The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-14
PERPETUArINe THE BUFFALO.
"Pawnee Bill" (MaJor LiIlie) Has Fine
Herd In Oklahoma.


From the Pawnee (okla) Times-Demo-
crat.
Last week Maj. Gordon w. Lille paw
nee Bid sold to g. c. Bolton a yearling
buffalo stag calf which had been fed
for 100 days and weighs 1850 pounds, and
which Mr.. Bolton bought for butchering
purposes. The disposing of a buffalo
calf to a butcher is of no great conse-
quence, but 1t calls attention to side
of Major Lilies life and interests not
generally known to the public--that of
propagating and perpetuating the pure.
bred buffalo, and also his experiments
in crossing the buffalo with the domestic
COW.
Most of Major Lilies time is neces-
sarily occupied in attending to his large
show interests, his winter months, pop
ularly supposed to be devoted to recu-
peration, taxing his strength and activi-
ties almost as completely as do the
spring, summer and fall seasons, when
sleep and nourishment are simply Incl
dents in life that is given to the
amusement loving public, Yet here
among his home folks, ne finds time to
study and work out a problem that Is of
vital interest to those concerned in per-
petuating a noble animal rapidly becom-
ing extinct and his park adjoining Paw
nee affords an ideal place for the devel-
opment of this branch of his work
Major Lille began some years ago to
propagate the buffalo, carefully selecting
the finest specimens OF either sex to be
found for breeding purposes, until he
now has some IS or 90 head In his park,
where they can be seen any day wan
dering from knoll to knoll, grazing as
contentedly as did their shaggy anoes-
tors on their native mountain and prairie
ranges, needless Of the blight of APP
preaching civilization. Great care is taken
In breeding and raising, Major Lille, DUR
ing his annual home coming, closely in
specting his pets. and whenever an I'm
perfect calf Is found-one not true to
color or hair-it is taken from the herd
while young and sold. Usually such
specimens find their way to the New York
and Boston markets, where fancy prices
are always ready for something out OF
the ordinary. but this young stag Is re-
served for the qualification of Pawnee
appetites.
For some unknown reason experience
has demonstrated that 70 per cent of the
buffalo calves born in captivity, or SUBJ
ject to the restrictive range of Major
Lilies large park are males and as this
fact became more apparent the idea of
crossing pure bred buffalo with a do
nestle cow suggested itself to Mr.. Lille.
He has not demonstrated this theory suf-
hciently to determine whether the equal
fty In sex can be preserved by crossing
IN this manner, but he believes an animal
with finer hair and better favored meat
can be produced, which will be In great
demand as an article of food. These ex-
pertments in crossing, however, are not
allowed to interfere with his work OF
breeding the pure-bred buffalo. New fe-
males are purchased and shipped here
whenever they can be obtained, provided
they measure up to the required standard,
and as a result many fine specimens of
the perfect bison can be seen in Buffalo
park, Pawnee.
Major Lille is exceedingly anxious to
interest and cooperate with the govern
ment in preserving and propagating the
buffalo, and is in receipt OF many in
quiries and requests for reports on his
success in crossing and inter-breeding
the buffalo with domestic COWS.