the summer and fall
are so weakened by the disease that they
perish in the winter billiards. The bunch
and gramma grasses-the two great an
hual grasses of the plains-have hereto
fore produced the bulk of our meat.
and weeds and obnoxious plants have
These have almost entirely disappeared,
sprung I'D instead to take their places.
Why such rapid changes? Only a few
years ago millions of bisons subsisted on
these vast plains. Today a comparatively
small number Of native cattle strive des-
perately TO exist. When Nature revolts,
mankind might do well to halt and con-
slider her protests.
Turn to the bison What do we find?
An animal perfectly trained to take ev-
cry advantage of his environments. His
instinct surDasses that OF the shrewdest
ranchman-because for ages he main
tanned himself where the cattle of the
ranchmen are now dying. I have spoken
of his habit of leaving seed grass. There
is no waste grass left on the four feet
I SWAIN WHICH tllC duliildl cuts III q.
The herd rise ~ dawn and commence
to Craze. When flied they start for the
trail led usually by an old COW, who
gives the signal for starting by sounding
a grunt not unlike that of q hog. only
much louder. The remainder of the herd
drop in behind, following exactly in her
footprints until they reach the path
which leads them TO their drinking place
This path never exceeds twelve inches in
width 1t is the same path along which
the ancestors OF these bufTaloes have
Travelled for countless ages.
The buffalo never yields 10 disease. He
IS clean In his domestic habits, and IN
| consequence always drinks pure water,
eats clean, fresh grass. does net besmear
himself with filth. and consequently never
suffers from any OF the skin diseases
common TO domestic or range cattle His
| thick underfur and the ''Dantalets' which
, cover his legs make him unaware OF the
existence OF flies in summer and allow
him 70 fstten where domestic cattle grow
thin and die on account of these pests.
When winter comes he adds an additional
robe OF fur to his robe OF tat, and, turn
ing his head to the Storm. eats quietly
along to the front 81 the face ef the
1ercest blizzard that ever blew
| There are many small traits Of ths buf-
falc thai are lacking In cattle. The buff
falc COW never allows her calf 70 Be de-
stroyed BY the eoyote. The buTaloss
never nire II swamos CT pools. as 50
many cattle do. When they ind tha,
| they arc becoming stuck they throx
| themselves On their sides and Swim or
paddle ;hroagh the mud as would hog
/ IN spsingtins they curry themselves by
rolling in wallows, made in the hard.
dry clay. thus removing their winter coats
ard los.Ssrtn, M shatr sks-,-