Tombstone epitaph., 1922-11-05
DROUGHT STRICKEN CATTLE MUST sE MOVED OR ELSE
 THEY FACE STARVATION

tBy H NJ. RICE. Secretary Arizona Livestock Sanitary BoardJ
 It is of vital interest to all cattle men Of Arizona to learn directly the severe state Of drought conditions that our neighborins state of New M,xico finds itself. Today New Mexico is by far the hardest hit from lack of rains than any other western state. As a result hundreds of thousands of cattle are facing starvation unless they can be moved 10 ample winter feed.
 New Mexico cattlemen and sheep men stocked their ranges beginning January 1-le22 to so per cent normal as that was the condition of ranges and water throughout the state at the beginning of this year The |. < Department of Agriculture esti- hated there were some 1.l32 coo cat tic in the state and about 23i3. .0O0 sheep on an x" per cent normal range ct the ort~,art of the year 1922
 Recent statistics ot the [. <. De r@rm,nt 't agnoulture Bureau of hgTicui,Hr, Economics show that on Ccto5,- l.; a range and pasture con dition were % Ter cent of normal for ,be average ol the whole state of New Mexico
 This ai once you realize is but one half O: the >p per cent normal condi- tons at the beginning of this year Apparent to all is the fact that 50 Ter cent Of these I.l320 900 cattle and .J per ceug cf the 2.S43O0O head of sheep are facing starvation. aian, gre being saved of course by shipping to ample feed grouAds in other states. Some have already been lost by star vetion Many forced sales have been r,ade as low as Sl0.OO per head for cattle.
 20l0i cattle were shipped to other states for pasture rom New Mexico during the past month of September, l9.30l went to Inarke; in September. totaiine 3s.4V5 that left the state dur ing those thirty days. October ship nients undoubtedly will total far above the September shipments. Dur. ing September of last year. 1921. q total of 2J.Jil cattle were shipped from that state: Of course most all nine months of this present rear 2s2.- SII cattle have been moved from New Mexico As has above been stated 5V per cent uf the cattle in the state Will starve If not moved. This j0 per cent amounts to some 566,000 head that need relief. As given. 2S2 97l have already been shipped during the past nine months. meaning there are about 2S3. .00O cattle now starving to death. At an estimated value of scO.GO per head New Mexico cattle men are squarely in front of two million six hundred and sixty thous and dollar loss.
 Most Of the state Of Texas is far better off than our grief stricken sis ter state of New Mexico. Yet th' average condition of ranges and pas tare in the Lone Star state is 69 pei cent Of normal The sections border ing New Mexico are the most serious Iy affected. Their cattle must als, be moved or face annihilation.
 Provision has already been made il .be Fl Paso and nearby New Mexico country to move 100000 head of cat ;le into the Chihuahua country 0 Nexico-and to date big portion 0 that immense shipment has alread, gone forward.
 All cattlemen in our own state o Arizona are deeply concerned in NeV Mexico from the present e1istin drought condition. The trough stricken area reaches into the Nortt eastern portion of our own state. Seq eral thousand cattle in the upper Ns vaio and Apache county sections mus te moved to ample winter feed an water else patiently meet the inevi able approach of starvation The ma jcr portion of Arizona ranges are good to excellent condition.
 The Arizona Cattle Growers A. sociation is endeavoring to locat cattlemen who can take care of a