Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-02-01
GEO. E. GREENE, Druggist
THE BUFFALO.
100000 Used to Range the Great Plains
Of the West.

Why They Were Extermlnated-5o,-
100000 Used to Range the Great Plains
Of the West.
The buffalo as a wild animal is gone.
The great herds will never again be seen
roaming the plains Who is there of the
present generation that does not feel
profound regret at the thought and ask
himself: why was l born too late? What
would I not give to have seen the buffalo
days and people in their romantic primer"
All the hungry regret that Sir Walter
Scott felt over the departed glories Of
the feudal life is felt by every boy and
young man Of our country now when he
hears Of the buffalo days and the stir
ring times ofethe by-gone West Why
was it allowed? Why did not the
government act? And a hundred sad
might have beens" spring forth from
hearts that truly feel they lost a wonder
full something when the butchers drawn
from the dregs Of border towns were
turned loose to wipe out the great herds
that meant so much to all VINO love
wtlds and the primitive in life
There is one answer-the extermina-
ton was absolutely inevitable. The buff
falo ranged the plains that were needed
by the out-crowded human swarms Of
Europe; producing buffalo was not the
best use for those plains; possessed of
vast size and strength, and Of an obsti-
nate, impetuous disposition, that would
stampede in a given line and keep that
line to the utter destruction OF all obsta-
cles or of himself, the buffalo was in
compatible with any degree Of possession
by white men and with the higher pro-
ductivity of the soil. He had to go.
He may still exist in small herds in our
parks and forest reserves. He may even
achieve success as a domestic animal,
filling the gaps where the old time cattle
FafN DE-
is gone forever, and We who see those
times in the glamor of romance can only
say: II had to be; he served his time and
now his time is past.
The early explorers who describe the
buffalo numbers do not give us any
thing more exact than superlative ex-
pressions, such as countless herds"
incredible numbers" "teeming myr-
lads the world one robe" etc. I
have endeavored to get at a more exact
idea OF their numbers. The total area
inhabited by the buffalo was about
3.O0O,0O square miles. OF this, the open
plains were one-half. According 10
figures supplied me by Mr.. A. F. Potter,
of the forest service, the ranges of the
Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming. Nebraska,
Kansas, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma
Ga total Of about 100000 square miles, or
half of the plains) were, according 10.
the census of 1900, carrying "a 600 600
head Of cattle and horses about
5000, 900 head Of sheep. r. .neans that
when fully stocked they might sustain
a number of buffalo at least equal to the
number of cattle ana horses The buff
falo had to divide their heritage with
numerous herds Of mustang, antelope,
and wapit; on the other hand, a buff
falo could find a living where a range
animal would starve, many OF the
richest bottom lands are now fenced in,
and we have taken no account of the
5000 900 sheep. Therefore we are safe
in placing at 49, 900, 900 the buffalo for
merly living on the entire plains area.
Their prairie range was a third as
large. but IL was vastly more fertile;
indeed, the stockmen reckon one prairie
acre equal to four acres on he plains.
Doubtless, therefore, the prairies sus-
tanned nearly as many head as the
pl .ins; we may safely set their popu-
lation at 100000 900. The forest region
was The lowest in rate of population;
for its 100000 square miles we should
not allow more than 5000, 900 buffalo.
These figures would make the primitive
number Of Bu..alo $4,000, 900.
Many other calculations based on diff
ferent data give similar or slightly larger
totals. From these facts 1t will appear
very safe to put the primitive buffalo
population at $4,000, 900 TO 60, 900, 900.
-[Ernest Thompson Seton in Scribner's
Magazine.