CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE,

I

I ill

REPORT

ON

CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE,

SUPPLEMENTARY TO

ENUMERATION OF LIVE STOCK ON FARMS IN 1880.

OLA.RENOE -W. GORDON, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE.

i

051

2J I

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• , ............................................................................. .

PASTURE .AND FORAGE PI.ANTS .•••••.•••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• , •••••••••••••.•••••.••••••••••.•••.••••

TEXAS •••••••••••••••••••••• -- ............................................................................................... .

Historical ...•..........................•...•.............•....•...........•............•........•..................... Pastlll'age .•...............................•............. : .....•...........•...............•.......................••.. The Panhandle ........................................................................................................ . Between the one hundredth meridi1111 and th0 Pcco8 (exclusive of the Panhamlle) ...........••.•......................... West of the Plicos .....•.....•.•.....................•.........•........•...••••..•..•...•.•... : ...................... . Son th of the Nueces .................................................................................................. . East of the one lnuulrcdth meridian and north of the Nnccos ........................................................... . Cattle-raising ......................................................................................... '. .•.•............ Cattle-clrive .......................................................................................................... . Diseases of stock .......................................................... · .. - ... · ...... · · · - · ..•.. · · · · · · · · • · · · · · · · · - - · · Shaep ............................................................................................................... .. Diseases .............................................................................................................. . Goats ................................................................................................................. . Swine ....................................................... : ..................... _. ...........••....•.•............••• Summary of movement of ca1;tle, shoo1l, and swiuo .... ~ ................................................................ .

NEW MEXICO TERRITORY .................................................................................................... .

History •.••.•••.....•....... .' ................................... : ..................................................... . Pasturage ............................................................................................................. . Southern New Moxico ................................................................................................. . Drives ................................................................................................................. . C11ttlc ................................................................................................................ . Sheep ............................................................................................................... .

INDIAN Tl~ItIUTORY ........................................................................................................... . Cattle ................................................................................................................ . Eastern Inclian territory .............................................................................................. .

;:1~1~':~a~~~~~~ -t~~~·~~~~::::::: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :·:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :.: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : KANSAS ............................... ••••••• .................................. ·-···· •••• · ...................... --·· ••••••••••

History ........................................ -~ .................................... · ................................. . Cattle ...•••••••••.•..•.• , ......•. ·· ...... ·······•••••·•·• .......... ···· ...... ····••·········· ........................ · Swine ................................................................................................................ . Movement of stock .............................................................. · ...... · · · •... ·. · · · · · • .. · • · · • • • • .. · • · · ·

COLORADO ........................................................... •••••• ................ •••••• ........................... .

Pasturage ......................................................................... , •.................•...•.........•..• Cattle ............................................. .' .......................................................... -.... - .. . Sheep ................................................................................................................. .

NEDRASKA ...................................................... •.• ............................................ - ••••••••••••••

Pasturage ............................................................................................................. . Sbeop ................................................................................................................. . Movement of stock .......................................... ~ . . . . . .. • • • • . . . • • . . • ....................................... .

WYOMING TERRI'l'ORY ...................................................... ·: ••••••••.•••••••••• • • .......................... .

Pasturago ............................................................................................................ . Cattle .•.•....................•..............•.•••...•....•••.••....•............•.....................•.............. Movement of stock ............................................................................................. ._ ...... ·

DAJCOTA TERRITORY •••• ~ ............................... ' ' .................................................................... .

Pasturage . . . . • . • • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . .. . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . • • . • . . . . . . • • • • . • .................................. . Movement of stock ................................................. - ..... - .. - .... - - .... - .... • · · • . - ........ · •.. · · .. · • • ·

lfOJS'TAN.A. TERRITORY ........................................................................................................ .

Pasturage ............................................................................................................ . Cattlo ................................................................................................................. . Sheep ................................................................................................................ . Movement of stock .................................................................................................... .

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9153

Pnge. 1-4

5-10 11-31 11-13

13 13, 1'! 14, 1f>

lG 15, !CY lG-18 18, 10 19-24

24 24-30

30 30 30 31

:l2-40 32

32-:Ji! !14,35 a5,ao 30,37 a7-40 40-43

40 40,41 41,42 il2,48 43-47

43 43-45 46, •17

47 48-54 48-50 GO,til 51-54 55-GB t>5,ti() fi6,&7 57,58 59-65 59-61 61-64 64,65 65-67 65,GG GG,67 67-74 67-71

71 71,72 72-74

lV TABLE OF CONTENTS.

C.ALIFORNI.A ••••••••••••••••••••••••• - •••• - - -· ••• - •..••. -· ••••• - ••••.•••••••••••••••••.••••• ·- •••••••••••••••••••.•••••.••.•.•

History... • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .•.........••••.••..........................

l'ngo. 74-92 74-77

Pasturage ............................................................................................................. . Cattle ............................................................................. , ....•.......•..•................... Diseases .............................................................................................................. . Sheep ................................................................................................................. , Conclnot of sh()op hnsl.mndry .· •••••.••••...•••.......••... - •....• - • .. • . • . . . . . • ........................................ .. Goats ................................................................................................................. .

77 77-tlO 80,81 81-83 83-90

90 Hog-raising .................................................................................... - - . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . 90-02

ARIZONA TERRITORY ••••••. - •••••••• - ....................... · ••• • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • •• • •• • •••••• • ••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • • • • • • • !!2-103 Southern Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . • . • . . . . .. 9:1-97 Northeastern Arizona ....................................................................................... - . . .. . . .. • . . 97, 98 Northwest.Arizona ..................................................................................................... 98-101 Losses among cattle .... ~ ..•.••.....................•..•. -............ -•.... - . . .. • . . • . . . . . . . .. • • • . .. • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . .. . 101 \Voight of beeves ....................................................................................................... 101, 102 Sheep.............................................. .•• ••• •• •• . . . . ... . . . . . . . • • . . . . . • • . . . . • . ••• . . • •• . • . . . •• . . . . . . .... . .. • 10:! Land titles .................................................................. -.........................•. , ....•.......... 102, lO:l

NEVADA ..................................................................................................................... 104-116 History ................................................................................................................ 104, 105 Northern N ovada ........................................ - ..................••.........••. : • . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • .. . . . . . . . . . 105-109 Central Nevada ......................................................................................................... 109, 110 Southern Nevada ................ , ....•....••............•.•.......•...•.......•....•.............................•...... 110-112 Sheop .................................................................................................................. 112-116 Goats .................................................................................................. , . • • . • . . • • . . . . . . 110 Swino ............................................................... - . . .•• .• . . • . . . . •• •• • . . .. ••. . . . . . . . . • • . . . . • . . . . . . .. • 116

UTAII 'fERHlTORY .............. ·••••• .......................................................................... ·--··· •••••.•• 117-124 History ................................................................................................................. 117,l.18 Northern ancl westorn Utah .•.•..........•.•...•.....••...•....•.•..•••.....•.... , ..................................... 118-120 Utah soll'th of Groen river .............................................................................................. 120, l·n Tho Uintah-Whito b11sin ............. · ................................................................................... 121.-12•1

OREGON ................................................................................. - - ..... - ••••••.••••••.• - ••.••••••••• 124-l:M History .......... , .................................................................................................... 1211, 125 P1tsturo ................................................................................................................ 125, 126 Cattle ................•.................................................. · ...........•..............•................... 120-I:lO Shoop ....................................................................... : . . . . . . • . . . .. . • . . . . . . .. . . . . . • . • . • . • . • • • . . . . l:~0-1:13

• Swine ................................................................................................................. 1a:1, l.:H WASHINGTON 'l'J~lUUTOHY ...................................................................................................... l:H-140

Pasture .••••....••. , .•........•.•. , . . . . . . . . . . • . .. .. . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. • • • • • .. • . . • • • . . . . . . • . . . • . . 184, 1:35 Cattle-raising ................................................................................... _ .... _... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:15-1:17 Sheep .................................................... ., ........................................................... 1:18-140

lDAIIO TEilill'l.'OltY ............................................................................. ' ••••••••••.••••••••••••.•••••• 1•10-147 History ........................................................ : •.•.•••..... _ .... _ ...................... _ . . . • . . . • . . . . . . 1'I o Pasturage .................................................................................................. ; ........ .. Drives ...............•. , ..................•............................................•..•......... _ ..................... . Sheep .............................. _ .................................................................. _ ..••........... Movoment of cattlo.... . . . . ........................................................................................... .

FLORIDA .................................................................................................................... .

GENEHAT. S'l'ATISTlCS ••••.•• - ................................................................................................ .

!:154

140-1'14 144, 145 145, 14(3

147 1•17-149 149-156

INTRODUCTION.

This report is supplementary to the regular census enumeration of live-stock, which, under the law, is that of animals on farms.

Cattle, sheep, and swine have been made the special objects of this investigation, primarily on account of their predomill;,ant value in furnishing food for man.

Whifo the number of these animals ke11t on farms (about 36,000,000 cattle, 35,000,000 sheep, and 48,000,0llO swine) forms tlie great mass of those owned in the country, it contribution to tho food-snp11Iy, by no meaus insignificant, is rnado by the animals kept in the dense settlements, but not on forms-the i1igs and tho cows of' tho town1:1 and cities. This distribution of food animals, however, is in a seuse eqnable and within the gcnernl knowledge of the 11eople; and any person desirous of estinuttiug the number of' aninrnls so hold may do so :for himself' with as much assurance as conhl any other person.

The business of grazing animals as a spechtl occupation, nearly or quite <listinct from farming, lias been carried on, in the regions (lerived from Spanish-America, since tho establishment of the missions of the Oatholic fathers. The ranch or range s:fstern, as now seen in the West, was rendered 1iractfoable in it~ enormous antl sudden development since the civil w<tr, by the rapidity with which railroads lU1ve focilitatecl communication between the grazing-grounds and the markets. It is but the pioneer of a cleuser settlement steaclil,y diminishing the open-rauge grazing by agriculture.

