The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1909-06-11
A Hard Winter.

The winter of l9Os-9 will pass into
history as one of the severest ever
known in the western country. But
speaking of hard winters and the sub.
sequent loss Of stock, we clip the fol-
lowing from the Kearney, Nebraska,
Press of March 81, 1881.
reports are coming 10 from the
cattle ranges north ard west OF Kear-
ney which confirm the worst fears in
regard to the obstruction of live stock
caused by the great depth Of snow and
intensely cold weather which we have
had during the present " inter. From
the ranges north of us it is estimated
that seventy five per cent of the
through cattle have perished and that
from thirty to forty percent of the
range cattle have died. Cows have
suffered the most, the loss being
about four to one steer. One gentle
from about fifty miles north Of here
informs us that he does not believe
that ten percent of the COWS will live
till grass comes.
"Another man informs US that hun
dreds of cattle have had their feet
and legs frozen up to their knees by
standing iI snow eighteen inches to
two feet deep with the mercury ten to
twenty degrees below zero and that Sc
soon as the thaw comes they will lie
down and die. Cattle west Of Kear-
ney are fAring NO better. Cattle own
ers are very reticent about their los
ses and are not inclined to furnish in
formation for publication. They agree
that the winter has been the hardest
ever known on the plains and that the
losses will exceed any ever before ex-
perienced in the history of cattle rais-
ing in Nebraska. Cattle that have
been sheltered and fed will come
through all right. 1t is thought by
many that this winters experience
will largely do away with big herds
and that cattle raisers will only aim
to raise as many as they can pro-
vide shelter and hay for
And this is what came to pass:
'kearney, Jhne p, 1881. Many and
greatly divergent have been the re-
ported losses of cattle ON the Ne
braska ranges during the past winter.
Prominent stock raisers have written
and telegraphed to eastern papers that
losses would not exceed ten per cent,
and many people living out side of
Nebraska who were interested finan-
cially here have been led to believe
that tn cir losses were but little heav-
ier than ordinarily. Such however is
not true as reports from the various
eoundups furnish ample proof. TAX
ing the ranges for a distance Of seven
ty five miles northwest, north and
northeast, the loss SO far ascertained,
foOts up more than sixty percent.
Through cattle suffered most and in
some instances whole herds perished.
c. K. Ford Of Kearney placed one hun
dred through Texas COWS on a ranch
and lost them all. Col. Gephard
placed the same number OF through
Texas cows in his herd and lost them
all; and we can give the names of
many others whose experiences have
been as disastrous.
"The Olive herd numbered 4,sCO
last fall. This spring at tue round
up it Tailed 1900, the loss being a
fraction more than seventy five per-
cent. A Mr.. Allen had in his herd
last fall 1900, and gathered this
spring 400, whie Elisha Miles OF Kear-
ney only found leo out of 100 head.
These we're on the Loup ranges. Not
far from this point last fall there
were about 5000 cattle and but
2,SSl have been found alive. Cows