Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-20
BIG LOSS OF CATTLE.
Il Is Especially Severe Among tn.
Small Owners.

Small Owners.
The western range country is rapid
ly passing from under the winter in-
fiuence of one OF the most severe sea-
sons in the history of the range live
stock business, says the Nebraska
Farmer. The fatality in the herds and
flocks of the country is much more
general than reported. While the loss
is o extremely alarming in any par
ticular locality, there has been over
widespread areas of the range country
a larger per cent Of cattle loss than
ever before. This loss is found among
the small cattle owners in many in
stances, where in former years they
were comparatively exempt from death
loss.
The excessive snow fall over large
districts of the cattle range country,
coming as 1t did early in the season
and continuing turnout the entire wins
ter, has caused a shortage of prepared
food, and, many herds prepared with
ordinary winter supplies run short and
have starved down to a very weak
and feeble condition to enter the criti-
cal period of going onto the new grass.
In the majority of these cases the own
ers had the reputation of being care
but We're deceived in the length of the
feeding season they were TO encounter.
1t is usually estimated that there will
will not be to exceed six to eight weeks
of winter that will demand feed. When
the ground is bare, cattle, sheep and
horses will make a fairly good living
on ranges that are not closely grazed
off during the summer and fall seasons.
Such conditions accompanied with hay
for two months have been ~abundantly
sufficient for all animals, unless the
snowfall has been extensive, and stay
on the ground.
Turnout the sections of the country
that had heavy snowfalls there has
been proportionately heavy cattle loss.
The cattle owner has ceased to take
pride in selling hides or in Dragging of
his big losses. When an animal dies 1t
is quietly dragged to a secluded place
and deposited there or buried. The
public is not Informed of losses. only in
the extreme cases, such as the great
loss in Colorado early in the season,
owing to heavy snowfalls and no feed
to supply the cattle; also the more
recent loss in the Panhandle country,
south, where heavy fatality was the
result of deep SHOWS and storms that
Were unusual in that climate.
The constant and liberal marketing
of cattle during the fall season of 1902,
present date, plainly indicates that
with no other means of d~isposing of the
cattle stock of the country there must
l~A az. 1,~.a- - s.. \
When to this is added the constant
death loss that has been going on.
under he Influences of starvation and
Indictment weather influences in the
cattle raising districts west and south,
there must be a realization in the
minds of all observing stockmen that
cattle prices will not keep to their
present low standard.
The ranges have evidence now of af-
fording grass earlier than usual. The
first of May is the average late for
turning out, without further attention
to supplying of feeds. Large numbers
of cattle are now on the ranges rushing
their living. and where they are
strong they will fare reasonably well,
the grass is we'll started in the sand
hill districts. Weak and thin cattle
will encounter much difficulty. how
ever, in making a living. and especially
with COWS and heifers due to drop
within the next sixty days there
will be increased fatality in the poorly
wintered herds.
In districts where hay was abund-
ant and the cattle literally fed there
was light loss, and these herds have
wintered exceptionally we'll. The snow
the ground and the lack of feed l.;
the cause of thin cattle and the un-
usual fatality. This is only anotherles-
son to cattle owners that 1t pays to
provide literally for a severe winter,
and If the feed is not needed 1T is a
cheap insurance against death. Hay
we'll stacked is not a waste product
the ranch; 1T can be carried over
to the next feeding season without Up
loss. by raking the stacks
down and carefully topping them anew.
Feed, an abundance of feed, is the
only salvation in the wintering of stock,
and the owner or raiser of cattle or
sheep who tries to starve these AMI
thru the feeding season will do
so at the expense of dollars that natur-
ally belong to the profit in the In
Roosevelt to Be Guest.