To gain as trustworthy estimates regarcling this iuclnstry as circumstances admitted, the Superintendent of Censns, under authority conferred by Congress, organized an inquiry into the g·1·azil1g interest in states west of JVIissonri, taking also tlle state of Florida, which, from its peculiar character, is subject to similar conditions. The vast region over which it was necessary to make the investigtttion, the wholly nomadic character of some of tho flocks and herds, raugiug unrestrietecl by any tenure of lands, made impracticab1e n.i1 exact count of tho a.nimals kept upon these great stock ranges. It is hoped, however, that tt reasonable approximn.tion to the more important facts has been attf1ine(l through the diligent ancl faithful ernleavors of those to whom this work was especially committed. The dividing line between mnge .or ranch cattle and cattle on farms is not ahvays to be drawn with assurance, large herds of cattle sometimes coming within the latter definition for a riart of the year or just prior to shipment to eastern markets. It should also be said tlu1t the enumerators in many cases returned cattle on the farm schedules which might perhaps more approprfately have been included in this report; but inasmuch as they had been so returned by the enumerators, it was deemed best to let them remain on that scheclule.

It will be noted that estimates are included for the cattle, sheep, and swine of the Indian territory, ancl the unattached public lands not incluclecl in the regular census enumemtions .

.A.OKNOWLEDG MENTS.

The field-work of this investigation, begun in August, 1879, was completed in the early piwt of lS!H, umler charge of Mr. Clarence Gordon, special agent. Special aicl was renderecl for a longer or a shorter perio<l by each of the following-named assistants as special agents: Mr. Charles W. Gordon, in soul;hern and westeru 'rexas, Oolor:.itlo, W;yoming, the Missouri river region of Montana, and in California; Mr. J. G. McCoy, over th~legion between the thirty-thircl and. thirty-seventh parallels an cl the ninety-ninth ancl one hundred imd eighth meridim1s, that is, Indh1n territory, northern Texas, and New Mexico, besides special investigation as to the drives into Kansas; Mr. T. vV. Ellison, in eastern and northern Texas; Major T. B. Brooks, in New Mexico; Mr. W~ M. Masi, in Wyoming and Montaµa, from latitude 430 40' to the Yel1owstone river, and between the 103d and lOSth meridians; Mr. James Heard, in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, the Yellowstone region of Montana, ancl Washington; Mr. E. C. Hall, in Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Idaho, and Ca1iforni~. The reports on Nevada nnd on Utah are mainly prepared by Mr. Hall.

955

2 PRODUCTION OF MEAT.

Beside the recognition of the indefatigable labor of these stated assistants, the cordial and hearty spirit with which the objects of this commission have been advanced by all classes of citizens in the regions investigated demands the most cordial acknowledgment. Among those who have shown a particular readiness to furnish valnaible co-operation in some form may be named the following:

TEXAS.-Genera,l E. 0. C. Ord, U.S. A.; General Tl10mas M. Vincent, U. S. A.; R. S. Hayes, esq., president Internationa,l and Great Northern railroad, and Colonel William H. Owens, San Antonio; Charles Goo~night, esq., Olarendon, Donley county; John Dewees, esq., San Antonio; H. :M. Hoxie, esq., vice-president International and Great Northern railroad; M~ssrs. Grinnell, Tweedy & Co., Fort Concho, Tom Green connty; O. O. Gibbs, esq., general freight agent, Hairrisburg and San Antonio railroad; P. I. Morse, esq., secretairy Wool Growers' Association, San Antonio; Ed. Buckley, esq., Corpus Christi; Z. H. Zanderson, esq., Galveston; 0. IT. Elliott, San Saba; I .. H. Robinson, esq., Galveston; Messrs. Gross & Chapin, San Antonio; Messrs. Borden & Jones, Galveston; Samuel Johnson, esq., collector of customs, Corpus Christi; Oheney R. Prouty, esq., collector of customs, Indianola; Colonel B. EL Grierson, Tenth Cavalry, Fort Concho; Lieutenant-Colonel .John T. Hatch, Fourth Cavalry, fort Elliott; Major S. S. Sumner, Eighth Ciwalry, fort Mcintosh; Captain B. M. Young, Eighth Cavalry, fort San Felipe; Cf1ptain B. Kauffman, Eighth Cavalry, San Diego; Lieutenant John L. Bullis, Twenty-fourth Infantry, fort Olar·k; I. O. Ewet, esq., surveyor Starr district, Rio Grande City; I. M. Ranson, esq., Eagle Pass; and H. S. Rock, post guide and scout, fort Brown.

NEW l\faxroo.-Henry M. Atkinson, surveyor-general, Samuel Ellison, and John Walls, Santa Fe; Hon. Anthony Joseph, Fernandez de Taos, Taos county; Hon. J. F. Obavis, Los Lunas, Valencia. county; Hon. J. Maria Perea, Bernalillo; Cofonel L. P. Bradley, Fort Wingate; Major A. P. Morrow and Lieutenant John Oonline, Fort Bayard; Tranquilino Luna, J os6 H. Baca, and Dr. Ferdinand Knauer, Las Vegas; Thomas 0. Boggs, Tramperas; Hobert Mingus, Hugo Zuber, ancl John G. Olaincey, Puerto de Luna; M • .J. Otero, Belen; George W. Stoneroad, Ca bra Spring; John R. Stuyvesant, Maclison, Colfax county; Dr. W. L. South, Vermejo; Messrs. Calhoun & Edge and Messrs. Chase & Dawson, Cimarron; Messrs. Hall Brothers, Madison; .John S. Chisom, Roswell; Major H. H. Arms, Arms, Colfax county; Jerome Troy, Troyburg; Richard M. "\V"hite, Socorro.

INDIAN TERRITORY.-Colonel Granville O'Hu,ller, Twenty-third Infantry, fort Supply; Major R.H. Offley, Nineteenth Infantry, Fort Gibson; Captain Merritt Barber, Sixteenth Infantry, Fort Sill; I. F. McCurtain, chief of the Ohoctaw Naition, Red Oak; John D. Miles, esq., Indian agent, Darlington; .P. B. Hunt, Indian a.gent, Anadarko; John E. Tnfts, Indian agent, Muscogee; John S. Shorb, Sac ancl Fox agency; and E. H. Bowman, Inclian agent, Pawnee agency.

KANSAS.-Lieutenant-Oolonel Z. R. Bliss, Nineteenth Infantry, fort Hays; Colonel Granville O'Haller, Twenty-third Infantry, Fort Dodge; Captain Charles B. Hall, Nineteenth Infantry, Fort Leavenworth; Messrs. Hardesty Brothers, Messrs .• r. L. Driskell & Son, and Waldo Tarbo:s:, esq., Dodge Uity; C. G. Hassard, Psq.,Caildwell; Thomas F. Goff, esq., Hill City, Graham county; Messrs. Eaiton & Gifford, Russell, Russell county; David Antlerson, esq., Wades branch, Miami county; William Murphy, esq., Omio, Jewell county; Frank Leach, esq., Waterville, Marshall county ; Elias Zimmerman, Hiawatha, Brown county; C. M. W oocl, esq., Winfield, Cowley county ; Isaac Kees, Jewell, Jewell county; O. K. McHa1'g, esq., Marshall county; A. J. Uhl, esq., Douglass, Butler county; Colonel H. H. Nelson, Messrs. Irvin Allen & Oo., S. R. Hill, esq., Samuel Leach, esq., Gordon Orane, esq., and II. M. Falls, esq., Kansas City, Missouri.

CoLORA.Do.-Captain J. M. Givens, Russell Gates, esq., F. L. Martin, esq., president Colorado Springs Stock Association, F. H. Austin, esq., Messrs Sharrett & Buzzard, and E. S. Randall, esq., Ooloraclo Springs, El Paso county; Captain J. G. Leef'e, Nineteenth Infantry, Fort Garland; Ivory Phillips, esq., Bijou Basin, El Paso county; Abner Loomis, esq., Fort Collins; Messrs. Bartly & Hons ton, West Las Animas, Bent county; B. E. Bussell, esq., Denver; H. H. Metcalf~ River Bend, Elbert county; and Charles MiicMullan, esq., Fort Garland. .

N:mBRASKA.-Edgar B. Bronson, esq., ancl ·J. W. Paddock, esq., Fort Robinson; Oolonel E. 0. Compton, Fifth Cavalry, fort Sidney; Major. William Gentry, Ninth Infantry, camp Sheridan; Lieutenant W. L. Carpenter, Ninth Infantry, Fort Niobrara; Surgeon G. W. Towar, fort Hartsuff; Messrs. Barton & Dillon and Messrs. John Bratt & Co., North Platte; R.H. Henry, esq., Oolumbus; 'l'. H. Lawrence, esq., Camp Clarke; Messrs. Sa"')'er Brothers, Friedeus.au; S. M. Barker, Silver Oreek; Sergeant G. T. H. Nixon, Fifth Cavalry, Cottonwood Springs; Oharles S. Poor, esq., Chicago, Illinois; Messrs. Haas, Stuart & Oo., Council Bluffs, Iowa.

WYOMING.-Hon. Thomas Sturgis, N. R. Davis, esq., Judge .r. M. Cary, Hon. M. E. Post, F. E. Warren, esq., E. W. Whitcomb, esq., A. W. Bristol, esq., J. K. Jeffrey, esq., Oolonel A. T. B~tbbitt, J. H. Pratt, esq., and John n; Thomas, esq., Cheyenne City; Colonel Albert.G. Brackett, Third Cavalry, fort D. A. Russell; Colonel F. F. Flint,. Fourth Infantry, Fort Sanders; Colonel Thomas Allclersou, Ninth Infantry, fort Kinney; Major J. W. Mason, Third Cawlry, B. C. Anderso.n, esq., and Oharles Hatton, esq., Fort Washakie; Major William H. Powell, Fourth Infantry, Fort Fetterman; Captain S. M. Coals, Fourth Infantry, Fort Pred Steele; Lieutenant George Eaton, Fifth Oava,lry, fort D. A. Russell; 0. D. Motley, esq., --Rand, esq., Thomas Alsop, esq., W. B. Sutphin, esq., and H. B. Rumsey, esq., Laramie Oity; Judge W. A. Carter, Fort Bridger; H. H. Carter, esq., Carter; Jesse Knight, esq., and Messrs. Crawford, Thompspn & Oo.; Evanston; John Mccready, esq., and Archibald Blair, esq., Rock Springs; 'I'. W. Oha:ffee, esq., Hillsdale; J. M. Chadwick, esq., Walbach; Hugh Barton, esq., and A. W. Bristol, Cheyenne;

956

1·

I '

I

INTRODUCTION. 3

E. H. Warner, esq., Fort Fetterman; Richard Frewen, esq., Messrs. Roche & Plunkett, and J. A. Brown, esq., P<iwder river; Messrs. Stoddard, Lapham & Howard, Orazywoman's Fork; W . .P. Noble, esq., Lander.

