The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-03-29
CONSIDERATIONS
/ HIGHEST TRIBUTE
THE BISON HERD
Now Over 5000 Perpetuated
by Mankind, Former En-
envy of the Useful
Animal.

The rescue of the buffalo more
properly called bison, from extinction
Is a romance of that fight for conser-
walton that goes on in this country
with ever-increasing vigor. Very
many species of useful and beautiful
wild life are to-day threatened with
extinction throughout the length and
breadth Of the land. yet comparative
sly few Of our people realize this and
fewer yet are willing to make person
al sacrifice to save this wonderful her
itage to the children Of the future.
Scarcely a half century ago the buff
falo roamed our western plains In al
most uncountable number, from Can
ada to Mexico. To the red men who
then roamed the plains with them they
were an unfailing source of supplies.
food. clothing, housing and fuel. To
the white men Of the region they were
all these and represented also the
wonder and romance of the primitive
open world and the historic past. Cor
ter and his band Of Spanish conquis-
tadors were the first white men to see
one, writes Winthrop Richard in Our
Dumb Animals. They found him con-
fined in the menagerie at Montezuma' 8
capital as a rare and wonderful ami
NAL from the untrodden wilds to the
north, for Mexico city is 500 miles
south Of the natural range Of the BIZ
son.
IA wonderful composition Of di-
vers animals" says the Spanish chron-
icler who described the specimen, re-
ferring to it as 4the Mexican bull" It
has crooked shoulders, with a bunch
on the back like a camel; it's tail
large. and its neck covered with hair
like a lion. 1t is cloven footed, its
head armed like that Of bull, which
1t resembles in fierceness and has no
less strength and agility"
In 1912 Englishhnen saw bison near
what is now the city Of Washington.
ID. c., and after that date they were
more commonly seen rowing through
out various portions of what is now
the United States, and occurring in
some parts in immense herds. The
open region of the Mississippi valley,
where the land was interested but
well watered, was the true buffalo
range. There the early explorers
found the animals in such numbers
in herds Of such size, that only super
natives could be Used in attempting to
describe them. tTeeming myriads, ;"
scountleas herds" Incredible num-
sbers,' are favorite phrases, which
can give only an inadequate idea Of
the extraordinary spectacle often pre-
scented. 1T has been estimated that
on the plains alone were forty millions
ION the prairies thirty millions. and in
the wooded sections five millions, a
total of seventy-five Millions of these
superb animals, wonderful heritage
scattered over an area Of some three
million square miles.
Looked at from an economic point
sof view, here was marvellous source
of free food, fur, leather and other
products that might easily have been
conserved as an unfailing supply to
help lessen today's high cost of liv-
ing. The Indians Of the earlier days
thus utilized the herds. their inroads
upon them for meat and skin in no
wise equalling the natural increase.
Then came the white men, supplying
the wandering tribes with horses and
later with firearms and the decrease
in the numbers Of the buffalo began.
Yet even this did not presage extinc-
ton. But when the railroads crossed
the plains. giving the white hunters
easy access to the hitherto distant and
Inaccessible places, and the vast rush
to slaughter for the hides alone began
the end was In sight. It took the buff
fa1o too long to learn the meaning OF
"a rife shot and the danger Of mans
presence, and when they did learn it,
in part at least, it was too late.
A buffalo robe to-day is a curios-
fly, hardly to be obtained, and worth
in good condition, perhaps 500, Fifty
years ago one or two were in every
farmers sleigh, and they could be
bought for only few dollars. Yet
no finer robe for warmth and com
fort could be found. The ruthless
robe hunter at the rail heads on the
western plains were slaughtering the
great animals by the thousand, taking