Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-25
70 PROTECT BUFFALO
Secretary Wilson Sends Letter
to the Senate in Regard to
Their Protection.
Bill Has Been introduced in
Congress to Set Aside
Bison Preserve.
Only a Few Full Blood Bison
Now in Existence in
America.

Washington, Feb o5.-Secretary Will
son of the agricultural department has
addressed letter to the senate, in COM
pliance with a resolution. discussing the
ACCESSIBILITY of preserving the Buffalo
or American bison from extinction. Mr.
Curtis of Kansas has introduced bill
in the house to set apart a preserve for
American bison of 100000 acres in Eddy
county. New Mexico, for the purpose of
experimenting in the crossing of bison
with domestic cattle. A similar bill is
pending in the senate. Buffalo" Jones
claims to have successivlye accomplish
ed this cross breeding With his pri
vate herd, and the name "cataloe' has
been given to the breed. In his letter
to the senate the secretary of agricul
ture says:
THE American bison is on the verge
of determination. Scarcely a handful
now remains of the millions which for
merly roamed over the plains of the
west. SO far as the department is
aware, only two small herds of the wild
buffalo are in existence in the United
States, one in Yellowstone Park, the
other in lost Park, Colorado. In the last
autumn several of the latter herd We're
killed and, while the department has
no recent information as to the exact
number of animals in these herds at the
present time, it has reason to believe
~, v,ll.1 ~. NO
coed twenty-five and the Lost Park
herd eight or ten individuals. There are
no wild buffalo in Canada, except in
the Peace river country, where n few
woodland buffalo, believed to be a diff
erent species from our plains buffalo,
still exist. A few buffalo have been do
mesticated and half domesticated.
in addition to the small herds in
geological parks and in the hands of
private individuals there are three inn
portant herds; the Corbin herd on the
game preserve of the Blue Mountain
Forest association in New Hampshire,
the Allard herd on the Flathead Indian
reservation in Montana and the Good
night herd Containing about seventy
fullblood animals and about 100 cross
Allard and Goodnight herds consist in
part of cross breeds, known as "cata-
loes,' obtained by crossing buffalo bulls
with domesticated cows, c. j. Jones, the
originator of this breed, states that he
has succeeded in crossing the buffalo
with almost all the different breeds of
cattle, but that he considers the Gallo.
way and the Polled Angus the best for
this purpose.
Recent information indicates that
the Allard herd is being broken. Thirty
five animals were sold last year, and
many others within the last few
months. If the government could ac-
quire possession of these buffalo they
might be placed on some reservation
under competent management and, if
properly protected, could be preserved
Unless this Is done there
is little or no hope of maintaining the
herd in it's entirety. So far as known
the Goodnight herd is not for sale, but
has several times been pre-
scented congress regarding the reserva-
ton of certain public lands in New
Mexico for their preservation. Under
proper restrictions this plan might re-
suit in perpetuation of the herd for
some years. Should the government
acquire possession of considerable
of fullblooded animals, 1t is
possible that the absolute determination
of the species might be long delayed
To avoid danger of destruction by cpl
denlic diseases and deterioration by
to close in-breeding, the government
herd should be divided and kept in at
least two widely separated localities.
This would admit of interchange of
blood when necessary"