DAKOTA.-Oolonel W. H. Wood, Eleventh Infantry, Fort Sully; Oolouel George L. Andrews, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Fort Randall; Oolonel Elmer Otis, Seventh Oavalry, Fort Abraham Lincoln; Gaptain Richard Oamba, Seventh Infantry, Gamba, Billings county; Lieutenant George H. Wright, Seventh Infantry, Fort Stevenson; Lieutenant :William Hoffman, Se.venth Infantry, .Fort Bennett; Lieutenant James D. Nickerson, Seventeenth Infantry, Fort Totten; Lieutenant James D. Mann, Seventh Gavalry, Fort Meade;'W. H. Parkhurst, Lower Brul6 agency.

MoNTANA.-Mr. Granville Stuart, Deer Loclg·e Oity, Mr. R.H. Mason, surveyor-general, A.G. Clark, esq., Major Davenport, S. T. Hanser, esq., president First National Bank, and Messrs. Gillett & Weston, Helena; Oolonel John R. Brook, Third Infantr~ and Mador Charles R Greenleaf, Third Infantry, Fort Missoula; Major H. L. Ohapman, Third Infantry, audJ ohn Moore, esq., Fort Logan; l\fajor W. H. Brown, Eighteenthinfantry, FOl'tAssinaboine; Gaptain W. P. Olark, Gaptaiu George R. Sanderson, Eleventh Infantry, and W. H. Martin, esq., Fort Ouster; J. H. Ming, esq., Helena; J. Power, esq., Mr. Flowers, Northwestern Oatt.Je Association, George 0. Olendennin, jr., and Messrs. Harris & Go., Fort Benton; R. S. Ford, esq., president Oattle Association, Sun River; George W. Rich, esq., fort Boseman; John Harrison, esq., Sweet Grass.

OALIFORNIA.-Oaptain G. M. Brayton, San Diego; Robert S. Bn,ker, Jotham Bixby, Hon. John G. DowMy, Los . Angeles; John Bbggs, Princeton, Oolusa county; Thomas R. Bard, Hueneme; George H. Bagley, South Fork,

Modoc county; John Bidwell, Ohico, Butte county; Oaptain 0. W.Bailey, Fort Bidwell; J. 0. Oone and Oharles R. Mayhew, Red Bluff; H.J. Dart, Eureka; R. Egan, Oapistrano; Don Juan Forster, Santa Marguerita Ri1nch, Sn,n Diego county; B. P. Flint, Faulkner, Bell &\ Oo., E. Grisar & Oo., Haggin & Tevis, Henry Miller, Oharles W. Jackson, Pinkerten & Jackson, San Francisco; S. It Gyle & Oo., Tehama; Professor ID. W. Hilgarcl, Berkeley; Hollister & Diblee, Santa Barbara; Thomas B. Henley, Mendocino; J. G. Lemon, Oa.kland; John McGahey, Alturas; John Mackey, Sacramento City; Major Henry R. Mizner, Hoopa Valley, Humbolclt county; Oharles W. J11cksou, San Francisco; Samuel B. Parish, San Bernardino; Robert Porter, Hydesville; Joseph Russ, Ferndale; 0. B. Rawson, Santa Ana, Los Angeles county; L; W. Shipper, Stockton.; F. O. Townsend, Ukiah, Mendociiw county; Dr. G. F. Thornton, Bakersfield, Kern county.

ARIZONA.-Mr. T. E. O'Brien and Don Luera Vigil, Springerville, Apache county; H. O. Hooker, esq., Fort Grant; Major H. R. Ghaffee, Sixth Cavalry, Fort McDowell; Major M. A. Cochran, li'ort Apache; MRtjor J. Biddle, Fort Grant; Captain C. B. l\foOlellan, Fort Bowie; Lieutenant H. J. Hurst, camp J. H. Rucker; Mr. W. S. Oui'y and M(\ssrs. Marsh & Driscoll, Tucson; Mr. John G. Gosper, Mr. Jam es Baker, and Oolonel Head, Prescott; Messrs. Van & Harvey, Empire Hauch, Pima county; Messrs. Balz & Kelley, Phrenix; Messrs. Stule & McKenzie and John Hudson, esq., Willcox; Mr. T. F. White, Fort Bowie.

NEVADA.-Lieutenant-Governor Jerrell Adams and Thomas Rickey, Oarson Oity; Charles McOonnell, Eightmile creek, Fort McDermitt; William Dumphy, R. B. Kelly, James Orumm, and D. W. Wallace, Battle Mountain; R. L. Fulton, Reno Evening Gazette, G. W. Huft:'oker, L. W. Lee, Mr. McKinney, Henry Rhue, D. W. ~arle & Oo., Henry Ash, 0. I. Flint, and M. P. Jones, Reno; George Russell, H. V. Mundel, aml M. H. Miller, JUlko; Oolonel Hardin and J.M. Douglas, Oane Spring, Humboldt county; Jerry Mann ancl John Guthrie, Winnemucca; General Rooker, Joseph Gilbert, S. B. Wallace, and Leopold Steiner, Austin; W. S. Bailey, Richard Kirman, and Charles Serby, Virginia Oity; Henry Williams, Sweetwater, Esmeralda county; Oaptain R . .F. Bernard, First Cavalry, fort McDermitt; Henry Rodgers, Wellington, Esmeralda county; Oapta,in A. A. Parker, Oreana, Hnmbolclt county; Thomas Warbater and R. I. Ward, Belmont; ·washiugton Bradberry, White Pine; John Thacker, Mill Oity, Humboldt county; David Davis, Lida, Esmeralda county; E.W. Orntcher, camp McGiirry, Humboldt county; J. B. Jemmell, Andrew Russell, and H. Nugent, Waclsworth, Washoe county; G. W. Ilicks, Hicks' Station, Nye county; J. Williams, Hot Greek, Nye county; J. J. Wilson, S. O. Wells, and John Hathaway, Eureka; Coleman & Ward, Paradise'Valley, Humboldt county; G. L. Ames, Stone House, Humboldt county; David Murphy, Fort Halleck, Elko county; Messrs. Meacham & Blakesley, Humbolclt House, Ilmnboldt county.

UTAJI.-Hon. J_olm Taylor, Daniel Davidson, esq., Oolonel John R. Winter, and Bishop Sheets, Salt Lake Oity; Bishop Nichols, Brigham City; Bishop Snow, Manti; Mr. Oharles Popper, Mr. Patrick Lannan, Mr. John Whitney, and Sharp ·walker, esq., Salt Lake Oity; Lieutenant-Oblonel H. Douglas, camp Oameron; William Jennings, esq., Heuer P. Kimball, esq., E. M. Weiler, esq., Major Dlx, W. L. Pickard, esq., A. S. Patterson, esq., Hon. H. S. Eldridge, and Messrs. Steen & Co., Salt Lake Oity; Mr. L. 0. Lee and Dr. F. E. Roche, Oorinne; Mr. M. L. Shepard, Beaver; James Dunn, esq., Provo Oity; Mr. Daniel Whitbeck, Juab; Mr. Newton Dnnnion, Tooele; Adam Sharp, Rush J_,a.ke; Judge Bean, Richfield; Mr. Johnson Black, Manti; Mr. Lyman S. W oocl, Springville; Mr. E. Whittaker, Snowville; Mr. L. B. Bartlett, Pack Oreek, Piute county; Judge W. G. Smith, Morgan; l\fajor J. J. Critchlow, Uintah reservation; Mr. William Halls, Huntsyille.

0REGON.-Joseph Beezley, B. E. Snipes, and Bugh Frazier, The Dalles; John Bradburn and Thompson & Barnhart, Pendleton; J. Oarlyle, Malheur; John Oreighton, Joseph, Union county; J. L. Oole, Stone, Union county; P. M. Ooffin, Union, Union county; William 0. Hindman, Baker Oity; Hon. John Minto and Hou. ·wmiam Wallace Mayer, Salem; A. 0. Smith, Alder, Union c.ounty; R. S. Thompson, Fossil.

957


WASHINGTON TERRI'.l'ORY.-Levi Anthony, G. Delanay, .Terry Despaine, Lieutern1Dt 0. L. Hein, and Lieutenant W. S. Scott, Walla Walla; Lieute1iant Frederick S. Foltz, Fort Colville; Alexander McAndrew, Pioneer, Clark county; Preston Brothers & Stimpson, Waitsbnrgh.

lDAIIo.-J ames L. Onderdonk, territorial controller, Hon. John Baley, antl General Cn.rter, Boise city; On.ptain Augustus II. Bainbridge, Fourteenth Infantry, Fort Hall; Captain Timothy E. Wilcox, Boise barracks; Onptnin Samuel McKeever, Second Infantry, camp Howard; Captain W. F. Spurgin, Twenty-first Infantry, fort Lapwai; Georg·e L. Shoup, esq., Salmon City; I. Shirley, esq., and Messrs. Taylor & Tinnin, Bridge, Cassia county; Alexander Topbonse and Mr. Kinney, Blackfoot; John Adams, esq., Market Lake; Jasper Herroll, esq., Rock Creek; Hi. Corder, esq., Indian creek, and Con Shea, esq., cam1) I1yon.

FLORIDA.-Governor Bloxhom, Patrick Houston, esq., ancl L. B. Wombwell, esq., Tn1h1hnssee; Charles I. A. Knowles, esq., Tampa; A. M. Chapman, esq., Apalachicola; William L. Willhtms, esq, Williams Str1tion, Escambia count.)'; Marion G. Obarlton, esq., Pine Level, Mmrntee county; William F. Parrish, esq., l\'.[anatee count;y; F. M. Platt, esq., Sa,nford, Orange coimty; -w. W. Davis, esq., 14 Aslie street, Macon, Georgia.

A special aclmowleclgmeut is macle of the invaluable services of vVm. H. Brewer, Norton profossor of agriculture in the Sheffield Scientific School of YnJo Oolleg·e, who was qualified by long investigation, wide experience, and personn,1 knowledg·e of the western grazing region, to give the report a judicious aml intelligent revision in the mtttter of local pectlliarities and capabilities for stock-raising·.

