Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-02-16

fact that most Of the sheep were IN
good condition aud were not crowded
around the water holes and springs, as
they could get all the moisture they
wanted from the snow.
BIG LOSSES IN IDAHO.
sheepmen generally are getting wor-
rled over the deep snow and continued
cold weather. From Shoshone, Ida,
comes the word that unless sudden
and prompt thaw sets In that the losses
viii he exceptionally heavy among the
nockmasters, heavier, in fact than they
have ever been In q bad season
The sheepmen are reluctant TO talk,
but Il is asserted that sheep are dying
at the rate OF from 200 20 1000 a day
Of cold and starvation along the Snake
river range which has been covered
with snow for two months Under the
effect of alternate frost and thaw the
entire range is covered with a sheet OF
ice with more snow on top which makes
II Impossible for the animals to break
Trough and get feed.
The railroad company has put In q
special rate on grain in order TO save
the situation, but corn at 81 Il hundred
IS an item that was not looked for by
the sheepmen.
There are said to be 100000 sheep
wintering on this range from Bannock,
Blaine and Fremont counties alone,
ard Just what the outcome viii be IS
hard to estimate.
SAME DISCOURAGING STORY.
From all over the west comes the
same story. From Nebraska right
through to Idaho II Is the same All
ranges are deeply covered with semi
frozen snow and the cattle and sheep
are starving and dying off In thous-
ands After the last heavy storm even
the sage brush in many places Is mri-
ca and the sheep are stalled. Where
Il IL possible the hockmasters are feed
ing their flocks, but this is an expen-
siye operation that eats away the pro-
fits Then, too. the sheep that are be-
ing fed on alfalfa hay are, In number
ow Instances, developing the scours IN
q fashion that thlns them down and
carries them off nearly as fast as II
they were starving Where the hay
s being distributed the old story OF the
survival Of the fttest Is being enacted
with the weaker animals going to the
wall or rather, snowbank.
Among the stories told Is one by l..
q, Leonard, livestock agent for the
Missouri Pacific, who states that some
cattlemen I'm the Shoshone district are
shooting their stock in isolated dis
tTicts IN order TO put them out OF their
mistery and save their hides. Out on
the desert on the Nevada line condi-
tions are said to be about he same al
though reports are meager from that
Isolated section. In some instances
rheepmen are hauling hay TO their
aocks on sleds, but as one lockmaster
said. such a method is like drinking
milk with cobblers awl instead Of
spoon."
In Tooele county such methods are
being employed in order to save the
sheep
SHARP HAS NO NEWS.
Mr.. ]. c. sharp, a well known Salt
Lake sheep man said this morning that
he had received no direct news during
the present storm from his flocks hul
he shared with others the belief that
the outlook was not reassuring, ana
that there would be some heavy losses
As TO his own sheep, they were pretty
wcll provided for He had, he SAID
600 on hay and 1900 on corn south OF
Mcuntainhomo Idaho, a fact that would
take good care Of them regardless OF
the snow and cold His other iocks
we're where they would not suffer much,
ONLY USUAL LOSSES.
Mr. J. d. Wood of the Wood-Hagen-
barth Cattle company which owns over
a hundred thousand sheep and many
thousands Of head Of cattle in Idaho,
says. that thus far, they have met
with only the usual small percentage
of Losses. which are always expected.
In splte Of the deep SHOWS and the ex-
traordinarily cold weather the sheep
and cattle Of this company are In good
and Mr. Wood attributes II
to the fact that after his first few
years experience IN e business he
brought his stock to ranges in winter
which were protected by timber and
which had open water In addition to
that II Is a rule Of this company to
lay In a good stock OF feed every fall
and 20 keep their sheep and cattle well
fed which enables them to resist any
unusual hard winter such as the pres
ent has been.
LOSSES ON THE SNAKE
r. w. Farris. the well known engi-
neer OF Boise, is registered at the
Kenyon. He says he Is Informed that
the stockmen in the Snake River valley
around Shoshone and Mnidoka are
meeting with considerable losses to
their sheep and cattle this season on
account of the unusual severity Of the
winter. No definite percentage can be
given, but those who neglected TO lay
In feed and whose ranges are unpro-
tected are likely TO be considerable
losers before spring comes.