Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-12-10
tFFUR1 TU CHtCk'
HEAVY LOSS
OF CATTLE
GOVERNMENT PLANS
GREAT CHANGE ON RANGE
Lesson Learned From the Bet
ter Conditions Prevailing in
the Canadian Northwest.

range steers baWling out there in the
feed lots would just hate all this
warmth and light and band music,
drawled a Texas ranchman at the live
stock show. He waved his hand in
eJusively about the amphitheater.
Reef critters from the range always
have got a bum deal, ever since we
began getting in his expensive breed
ing stock. Plenty of snow and north
wind for them in winter-hauled for
hours in crowded ears without water
only to get knocked in the head
without a smell of high life like this
out in the cold and snow there were
1900 tired steers waiting their turn
up the runway TO the slaughter room.
Seemingly no Thanksgiving or Christ
mas or New Years brings to the mill
lions of range cattle cause for rejoice
ing.
And yet. If they did but know it.,
the millions Of suffering steers upon
the range have cause for "A grand
celebration this year, for at last they
have found a friend. Alarmed at the
frightful loss and suffering during Sc
we're winters. the United States gov
eminent has interviewed on behalf Of
the i'll used cattle and is moving a
thousand governmental wheels to
bring about better conditions for the
live stock which form such a large
item in Americas annual bill Of fare.
Bound up with the governments
tardy action Is the story of the dis
covery of an $500, 600, 600 leak in the
nations wealth, of a lesson learned
from Canada and of conditions on the
range that beggar belief.
For years reports have poured in to
the department of agriculture of abe
suffering and wholesale deaths of cat
tie left to winter on the range with
no other food than the grass that the
snow did not cover and no shelter
but many new line fences. Each year
the report was worse, and finally, not
long CO., the department sent an
agent TO Investigate. and to suggest
possible remedies.
The situation he found was fright
full. In the last year for which fig
ures are available, 2,6S7.027 cattle
died from all causes, over half of
them succumbing from exposure. over
loco, 900 sheep died from exposure
and another million from other
causes. Hundreds of thousands of
sheep and steers are left TO their own
devices every winter. when snow and
ice cover the grass of the plains (the
only fodder for the cattle) and after
frantic, futile efforts made by the cat
tie to penetrate the crusts Of ice. with
lips and noses torn to the bone and
blood freezing I'm their veins, they
mutely surrender 10 their fate.
This is awful, were it unavoidable.
but. according to the report, the most
awful part of il seems to be that no
attempt is made to provide food, wa
ter and shelter for the stock, IL being
calculated that "a large percentage of
the stock y be lost If the winter be
a severe one, and that If there is no
expenditure for food. the cattle being
made to subsist on the grass of the
plains, even a heavy loss OF cattle BY
cold and starvation nay be sustained
and still leave a profit to the cattle
raiser.
The financial loss incurred each
year in this way Is estimated at no less
than $24, 600, 900. Thousands OF fro
zen carcasses can be seen any spring
lying in snow drifts or leaning against
the endless fences of the railroad right
of way.
Now the free range" is no more.
Yet the range methods persist. No
fodder or shelter Is provided in a ma
jority of cases n the average
rancher expects to find a loss Of so to
as per cent of his stock at the end Of
a severe winter.
The full significance to the wealth
of the country Of this reckless waste of
animal life is only disclosed by a care
ihi tNdiilldllon VI recent government
figures OF the Valu of cattle. The
story they tell is startling.
on January /, 1907, there were ST.
565,731 cattle I'm the United states. OK
elusive or milk cows. This was the
largest lumber in the history of the
country. The value of these cattle
was estimated at SS~S1,557,39S. In
spite OF the size of this figure 1t Is
more than $25.000, 900 less than the
fnfal Enlna in IQnI uhan fh.V. .rar,i
six million less cattle. In other words
the hardships n losses due to the
ans winters have not only retarded
the growth OF the number Of cattle In
the country. but they have also caused
a marked deterioration in the quality
OF the survivors.
On the basis of the government fig-
ures the average value Of the cattle Of
the country on January /. 1901. was a
trifle under $40 apiece. six veara
later. on January 1. 1907. after the
ranges had been fenced In and grazed
out, the average value was "a little
over $40, or a depreciation Of nearly
so per cent. As was seen. this loss Is
absolute as well as relative. and the
country's cattle are not worth Today
the price OF the mailer herds Of six
years AGO. on the basis OF the 1901
values the farmers and stockmen of
the country ought at this moment to
be richer than they are by $500, OO0.-
OO0. Clearly II Is up to Uncle sam to
find some means Of putting a stop TO
this enormous depreciation.
In their first search for a solution
OF the problem. the government ex-
perts turned to Canada. to discover.
II possible, how conditions had been
met there. Curlousiy enough. they
found the situation entirely different.
owing to milder winters and richer
forage for the steers.
In Alberta. the coming stock grow
Ing province, the warm Chinook"
winds, blowing up from the lower CO.
lumbia river. lick up the snow and
make a season Of bright. cloudless
days. with occasional scanty sn~owfalls,
broken by frequent and prolonged Pc
RODS OF warm weather. Sometimes
the temperature drops very low. but
seldom dangerously 50. and, aEOmal-
ously. the average Is considerably
above the average further south.
This cuts down the suffering n loss
OF live stock 10 . marked degree.
Thu problem for the Canadian
stock rover u also simplified BY the
fact thai Canadian cattle are free from