The chapter on forage plants, preparetl wholly by Professor Brewer, ttlone a.ppears under his name; but his suggestions have also been largely incorporated where they do not form distinct portions of the report.

GENERAL INTltODUO'rORY ltIBMARKS.

Oattle, sheep, and hogs, as well as horses, were first brought to this continent in 1493, by Cohunlms, on his second voyage, and importations in one wn.y or another have continued ever since.

Beside stock sent over from Europe for settlers, animalt:i were landed from time to time that bud been ttiken on board ship 'for use during; a voyage, and the loca.l mollifirnttion of breeds has sometimes been considerably influenced by the introduction in this nrnnuer of animals of special qnalities.

There were two general sources of snpply. Spm1,ish America received its early stock from sontl1wester11 Europe and the Ca,nary islands, while for the settlements Horth of Florida animals were brought with emigrants from Great Britain and northern Europe.

Beside such differences as may have existed in the stock in those different portions of Europe from which it was clerived, additional variations were developed through new conclitious found in America. With the climate and the peculiar conditions of the Spanish settlements, cattle multiplied greatly and often subsisted without any care of man, nominally wild. Sheep a.lso increased greatly with but little attention. In the more severe climate of the north Atlantic colonies, the numbers were smaller than in the Spanish provinces, bnt there was more stimulus to oart in the selection of breeding animf1ls. On the frontier, grazing early became as it were a pioneer inclnstry in advance of the close occupation of the land for agriculture. The cow-pens of the Carolinas, more than 11 century ago, corresponded, in some degree, to the present corrals of the West. The abundant g-ra,ziug Ul)Oll open lands, just in advance of actual cultivation, was along a constantly moving border, that furnislied herds to bo fattened on farms alrea,dy brought under the plow, on their way to feed the growing cities of the Atlantic coast. At the time of tlte Mexican war (184'6-'48) this piqneer grazing had crossed the Mississippi river in the corn belt.

Following the Mexican war was a great acquisition of territory, part of it already stockecl from Spanish somces. Shortly afterward, the discovery of gold in Oalifornirt stimulated migration across the continent ancl brought to public knowledge something of the resources of the interior. After the civil war, the completion of Eli railroa,d track across the continent made the interior more ra.pic1ly accessible a,nc.l renclered possible a great clevelopmont of stock-raising, often wholly removed from farming· operations.

It seems best for several reasons to treat the western grazing region in two general divisions, although no lino of exact limitation can well be drawn. If, however, we take the Rocky mountain divide as a line of' division, wo shall find stock east of it largely derive.cl origina,lly from northern Europe, and stock west of the line ll:i.rgcly derived from Spanish sources; the forage plants of California, are qnito unlike tbose of the Kansas plains; the topography of the plateaus and the Pacific slope has its special peculiarities as comparecl with the eastern slope. On the whole it seems most convenient, therefore, to take the states ancl territories in the following order: Texas, New Mexico, Indian territory, Kansas, Oolomclo, Nebrnska, Wyoming, Dakota, lVIontana; then California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, followed by the isolated Florida.

958

PASTURE AND lfOH.AGE PLANrrs.

BY WILLI.Al\'[ H. BREWER.

The pasturage and forage of the regions considered in tltis special report are made up of a great number of species growing wild, most of' them native or indigenous to the country, though many are foreign species, naturalizell from the Old World. Some of the s1fecies have a very restricted range; others are almost cosmopolitan. All thiH might, indeed, be inforrcll when we reflect on the grettt area, embraced in this investigntion aml its wonderful variety of pll,Ysical fea,tmcs. It stretehes across the broadest part of the widest mountain system on the globe, and is of vast size, inelnding within its boundaries al)ont one and a half million square miles. vVithin this area arc all tbc extremes of' physical conditions f'onml within our country; the highest and the lowest land, vaHe;ys below the lernl of the sea, and grcn,t regions lif(ed into perpetual snow; soils of every grade of productiveness, from absolnttl barreuuess to the most fertile soils of the country if not of the world; the hottest plains of the continent, witlt glaciers and 11erpetual snows on the higher peaks ; deserts ·with no rain and the region of the greatest miufall of tht• country; clomlless sky and parching air of some regions in the very strongest contrast with the ttlmost continuous fog·s aud mists of others.

Such great variety of physical conditions will be accompanied by corresponding variety in the wild vegetation, aml the different regions must necessarily be very unlike each other in the elements of their pasturage. Because of this wide difl'ereuce, both as regards kinds and abundance, the i1asturage of the individual states and territories is treated at considerable length in the appropriate place, but some general facts may properly preface the more detailed statements.

The aggregate forage is made up of a great number of species, all growing spontaneously, that is, wild and unculti vatecl, and distributed in many orders of the vegetable kin gel om. Wb.ile a grea,t portion is furnisbetl by tlle true grasses and by plants analogous to the clovers of' cultivated lands, yet a much larger proportion consists of otllcr kinds of herbage than exist in the pasturage of more agricultural regions. ,

'rhe whole aspect of the vegetation of the western region is unlike tha,t of the agricultnral regions east of the M.issis1:-1ippi. Over most of that portion of' the country specially discussed in this repor1; (l!'lorida excepted) woody vegetation is much more restricted in its range t.hn,n in the country east of' the Mississippi, and natural woocllancls and forests occur only as a 11aTrow fringe along the streams and on the slopes of the higher hills and mountains. Vast portions are treeless or irn<1rly so. The treeless portions are not usually covered with such tall grassy vegetation as markecl the original prairies of lllinois and Iowa, and the forests ancl woodlands where they occur are entirely unlike tllose of the Atlantic sti.ttes, both in their general aspects and in the species which compose them. They are almost entirel.)· of needle-leaved trees ( Oonijerw), bro~d-leaved trees beiug found in conspicuous abundance only in the fringes along the streams or scatte1·ed on the slopes, somdimes forming copses or ''openings", but very rarely indeed forming a forest even of limited extent. Over vast areas they are only scattered at rather rare intervals ancl form no co111:-1picuous element in tlie tl'ee growth. The 11rincipal exce11tions are the," openings" and "cross-timbers" of

. Texas aml Indian Territory, and portions of the eoast-range '.'alleys of Calif'omia and Oregon. 'The treeless portions UU\Y be eith~l' desert, witb.out conspicuous vegetation (but this is indeed rare), or prairies covered with n. socl; or with an annual herbage rather than a sod, or more or less covered with low shrubs. When these latter form a thick gTowth, it is called a "chaparral" or '~ chamisal ", according to the locality anµ tlle species which compose it. '.l'he n10unt<tin forests are entirely of needle-leaved trees ( Oon~ferce), usually more open a,nd with less shrubby undergrowth than the forests of the Atlantic slope have, and this modifies a,nd a:ffects the mountain i1ai:;tures iu several ways.

The natuml past,umge plant may be roughly ch1ssified into three great classes, tb.e grasses proper, herbage other tllan grass, aml shrubby vegetation or" browse". The grasses, of course, furnish the staple everywhere, in some place8 practically all pasturage, and assume various characters in the different regions discussed.

Ou the treeless plains a.i1d plateaus ea,st of the Rocky mountains, and on the higll plateaus in the interior of the great mountain system, the grasses form a sod or turf of differe.nt degrees of firmness and consistency, according to

. 009


the soil and the climate. The tall species of the original prairies of Illinois and Iowa diminish westward as the land becomes higher and the climate drier and the grasses become shorter; but some of the species are exceedingly nutritious.

A number of species belonging to several genera, known rather loosely under the general names of "grama grass", "buff:'a.lo grass," and "mesquite grass," are especially noted for their nutritious qualities. The term mesqitite (called also mitslcit) aud grama are confined to the southern tier, but "buffalo grass" is a common term from Texas and New Mexico to British America. Some of the species to which it is applied will be notecl in our list. The species are short, the stems rather hard, and they dry up on tlle ground, retaining their nutritive qualities.when thus dried, as the more succulent cultivated grasses of the agricultural regions do not.

Many of the perennial species, particularly those of the hills and the mountains, instead of forming a socl or turf, grow in tufts or bunches, ancl are known under the general name of "bunch grasses". Under the conclitions of climate which pertain to very much of this region, sod where formed is in its character quite unlike the turf of the cooler parts of Europe and of the agricultural states of the Union, and the same species which form turf there, in this region show a greater tendency to grow in tufts or bunches. So marked is this that several of the meadow grasses of other regions are returned as "bunch" grasses in the appended list. Some of the bunch grasses are eminently nutritious, others less so, while still others are only eaten by hungry animals when other forage fails. The term "bunch grass" conveys no idea of kind, species, genus, or value, but merely a habit of growth.

The true grama grasses belong mostly to the genus Boiiteloiia, ancl the true buffalo grass to the genus Biwhloa, but how loosely these terms are used will be seen in the list of grasses appended. Some ranchmen make the distinction that the buffalo grasses increase by stolons or creepers, while the grama does not; but as a whole the terms are so loosely used as to be of little value in any popular description of the pasturage of the country further than to indicate that the grasses referred to grow on dry soils, that they are nutr~ious, and that they retain their good qualities when dried standing.

The total number of species of grass found in the region under consideration is very large, and cattle probably eat nearly all the kinds. California is the only state of this region whose botany has been elaborated and published, and in that state about 180 species of grass have been described, belonging to 62 genera. Beside these, tilere are many species belonging to the natural orders Oyperacero or sedges and Jiincaeero or rushes that are popuhuly known as grasses. Excluding all the grasses ancl grass-like plants that are rare, and the fow not liked by cattfo, it is probable that more than a hundred svecies, if not indeed a hundred and :fifty species of plants, form an appreciable element of the pasturage of the region under consideration. Numerous circulars and letters have been sent out to gain information on this point, the general results of which are given in the appended list.

In the list the popular names are given n,s sent .in, although often these are not the ones by which the species are best known. This has seemetl best, because they were the terms usecl by the ranchmen themselves to indicate what their cattle feel upon. The following alphabetical list will give a general idea of the more important grasses, although cloubtless many species are omitted which somewhere are of considerable importance. The list embraces the true grasses and some of the other fo1'age plants. Many of the specimens which were sent to the Census Office were undeterminable; the list of western forage grasses must therefore remain incomplete until tile region is more thoroughly studied botanically.

