Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-07
Can Be Converted Into an Easily
Reared Farm Animal.
VALUE BASED ON DEMAN1
Domestication Of the Herds Not At
tended With ANY Serious
Difficulties.

OF them, by eternal vigilance, lived for
several years, but nothing was done to
protect them. and eventually they went
the way of the millions. Even the little
bunch of three hundred In the Yellowstone
National Park, was poorly protected
that poachers were able to almost exter-
inmate 1t for the heads. Today there are
about twenty buffalo in the Yellowstone,
but 1t is doubtful If even these few will
long remain there. as they are now unable
to resist the attacks Of the wolves. which
prey upon the calves. There Is a larger
herd Of wild buffalo in Canada, but 1t is
attacked SO persistently by wolves that no
calf tracks were seen last year. The
wolves, which hunt in twos and threes, seek
no battle with the parent buffalo, but
watching their chance dash in and Kill
calf and leave 1t lying there. Then they
sit around at a respectful distance until
the mother buffalo Is obliged to leave the
place, when they go in and eat their VIC
tim. After that they follow the herd. and
Government Auspices.
Fortunately, there are in private hands,
enough buffaloes still living to insure. I'M
der proper management, the preservation
and increase of the race. But it Is not safe
to leave them where they are A change
in the fortune or In the policy OF pri-
| vate owner. may at any time result in the
sale to the butcher or the taxidermtst
of one of the last few little herds, and
three or four such changes might reduce
the race to point from which 1t could
never be. revived. The very first thing to
be done in order to make the position Of
our national animal secure, Is to establish
at least half a dozen herds in different
parts of the country. under government
| auspices. The herd of twenty-one which
the government bought some time ago. and
placed in an Enclosure In the Yellowstone
National Park. has already increased to if
ty-six, an example Of what may be done
with reasonable effort. Another herd is
now provided for since Congress has just
appropriated $4,000 with which to fence
range the Wichita Reserve for the
buffaloes to be presented to the govern
ment by the New York Geological Society.
The government - also wisely encourag
ing private enterprise, and has leased to
James (Scotty) Philips Of Pierre, s. D.,
at nominal rent, large tract of land to
be used as a range for his herd of buffaloes.
Similar encouragement has been given to
G. j. (Euffalo) Jones, who has been sup
piled with a range In Arizona, where he is
not only rearing buffaIoes, but making
numerous experiments in cross-breeding
with domestic cattle.
Perilously Near Extinction.
While all this is most encouraging, the
buffalo Is still and will be for some time
perilously near the minimum number which
ID HeCcSSdty " prevent II iIOili pdSoih5 He
interest of the people is gradually being
awakened. and the American Bison Society,
which some time ago was organized with
President Roosevelt as its chief officer, Is
working ceaselessly to increase this inter-
est. Nor are it's efforts in vain. Its cause
obtains for 1t an immediate hearing with
all lovers OF animals and there seems to
be few who refuse the honor to assist in
the work of preserving for our country it's
grandest and most picturesque wild ainal.
Apart from sentiment, 1t Is becoming
generally understood. perhaps for the first
time, that the buffalo Is capable Of being
converted into a farm animal, of probably
greater value per head than almost any
other domestic animal we have And It
seems curious that more people have not
found this out before Here Is animal,
which, given a reasonably large range, Is
as easy to rear and less expensive to feed
there is grazing practically the year round,
buffaloes will hustle for themselves, thriv-
ing where cattle would starve or freeze to
death. They are wonderfully healthy crea-
lures, and their warm coats make 1t posi-
BILE for them to withstand the most intense
cold without discomfort Even down here
in New Hampshire far outside of the anil
mails former range, they require no shelter,
even when the thermometer Is fifty degrees
below zero, and the food supplied to them
during the winter months consists of hay
alone. One man of the $50 month grade,
can easily take care of two hundred buff
Of time for other things. During the rest OF
the year they require attention from any
one.
Cost of Raising.
The first winter of It's life, a buffalo calf
in New Hampshire eats about half ton
Of hay. which costs about s4.5o. The fol-
lowing winter 1t eats about ton, and
about half ton more every winter until
1t reaches ma turity at the age of five years
Thus the cost of winter food which has
been supplied to a New Hampshire buffalo
when IL reaches maturity, Is about $685. and
the animal Is then worth, either dead or
alive from $3.50 to $500. Alive, the cows
are somewhat more valuable than the bulls
for breeding purposes, but old bulls often
develop heads which sell at enormous prices
for mounting.
And the value of buffalo is a real value,
based on demands which are likely to be
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for good beef warm
overcoats and carriage robes which have
never been equaled for warmth and dura-
btiity- l am well aware that number of
specimens have been sold at $1,000 apiece,
but In rearing buffalos for profit no one
with any sense would base their calcula-
tons on prices which would seldom If ever
be paid.
Rate Of Increase.
+ Some people who have undertaken the
breeding of buffaloes complain that they
increase very slowly. The chief cause Of
this slow increase lies In the fact that the
calves are not weaned, as they should be-
They are allowed to remain with their
mothers. who lose much strength in
nursing these overgrown babies for full
year or more that they fail to have calves
except about every other year II the
calves are weaned soon after birth, as do
nesttc calves are weaned, the cows will
have calves as often as domestic COWS have
the1n-that Is to say, practically every year
Last spring reared several buffalo calves
on cows milk. and those which were taken
when two weeks old or younger drank
readily from a bottle as soon as It was Of
fered to them. Older calves were moro
difficult to teach, but after struggle or
two they learned their lesson and never
forgot 1t.
In some cases a cow has her first calf
when she Is three years old; In other cases
when she lie four. know Of one case where
man had nineteen calves from four cows
In five years. Data concerning the ages OF
buffalos are not very plentiful. but a bull
killed by accident In the New York Zoologi-
cal Park In 1901 was known to be at least
fifteen years old. and there Is a COW now In
the Corbin herd known to be at least TWEEN
ty-one and probably Is twenty-six years of
age She has an old look but IL stflI In