Canyon City news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1903-1908, 1904-01-08
OUT ON THE RANGE.
Col. Slaughter Tells Of His Recent
Trip.

Ell from lnat country, Wnere he mas
been making an investigation of
conditions. The colonel is not ex-
urberant over the result of his trip.
When seen at his Office the other
day and asked for A comparison be-
tween the old days on the range and
those of the present, he launched
instead into description of his
journey over the plains.
81 started from Stanton on the
Texas and Pacific said Col.
Slaughter, land drove overland in a
four-horse ambulance. taking a
northwest course through to Port
ales, \. NJ, on the Pecos Valley
railroad. Part of the way we drove
herd of cattle. The drive was a
matter of $50 or 500 miles. The trip
took nearly three weeks in all, but
made good many stops. cNaNin-
ing the grass on tie range, and SO
forth.
1.-The grass is short and scarce on
the range, on account CT scarcity of
rain in that belt. There is only
about half the usual amount of
grass, and it is only about half as
long as usual. Many places show
the marks Of fire, and in may places
the range is burned up with drouth.
There have been numerous fires.
either incendiary or accidental, on
the range.
"On my range North of Midland
and Big Springs | found the grass
SO short that it was foregonc con-
clusion that / could not winter all
my cattle there, so | sold 1000
cows, weaving their calves. and 200
bulls, and drove the whole lot to
Fort Sumner. n. NJ.
"Then | left Sam Cutw0rth of
Stanton have 700 cows and calves to
winter on his range, paving 25c a
month for the cows and II Lee for
the calves. There has been plenty
of rain on his place, and they have
had surface water for the cattle.
Il found several places on the
range where the drouth had been
broken, but the areas, as usual
thing, were not large. On the range
of the old Num- headquarters, north
Of my range, there has been no
great scarcity of water. and in parts
Of CARA county the range has not
suffered from the drouth. They
made good sorghum and Kafir corn
and some little Indian corn. They
had good rain last spring.
"But the greater part of the
range is in very deplorable con-
dition, as far as grass and feed are
concerned. If the winter is at all
severe, the cattlemen expect big
losses. There is great difference
in spots, however, for | found that
where one man reported good grass
his neighbor often had none. The
rainfall has been Of small compass.
/ might say that one hundredth
part Of the country has had show
ers enought to keep up the range,
while all the rest is suffering.
"From Portales, y. NJ. | went to
my farm near Roswell, y. NJ. where
found everything in prosperous
condition. / then went over to
Carlsbad and down The Pecos Val
ley. All this country Is, except for
small spots, very dlY, having had
no rain since last June. and the
stockmcn are feeling very blue.
However, what grass there is
seems to be very strong and nutri.
tious, and that helps ont the cattle
man to some extent.
''The range now. as compared |
with the old DAYS: Well. there is a
great difference. | could not help |
thinking, while | was making my |
long, overland drive. Of the contrast |
between the past and the present on
the great western plains. On this
trip had to open gates every few
miles, whereas. when | first went
there there were no such things as
gates, hardly, and one could move
over the range without stopping for
anything
81 first moved cattle there in
1878. The wire fences came about
1885. and with them came the end
Of the old-fashioned cowboy. Most
of the cowboys Of the range now are
merely fence riders, who ride along
the wire fences to see if there are
any breaks. OF course. there is some
herding. but the old fashioned cow
boy has almost passed out of exis-
tence.
"But on my range there are spcci-
mems of the original cowboy, and
/ saw some work b} men on this