Agrostis, bent-grass. .A. dozen or more species of this genus are found in the western Unitecl States, native. or naturalized, and all are eaten by stock. A. vulgaris, the common reel-top of the Atlantic. states and Enro1rn, spreads through the cooler regions as fast as cattle and sheep come in. .A.. JJ!ithlenbergii is returned from Texas as

, bottom-mesquite grass. Aira Memicana, Texas, is one of the so-mLlled mesquite grasses. Several of the species of this genus which are

common east are more or less abundant west. A. cccs1Jitosci, hair-grass, is returned from the cooler regions; it ranges from Oregon to the Atlantic states. It is an Old-World 1speeies which is spreading in the mountains .

.A.ndropogon scoparius is reported from various places east of the Rocky mountains (it ranges to the Atlantic); in Texas it i~ spoken of as "a great fat-producer"; in portions of Kansas, as forming 20 per cent. of the forage. It is returned as sage-grass, broom-grass, and even under other names, and once (from Texas) as "white mesquite". A. fu1·catits, a common and valuable pmirie grass, best known as blue-stem and blue-joint, also has a wide rang·e from the plains eastward, constituting 40 per cent. of the pasturage of portions of Kansas and other prairie regions. .A. Torreyanii is returned fro,m Texas under the names of blue-joint and white grama, and described by some ranchmen,as "an unequaled fat-producer"·

Aristida pitrpurascens, prairie mesquite, from Texas and Indian Territory. It ranges northward to Illinois. Atropis tenitijolia, is one of the most valuable bunch grasses, ranging from San Diego to Oregon, and eastward

to Colorado. Avenafatitra, the wilcl oats of California, is very common in that state, and is noticed more fully below. Boitteloita oligostaohya is the true grama grass, and is the species specially known as such in the localities

where it abonnqs, probably from Texas to Arizona and Oolorado. But it is also called in the returns mesquite· grass, muskit-grass, bunch-grass, buffalo-grass, etc. The term "gram a" is little used north of Ooloraclo, but this species ranges from Texas westward to southern Oalifomia and northward to Wisconsin and Monta~a. B. hirsuta, known by the same names, and often also as black grama, ranges from Texas to Wisconsin and Illinois, on the

960

II

I

PASTURE AND FORAGE PLANTS. 7

north and east, but does not reach Oalifornin, on the west. B •. ourtipendula mng·es still further east, even to southern New York, bu,t is apparently no-where sci common or so valuable as B. hirsuta. B. polystachya and B. aristoiiles occur along the southern tier upon the Rio Grande to the Ooloraclo river, and thence into Mexico, bnt do not extencl far north. They are common in some localities.

Biwhloe daatyloiiles is the celebrated bnffttlo-grass, and iii! known to hunters, herdsmen, ancl plainsmen as one of the most; nutritious of grasses. It is short, the foliage curly, it increases by stolons (runners) as well as by seed and 'by root. In Texa:; it is sometimes known as vining mesquite. It belongs to the dry au cl elevated pfaim; from the Rocky mountains eastward to Kansas, and from British Amerimt to Mexico.

Oalmnal}rostis canadens-:rs, under a variety of names, blue-joint, bunch-grass, etc., ranges in the mountains from Oalifornh1 to the Athmtie and from Mexico to British America, a vn.luable fora.go where fou11d, and is often abundant enough for hay. O. longijolia has also a wide range from Texas to Michigan ull(lervarious ump.es. li'rom Texas it is returned as mesquite and gmma grass, illustrating how confused those terms are witll 11u1uy muchmen.

JJistiehUs ma.ritimti is the most common ''salt grass" from Oaliforuia to Oiwolina, ltnd is found 011 saline~ alkaline soils throughout the interior southward to Mexico.

Elv1niis.-Various species of this genus occur in the region, commonly under the popular name of wild rye; all of tllem iwe tall and coarse and are eaten by ca.Ule, although some luwe little value after they have dried Htandiug. The most common specieH reported by stockrnen a.ml botanists nre the following: E. anmari1ts, in northern Oalifornia and 11orthwa,rd, where it is called ritnclieria-gntss; its seeds are gathered by the Digger Indians for food; it range's to Asia and northern Europe, but not to tlle eastem sta,tes; and J!J. cancidcnsis, wliich ranges from Oregon to New England and to New lVIe~ico. JJ. condonnatus is the most common wild r,ye of the interior. It belongs strictly to the western United States, and rang·es from Oolornclo to Waslii11gton territory and :;outhcm Oalifornia It is also ca.llecl reed-grass, bunch-grass, etc. E. Sibfricits is another species from the Old World, which now ranges from California northward to British America aud enstward to fake Superior.

E1·iogonecc cus1>i<la.tci is one of' tho va,luable bunch grasses. It ranges from British America to Mexico aiml from Oalifornfa to the Rocky mountains. It runs into Hevcra.l vitrioties, 011e qf which is called in southern California saooatoo or saocatoa. E. 1Yebberii, a smaller species, about 6 inches high, also lt lmuch-grass, occurs on the Sierra Nevada.

Eragrostis powoides, a sriecies uatumlizecl from the Okl World, and now founcl scattered t,hroughout tlrn United States, is retumed from Texas as one of the buffalo-grasses of the stock.men; and E. oxylopis, also in sm1dy soils, from Texas, its red-top gmma.. The genus Era.g1'ostis is a large one; there are numerous s1Jecies eaten b;y stock.

JJ'cstuca. is another h1rg·e genus, containing some of the most valuable of pasture grasses, and is almndautly represCl1ted in the forage of' the westem regions both bs native and by naturalized species from the 01<1 World, whieh follow tlie cattle ttml sheep and come iu wliere they range. JP. o·vina, slieep fescne, is common in the cooler parts, from Oaliforuht and Montana to the Atlantic. It is one of the most valued of sheep grasses, and hus followed sheep from Europe to the remote parts of the e~1rth, even to New Zeafarnl, Australia, :uul 'rasm1111fa. It varies in habit of growth, and comes to us from cattlemen under numerous names, "bunch-grass," "red-top," ''sheep-grass," etc. Among the native species are JJ'. occiclentalis, a valuable bunch-grass from Oregon, and F. scahrolla., ltnother, ·which ranges from Oaliforuia to the Hocky mom1tains.

Hilcwfo, rigida, is n llard grass occurring in northern Oalifomia on the semi-dcs{lrts of' San Bernardino count.v It is valuable for feed, is said in places to constitute three-f'o11rths of the 1iasturage, aml is known as gallotc, r;allota, or gallctta. I suspect that the giettn,-grass of Arizona consists in imrt of this s110cies ~tml its nea.rrelittiYc, H. oenohroilles, which occurs in that statl\, and increftses by stolons or creepers rooting at the joints. It agree:; with some of the descriptions by rauclimen, lrnt specimen8 have not been received to cletermine nccumtely wlmt gietfa.gmss really is.

Hor(fourn ·nvuriniim, naturalized from the Old World, has become a great pest in Oalifornfo,, where it is known 'as squirrel-grass, fox-tail, and white-oats. It is known in the Old World as walJ:lmrle~·, 'and way-bent. While greun itnd growing it has some value as foed, but not much., It is annual, and comes in where the irn:;ture::: tire overstocked, varticuh1rly on tlie lower hills and valleys of tlie coast rnuges. When the heads ripen, they break up, ancl the ba.rbecl seeds nnd awns work their way tnto every crevice; they insert themselves into wool, and bore thcil' way sometimes into the flesh of sheep and lambs; they get into the eyes of domestic i1nimal1:1, often destroying the sight; they get into the throats of horses .and mules and cause inflammation; and, taken all in all, this weecl is probably the most troublesome of' Oalifomia, in some few places killing many lambs and cloing other dnrnage. It has spread to the Ca.pc of GooclHope, Australia, Tasmania, etc.

Kmleria cristata, is a bunch-grass common in California, and becoming niore abundant as tlie regions become settled and occupiecl, for it is ttn immigrant from the Old W drld, and is now found from Pennsylvania to the Pacific.

llielioa..-Eight species are lrnown .in California (but oue in the eastern states). Some are very abundant and range wir1ely throughout the region. They are mostly bnnch grasses, and belong la.rgely to the mountains. Jlf. imperfccta ancl llf. 8tricta. are the most abundant, and range far beyond the borders of' that state.

1111thlenbcrgfo gi·acillina is a common grass on the plateaus from Uoloraclo to Texas, mid is 0110 of the species 1·etnrned as hnff'alo·grass, being a small, nutritious species. About half a dozen species of this genus occur in the western United States, and here and there constitute a valuable element in the pasturage.

61 AG . ' · !JGl


Munroa sq1tarrosa is anotller of the low, nutritious bu:ff~lo grasses, and orig.inally covered tracts of thousands of acres together of the upper plains region. It ranges from British .America to Texas, but is a more noticeable element of the vegetation north of Colorado thim l:lonth of it. .As it is a prominent bu:tfaJo gras8 of the north, so it is one of the grama grasses of Texas.

Pamfoion, a vast genus which numbers tltroughont the world several hundred species, is not so ricllly represented in the western United States :;i,s in the eastern, but nearly a dozen species are known, native or introduced. P. aapillarc, the Old-Witch grass, is distributed throng'l10ut the country from tlle Athtntic to the Pacific. P. sangiiinalc, the crrtb-grass and· finger-grass, comes in with settlements, and is as widely scattered. P. a,r;rostoicles, the most abundant species of tll.e Atlantic states, is common througll. the west in moist vnlle~·s. P. obtumon is returned as wire-grass. P. ar·iis-,r;alli follows the settlmnents, and is found about the barn-;ynr(hl mid cormls1 and various other species in greater or less abundance have been noted by botanists in the regio11 1 which ll.ave not eome in among tlic retnrus of the stockmen.

Pha,laris aanaricnsis, of the Old World, which furnishes the canary-seed of co1m1wrce, a.ud is cultivated in Cftlifornia, often becomes imturalized, and although not abundant, it attracts attention because it is conspicuous, and is returned under nmny fanciful names, wild-goose grass, wild wheat, wild canary, etc. P. a.r1tnd·inaaea., a variety of which is the familiar ribbon-grass of gardens, sometimes becomes wild near houses, loses its striped character, and thus t!Lkes other names. P. intermedia, which ranges from Mexiqo to Oregon and the Atlantic, is known to California fani1ers as California timothy, but is of comparatively lit.tle value.

Phleimi pra.tense, from the Old World, the timotll.y and herd-grass of the Atlantic states, becomes naturalized wherever the soil and climate permit; it is often sown 11nd is already common through the mountains to the Pacific coast, ancl is valnable wherever found.

Poa, another h1rge genus, is al.nmdantly represented in western North America both by native and naturalized species. P. anniui, a. small annual species widely diffused throughout the world, springs np quickly after the rains, makes the ground look green, but is of little v,alne. P. aompressa, also from Europe, is a common wfre-grass. P. pratcnsis is the famous Ken t.ucky blne-grass, and follows cultivation; it is common in California, ltnd is becoming common throug110nt the Hocky mountains. P. serotina., false red-top, is found in Oregon and the Rock;r mountn.ins; eastward to the Atlantic it is common where the soil is moist. Other species, common to both the New anti thr. Ohl World, might be named. P. a.lpina is found in the Sierra Nevada and the lfoeky mountains up to near per110tnal snow (as it is in the mountains of the Old World), and P. tcn1iifolia is one of the valuable nath-e bunch grasses of the western mountains.

Sorghum, mitans, a tall species two to five feet high, is common westward to the Rocky mountains, nrnl i& popularly known as broom-grass, wood-grass, and Indilm grass. In portious of Kansas it constitutes 20 per C(.mt. of the forage.

Sporobolus heterolepis is iLbundant from western Kansas eastward, ranging to New Eng1anc1 on dry soils. Iu planes it forms au important element in the prairie pastnre. '

Stipa ocai.c1enta7.is is a common hunch-grass in the Sierra Nevada. S. aomata, ranges from California to the · Rocky mountains, and from Montana, where it is common, to New Mexico.

Tr-itimwi repens, the connnon couoh~grass and qnitch-grass of the Atlantic states and Euro13e, is found probably in every state and territory. In Oregon allll Montana it is called bunch-grass; in Texas it is known as canon-grass, wild-rye, etc.; from ·Indian territory as sour-grass, and so on. It is not a valuable forage, but is eaten willingly by mtttle. 21

• caninuin, another European species, is found scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific; jt has but little value, but is one of the bunch grasses of Oregon. T. strigositni, also called bunch-grass, is more abunclimt, and is fouml from· Oa.lit'ornia and Oregon to Ooloraclo. It does not occnr in the Atlantic states, but occurs in Asia Minor and otlier 1Htrts of the Old vVorld.

Tripsaoiim chwtyloides is tbe gama-grass (not grama) of the South. It is a late, coarse gra.ss, three to seven feet lligh, with leaves like those of India.n corn, and grows on moist soils from Texas to Illinois, and eastward to Connecticut.

Uniola latifolia is returned from Indian territory under the names of oat-grass and wild-oats. It ranges to Illinois and Virg'iuia, on shaded hillsides.

Over all this region a very considerable proportion of forage is furnished by herbaceous plants other than grasses. There are })robably some hundreds of native species'that contribute somewhat to this, some of them but little, but others very much. They belong to many natural orders, and 110attempt11as been made to enumernte them. Prominent among them are the native indigenous clovers. But five spe~ies of clover (Trifoz.imn) 11re native to the agricultural states east of the Mississippi river, while some forty species occur from tlle Hocky mountains westward. Twenty-five .of them are fouml in California alone. Some of these form an important element in the natural forage, others u,re too small or too mre .to be of much value, bnt only one ( '1.'. Andersonii) is not eaten with avidity by stock. There a.re many other species of this same natnral order (Legmninosacc), wild vetches, wild lupines, etc., eaten by stock. Plants other than the true grasses fnrnish a larger portion of the forage of' those regio11!-I "'IY]1ich have rainless summers, some of' which (alfileria, l.mr-clover, etc.) will be again mentioned. Th(~ native amnrnl species, however, is liable to be easily run ont by heavy stocking. Of the cultivated species tried to supply the

962

ll

11

"' II

PASr:I.1URE AND FORAGE PLANTS. g

place of such, alfalfa (the Ohilian variety of lucerne) is the most valllable, as indeed it is the most valuable cultivated forage plant of hot and dry climates in other parts of the world. .

The third great class of natural forage 1s furnished l>y shrubs, " browse feed,'' as it is called. Of the undergrowth of the forest nothing need be here said. ln this region, as else.where, if cattle and sheep range in forest and woodlands they eat the twigs and foliage of various woody plants. Bnt over many of the drier sections of the interior various shrubs form a notable feed in the winter. Prominent among these is the eelebrated "white sa.ge", or, as it is sometimes called, "winter fat" (]j}urotia lanata.), which ranges from the Sas1rntchawan to New Mexico, 1tnd from the Sierra Nevada to the Rocky mountains. After frosts come its quality is improved (as is true of other shrubs of the same order, Ohenopodia.cecc), and it is a. valuable winter forage in many p~aces in the Great Basin. Other species are here and tIJ.ere called whitH sage, but, this is the one 11a?· excellence.

The name '' greasewoocl" is applied to a considerable number of plants. The most eommon ones, however, are the Sarcobatus ver??iioiilcitus imd Abione canescens, both more or less thorny shrnbs antl looking most unpromising as .forage, but which nevertheless have considerable value. Hirshia triilentata is also widely known as greasewood, ancl is eaten by stock, and so are a number of other species less common ancl of less value.

The mesquite (Prosopis j1tlijtom) grows as a shrub or smitll tree on the dry slopes l1ncl mesa,s from Texas to California, and produces a crop of sweetish pods four, six or more inches long·, and each containing numerous beanlike seeds. Both the pods and the seeds are eagerly eaten by stock, and are very nutritious. The plant is a nel1r relative to the carob bea.n of the Mediterranean region, which is an important :forage in Spain, Syria, and nortllem Africa.

"Sage" is a name given by the early mountaineers to the shrubby species of Artemisia, found so abundantly from tbe plains to the Pacific. Tbere are many species of this genus, bitter, strong smelling, ftncl belonging to dry regions. But the name has come to have a. wider use l1mong· stoekmen, a.nd besides the white sage we lmve yellow sage, reel sage, black sage, rabbit sagci etc., applied to various species of shrubs, some· of which ru·e eaten h,y stock in extremity, others more willingly, but taken as a whole there is uot much c1epeuclenee upon browse feed, except with the white sag·e, althongll in many phtces it forms an element not to be entirely ignored.

tWhen new and natural pastures become ocenpied with cattle or sheep a condition new to the region is introduced, the old balance established by nature is disturbed, and immec1iately n. cl1ange begins in the pastnrnge, as to both kind and quantity. In all such cases some of' the species mpidly diminish, and may become putirely extinct, as has 11appened in ma.ny p~uts of' the world, notably in St. Helena and other i::ilancls. Other species diminish without act1rnlly perishing from the face of the earth, So soon as such a reg·ion becomes overstocked, then the ag·greg·ate forage rapidly decreases, but nature in time supplies the i11ace with other speeies. 'flte nature of the change is determined by the species whieh composetl the original pastnres, the climate of the place, and the kind of m1imals pastured. Where.a very considera,ble portion of the forage is of n.mnuil plants, as is notabl;y the case in California, if tlle growing pl!1nt is eaten off before the seed ripens, or if the seeds foernselYes are palatable ancl are eaten, then the na.tuml seeding is prevented and the pasture rapidly diminishes; then new species come in, which a.re either less palatable to stock or have some na.tural provi.l!lion b;y which the seed is protecte<l and self.pla.nted. We have specially good illustrations of tllis in Oalifornif1, 1mrticufarly in the valleys mid lower rang·es west of the Sierra Nevada. Originally the winter and spring herbage of this region was especially ifoh in variety and abundant in quantity; the country was alike the delight of the botanist and the rmradise of cattfo. Witih scttlmuent and herds the.native herbage decreased aucl European species came in their plaee. vVilcl mtts (Avena f(:ttita) first came in. This species, originally from the Meclitermnean region, natnralizecl 011 the Pacific coast of both North and South America, came into the state from the south with the Jfranciscan :fothers and their herds, all(l spren(l northward. It was 1nost abundant between 1845 and 1855, when hundreds of t.housancls of acres were clothecl witll it as thick as a meadow. Aliileria, or !)in-clover (Erodimn eiautwriiwn), apparently canrn before it, some botanists believing it to be native, as Nuttall found it far in the interior in 1836, but it di.cl not increase so rapidly as wild oats, and never hacl such possession of the soil anywhere; but it increased until perhu,p:,; 1865 or 1870. Thist too, is a native of' southem Europe, as well as bur-clover (lrledicago dentfoulata), which came in later arnl slower. spreading with sheep along the lines of' their drives, and along the lines of wagon roads across the great eentmi valley. All these a.re annual species, all are valuable for forage, but each has a pro-vision for the protection or planting of' the seed. Both wild oats and pin clover have hygrometrie beards, which twisi; and 1m1;wist with changes in moisture in the air; the seeds crawl as if alive, and ereep into the cracks in the dried soil in snmnrnr, where tlley are sa.fe from harm ancl self-planted. When the rains come one often finds the ground traced with it

network of green lines, which show where the soil formed cracks the previous summer, into which these seeds haa crawled and planted themselves. With bur-clover the protection is of another kim1, and the speeies has spread to Texas, Australia, cape of Good Hope, South America, and to all dry countries where sheep are fed.

When the oi;erstocking is too severe for these, then another speCies eomes in, the veruieious "squirrel-grass" or fox-tail (Hordeum murinum). This is less relished by stock, and its heads when ripe break up, the sharply-pointed and barbed seeds and awns doing much damag·e to stock; they are savecl from destruction a.nd are scattered by,their very harmf~1l cli~racter, and r>la.nt themselves mucll as wild oats clo. So, partly been.use of its worthlessness when green, lmrtly be~anse it is an enemy to stock when ripe, and partly beeause of its means for clissemination and self-planting, this pernicious species can h?lcl its own where b.etter kinds are exterminated.

063


With protection a.ncl care valuable species are encouraged and the pastures of an old regio~ may, and often do, become more productive than when uew, as is so notably the case in all agricultural regions; but what is to be the conclition for the next fow years of these regions now or recently overstocked, and where the climate is dry and the original vegetation sparse in quantity compared with moister regions, no one can as yet say. What species are to take the place of those being reducecl or exterminated by overstocking· only the future can determine.

Every wild imsturc has its own pernicious phmts, and our western country has its ·own share of evil species. It has burs to infoi:lt wool, lmt some of the naturalized foreign species are worse tlrn.n the indigenous ones.

There are also a few poisonous weeds. The irnmes wild carrot aud wild parsnip are applied to native species of Umbelliferw which are hurtful just as they are in other parts of the world, but what the particular western species are that occasi01ially po.ison stock is unknown. IIere as elsewhere there are also some hurtful species belonging to the Ramlnoulacecv, but wlutt they are is unknown. 111 the northern regions from Oregon to Montana stockmen speak occasionally of" 1!1rkspur" as poisoning stock. There a.re many 1mti ve species oflarkspur ( Dclphin·inm) belo11 ging to western America, some of them of great beauty, and are found in the gardens of Europe and the eastern states, but whfoh of them (if any) il:l chargeable for this poisoning is unknown. It is possibly a native monk'R-hood (Aconitmn Fisolwri) which is occasiomtlly founcl in this region, but is nowhere au abnncfaut plant.

l!"'artller south, from Oolomdo to Texas and Oalifornht, there are a few species, known as Looo, which 11re harmful. 'rhey belong· to the genus Astrciga.liis, i1 genus represented by very many species in the west, only a very few ot which are known to be hurtful. Of the noxious ones, some are reputed to injnre stock by producing severe constipation, others produce a sort of insanity or intoxication, and rarely they produce death. There is much discrepancy of statement as to which species is harmful, or how harmful, bnt that some are harmful there seems to be no question. Ast,ra.ga.lus mollissimus from Texas and A. Hornii, from Oalifornia to Utah, are species of evil repute. But as a whole, the wild pastures of the west are unusually free from harmful species.

964

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"

TEXAS.

HISTORICAL.

The following dates in Texas history are given as a guide by which to compare the growth of' the stock business: 1685. This year witnessed the beg'inning of a small French colony under the Ohevalier La Salle, who landed

on the shores of Matagorda bay. This occupation was brief. 1689. A tempomry colony of Spaniards settled on the spot where La Salle liacl previously located. 1700. During the decade before and that after thfs date, the Spanish Roman Catholics built. numerous

missions in Texas. The strife between the authority of Spain and that of Mexico, involving t;he Inclhtn tribes, induce~l, finally, a savage warfare, resultjng, after many massacres, in the Spanish abandonment of their possessions in Texas.

182 l. Mexico threw off the Spanish yoke, mid Texas became a tributary of Mexico. At tllG same date Austin planted his colony in 'l'exits. The independence of Texas was practically secured in 1836; it; wtts acknowlcdge(l by our Congress to be an independent republic in 1839, and was annexed to tho United States in 1845. The next ;ye1w tho Mexican war occrirred.

Before 1775, al'ter the founding of the town of Laredo, which was the only permiment settlement of qw Spanianls on the lower Uio Grande, ranches and lrncienchts had exteudell over the countrybetweeu the Nueees and the Rio Grande, and at the beginning of this century extensive herds of catitle, sheep, and horses grazed on the luxuriant pasture between those rivers. IJater, when the Spn.ninrds were driven from their Texas settlements, mid dnring the border warfare of the Texas revolution (1830-1830), when the inhabitants of that region were <lestroyed or dispersed, the cattle n,ncl other stock running wild increased greatly. From the planting of Austin's colony, almost all of the incoming settlers of Texas brought live stock with them. Some French ca.ttle came in from Lo1tisiaim, . while so-called American "1rntives" entered with the emigrants from various st;ates. In 1830 there are snl<l to have been 100,000 cattle in Texas, of whieh Spanish cn.ttle occupiecl about four-fifths of the extent of Uw setthid portion of the state, and cattle from the Unite<l States stocked about one-fifth of it.

In 1837 and 1838, the" cow boss" gatheretl herds of from three hundred to a thousand head of tho wiltl unbraudecl .cattle of the Nueces and mo Grande country, and drove them :for sttle to cities of the interior. In 184-2 the driYing of cattle to ~ew Orlenus began. The first shipment from Texas was by a Morgan steamer in 1848, hnt n1) to 184\) there were very few outlets for the stock, which had increase<1 enormously since 1830. There is 11, report of a drive of 1,500 to Missouri in 1842, but the earliest perfectly authenticated record of a business ventnre of that I.rind found was for 1846, when Edward Piper, now of Decaitnri II1inois, drove 1,000 head of 'l'exas crtttle to.Ohio, where he f'ed and sold them. From 1846 to 1861 the drives increased. In 1850 drives bC1gn.n to Californiih Tho first drive to Chicago was in f85G. From the beginning of the northern drives in 1840 until the war of t.he rebellion there wns always some movement of cattle out of Texas, but it was irregular. A large proportion of the cattle driven was sold on the plains. Some cattle went into California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Beside such drives there were were only the shipments from the seaboard cities to New Orleans and Cuba.

When the Texan republie was formed, all l.mbramled cattle found at largo were declared pn blic property. 'l'hen, and for years afl;erward, cattle or sheep were worth but little. The Indians stole them, the M~xicaus railled them and clrove them across the Rio Grande, and the Texans "mavericked" (a) the unbranded. The demand, though limited, with the small expenditures necessa~'Y, made the beginning of the business easy. A wealthy stock-owner stated tlrnt when he settled in Live Oak county in 1849 the region was overrun by herds of wild unbranded nnimalR, arnl thn t upon the prairies he had often come upon olcl branding-irons, unrecognized by the people living there. lJp to t.lrn tinrn of our civil war the possession of cattle was precarious; there was a great supply, less valuable per head eacl1 yen!', demancls at home or a"Qroad were small, being limited to certain drives, and to shipments by smt for Mobile itn<l New Orleans which were taken by the Morgan Steamship Oompany.

The returns for assessment of the live-stock of Texas fa 1860 showed 3·,535,708 cattle, 753,30:3 sheep, mid 1,371,532 hogs. If those returns were in the same proportion to the actual number as the returns for 1880, we may calculate that there were really 4, 785,400 cattle, 1,187,UOO sheep; and 2,509,000 hogs in 1860. During the civil war, f'rom.1861to1865, with no outlet eastward except a limited one toward the southwestern confeclemto stntes, itncl

a Unbrancled neat cattle over a yen.r old, in the langn11ge of Texas ranchmon, nro ca1lec1 '' mnverickH ", and are bmmlecl by the ono · who first has op11ortunity.

!Jll5


with but o;1ight hnsines~ with California, live-stock greatly increased in numbers; but they were neg·Jectl~ll, olcl cattle accumnhtted, and a large pei:;centage of the calves for four years escaped branding or receivell other brands than those of their rightful owners.

Agencies, however, establishell ·within the state for mutual protection, apportioned their administmtiott to cover many distriets, each fnrnishing its quotn, of executive assistants who rounded up, branded, etc., while un account \vas kept for the interests of absent ptwties. The system worked well, imcl'preserved the cattle business from chaos. While ca.ttle in Texas could then be bought at an am:irage of $3 to $4 per h~ad, the same stock would ba.ve brought $30 or $40 in the no1·thern strLtes; and mature beeves which cost in Texas but $5 each by the hercl were worth $50 each in other sections of the Unit'etl States.

Slleep did not increase iwoportionately with catitle; the shepherd's staff was turned i11to a sword, ancl llis . stock snflered :from neglect; scab ancl other cliseases prevailetl; exposed to tbe ravages of storms, thieves,.~tncl

wild animals, they clegeneratetl ancl decreased ra.pidly. Sunh was the condition until 1865, when began tlie cattle traffic as part of the regular supplies of the other ·states.

The total number of Clittle faken from Texas by northern drives alone since 1865 is 4,223,500, or an aiverage annual drive of 281,566. To these there must be added from 70,000 to 100,000 driven to California a.ncl from 100,000 to 125,000 to Ne~v Mexico and Arizona. Beside many taken out by Oortinas and other Mex.icm1 raiclers, th large iiumber were driven north spasmodically and without reliable record from 1846 to 1866. All going out by trail we may safely t~stimate to make a gmnd totn,l of 5,000,000 cattle previo1~s to 1881.

By sea we find the exports up to 1S5!) and for 1866, as estin111tec1, were 1,383 head; returns from customs districts since 1859, 246,617; total, 248,000.

We have been ni:1alllc to obtain the figures of the munl.Je.r of cattle transported beyond the state by each railrou<l since its construction.

From the aboYe sfatcmen tR we may approximate tho total number of cattle that Texas bas sent beyond her borders siuc_e she became a part of the United States, t~at is, practically since the beginning of her stock business, as follows:

By milroall, schetlnle returns, 1880 ~ •• _ ... _. _.. • • • . • . . . • • • . . • . . • . . • • . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • • • . • • • • • • . . • . . . • . • . • . . 78, 000 By r11ih·on.<1, previous yenrs, llAtimatetl. .••........ ,. . . • • . • • . • • • • . . . . . . . . . • • • • • • . • • • . . . . . . . . . . • . . . • • • • • • . . 150, 000 Hy northern 1Mvcs, 1.8fifi-1880 (a) ...................... ~ .•••••.••••••..•.•.•...•.•...•.....•••..•••.•..• 4, 22.'3, 500 By drives previons:to 18U6, estimated................................................................... 870,500 By sea, returns of customs clistricts sinoe 1850 ..••..•••••..•. _ ....•• : ........... , . • . . . • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • •. . 246, 017 By 'sea., estimato!l f'o1· certa,iu years (b) .••.•••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••• : • • • • • • • • • 1, 383

Tot111. •. -·· ...............•......••.••••.•.•••••..••••..••••.•.•••..•....••.•.•.••••••••••.•••••• 5, 576, 000 ==

.At the close of the war the cattle.supply in the north was greatly reclncecl, while in Texas tho supply ~as large and prices were very low. These facts induced a. drive in 1866 of about 260,000, with Sedalia, Missouri, as the objective point.

Notwithstanding the wide margin between the purchasing price in Texas and the Rolling price in the northern markets tho business wns generally disastrous to those wllo invested in it beeause of the 1t1'ntetl n'istanet~ of' organized bodies of men in southern Kn.usas and Missouri who forbade the drovers to· eross thoso states. This sometimes resulted, wlrni.1 the Texas men persevere(l in their nim, even in the killing of' some drovers, or in the stampeding and stealing of their herds, or in subjection to n, heavy tax for safe tmnsi.t; other <lrovers were foree(l to turn off the dirflct t,ra.ek ltnd make a long detour south of the hostile borders until west of tLll settlements, und then push nortll to find a, safe wn.y to S11iut Joseph aml to Chicago; or, driving into lomt, they sold to feedm·s. The opposition to the drives was for two ostensible reasous: fear of Texas cat·tJe.f'ever, and the preservation o~ the pt1stmes of the invaded states for their own use; but it gave an opportunity for lawless men of the border to ste11l in the confusion produced. '£he drovers who made terms with the enemy tlid so at the cost of the prolits hopecl for at the end of their journey. Those who sought out a new trail to market were so delayell tlrnt the latter part of the drive was made in cold. weather on poor grasses, with thin and exhanstecl eattle.

The fear of ''Texas fever" has been mentioned as one cause of the hostility in southern Kansas and Missoqri to the pat1sage of cattle north ward. Though tllere was no general alarm in the western states concerning '' spl~nic fever" until the outbrNtk of 1868, when government ordered an investigation, yet there is abund~mt proof thiit the movement of ooctst cattle, whether Texas or Cherokee, or those of Florida and lower Georgia, had of'te:U beeu

1 attended by the intl'Ollnction ()f fatal disease to the cattle of the higher inland regions, and in 1866 and 1867 l\ir. J. R. Dodge, of the department of agriculture, instituted a systematic series of inquiries regarding it.

In 1867 1ve fincl the annual drive greatly reduced, owing to the alarm of the year before and the difficulty of getting cattle to the ,northwestern markets. T.hen, and until 1872, .Abilene,, Kansas, was the shipping point of the Texas clriYes, being then a station of the Kansas Pacific railroad near its we1Stem terminus, we.st of all the prirn;iipal settlements, n,ncl with goocl water aucl abundant pasture. Here the traffic increased to 700,000 in 1871. Iu. 1873

o. Seo ca.ttle drive, p. 21. b Estiurnted for the years prior to 1859 when exports ·were not prepared and published, and for 1866 when no statement was prepi~red

ancl publiRhecl, 1111cl for tbe yea,rs 1861, 1862, nnd 1863 when no returns were received by tbe bureau of statistics. 006 .

I

I

·~

S'I'ATE OF TEXAS. 13

was the next largest drive, heing about 5007000, taken to Wichita, Ellsworth, and Ooffeyville, Kansas. Thereafter no drive exceeded that of 1880, which was 384,147. Since the wnr raHroacl and sea trans1:wrtn,tfon have figured ln,rgely in the Texas cattle traffic.

P ASTUiiAGE.

Of the total area of tlle state of Texas about 13!.l,OUO,OOO acres were occupied, to a greater or less extent, by live-stock in 1880. In some portions, flS notably in the counties of El Paso, Pecos, and Presidio, tl,1e occupation wns very small in proportion to the pa1-1turage, there being only 11bout 15,000 cattle and 30,000 sheep to an area of 20,800,000 ncres, of which 17,000,000 acres might he desigmiitecl a.s pasture-land. If cattle only were counted, there were in th at section of Tr.xas over 1,100 acres of pastnrn.ge·to each head, and counting sheep only, there were above 500 acres of availa,ble pasture to each head, or, ratiug five sheep equal to one "cow", there were some 800 acres of pasturage for each head of' stock in the conn ties above nn,mecl. As cattle in the whole of Texas occupy abont 13!.l,000,000 acres, while the sheep occupation is restricted to 125,500,000 acres, it follows that, beyoncl the limit shf.l.recl by both, the cattle occupied, at, the close of 1880, about 13,500,000 acres undis1mted by sheep.

The further extension of the grazing area is larg·ely dependent on the discovery of some successful means of obtaining water where grass can 11ow be obtaiue(l. Whi1t; is commonly known as the Llano Estacada or Staked Plains com1lrises within the stato of Texas about 15,000,000 acres of tr\hle-land, elevated and dry. 'J:he descent on all sides of this plateau to the lower country arournl it is extremely rugged. Broken peaks ·project from the outstretchiug spnrs, while the main lines of bulwark are cleft here aml there by cailons, sometimes but a few rods wide a,t the base, and inclosiug pasture severah miles in breadth, watered by occasional springs.

J. G. McCoy, who carefully explored the Pm1handle and adjacent Texas dming 1he antnlJ1n of 1880, reports two notable instances. One is n,Jong the Red river. "The valley is 11bo11.t 90 miles long by f'roin 10 to 20 miles broad. 'l'lrn side wnJls rise perpendicularly to a height of from 600 to 1,000 feet, constituting impassable bnrriers and inclosing a nrngnitlcent pasture of many thousitnds of acres. It includes ttll the watered portion of the immediate section of country, aml is owned aud occupied by a single firm, which holdfl 20,000 heacl of <Hittle." The other instmwe, in the Panhandle, 11bout 101 o 201 iongitncle and 34° 20' latitude, 1iear the head of the Sonth Fork or Pease river, a bmneh of the Red river, is in what is known as 1;he Qneta Que countr~r. "In this inlet from the plains n gentleman has purchased about 150,000 acres for a cattle-range. This country is known as the roughest nnd most broken in the Panhandle, being cut up by g·orges aucl canons." .At tho sourc<is of the Brazos river, between 1010 and 1020 longitn<le and 330 and 340 latitude, is also lt similar instance; the diminnt,ivo streams which form the· sources of the Brazos river b&tween the one hundred and first aml one lmndred and seco1Hl meridians and the tbirt.y-thircl ancl thirty-fonrth parallels fnmishecl the only water within a wide range of countl'y where luxuriant bnffalo·gTass, covering a brNtclth of from 50 to 75 miles, furnishes grazing. P11sturo, however, 10 miles from wa,ter is valueless for eattle, except in winter.

In the southern part of this region Mr. McCoy reports that" good water can be gotten plentifully by digging from 4 to 20 feet, nsually 6 to 8, an<l on the north, beJ'ond tl1e heart of the Hano Estacaclo", i. o., beyond ti1rnt lmrt which is absolutely arid aucl desert. "·west of' the Heel river country several chains of cletad1ccl lakes exist. Many of these fakes were never known to dry up, it is said, ancl they afford water fol' thousmids of cattle tlmt drift out upon the plains in summer from tho 'l'exas frontier, and for large numbers of sheep coming in from New i\fr:s:ico, both returning to the broken country f111d t~e lower prairie as winter approaches." ·

.J udg'ing from tbe .fact that cattlemen are each year moving farther and. farther within the borders of the Staked Plains, and finding" wn.ter in springs ancl water-holes, and luxuriant grasses, am1 from t.tie · re1iorts of Mr. McOoy, who states that these conditions exist far beyoml the presont limits of occupation~ not more than 7,000,000 acres of the Llano Estacaclo within tbe state of Texas can be regarded as an absolute desert, destitute of forage. Beside these 7,0oo,ooo acres there are probably 3,000,000 acres of arid 11ind barren lands in tletachetl pieces here and there in the state west of the one hundredth meridian. Beside these areas of actual desert there are prol.mbly about 19,000,000 acres which, having grass, are at present unavailable because without water.

THE PANHANDLE.

The name Panhandle is applied to that part of Texas projecting northward between Indinn territory and New Mexico.

The plains and other level portions of the Panhandle are grassed chiefly with the grarna. mul buffalo grasses. There are a few other varieties, growing sparsely. Upon the bluffs an cl high rolli11g portions the sage preclomi1111tes, with some intermingling of buffalo-grass. The northeastern corner or nearly one-fifth of the whole Panhandle is infested by the loco, a weecl pernicious to young stock, especially in the spring. The southeastcm corner produces much coarse sa,ge-grass and but little of the short grasses, such as grama and bnffalo grass. 'l'his kind of grazing is not favorable for sheep. Winter and spring storms, too, are very severe here. For t.Jie.se reasons the flocks of sheep that have been brought in since 1876 were moving out iu 1880, to find more favorahl~ locn.tions.

The northwestern corner, as the southeastern, is a level plain, richly grassed, lmt so clefieient. in water as to be practically unavailable for stock. This condition extends eastward throngh the upper tier of' connries to Palodora

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creek, in Hansford county. 1 The southwestern part of the Panhandle, comprising the counties of Parmer, Castro, Swisher, and portions of Deaf Smith, Randall, and Briscoe, are within the boundaries of the Llano Estacado. Threeeigbths of the Panhandle are at present unavailable for want of water. .About one-tenth of one per cent. of the area of the Pm1handle is timbered. In the cations of the npper Red river th~re is cedar of large size. Bordering Wolf creek considerable cotton-wood is to be found. Throug·hout the Panhandle the only storm-breaks are those formed by caiions and gorges; for this reason heavy losses follow the" drifting'' of stock before gales, such as those of November, 1880, The pastures of the Panhandle are also exposed to the ravages of wolves, which prey on the young stock. The occupation is principally by " squatting·", though there are instances, as mentioned under the head of "Pasture areas", where land has been purchased at from 30 to 50 cents per acre. Along the Canadian river, for about three-fifths of the distance across the Panhandle, tbe blnfl's are high and precipitous, exposing an outcropping of limestone. In Potter county they dwindle to hillocks and soon disappear. The soil of the Panhandle seems to be composed, when not sandy, of vcgeta,bfo mold and disintegrated limestone. The valleys a.re rich. The becl of Reel river is a .reel cl:iy. This section of Texas is much better adapted to cattle than to sheep. While the former occupy about five-eighths of it, the latter are held on little more than two-fifths, principally in the east and west central parts.

The state has 3,050,000 acres located in tile Panlmndlc, m1d private parties have also taken up land along the streams to a great; extent.

BETWEEN TI:IE ONE HUNDREDTH MERIDIAN AND THE PECOS (EXCLUSIVE OF 1.'HE PANHANDLE).

As we go southeastward toward the Bra.zos tile meridian of 101° 30' is the average westem limit of stock occupancy, from whfolt cattle increase in density eastward. There is a sheep district in and abont Orosby cot1nty; otherwise, cattle 11ave almost sole possession west of !)!:JO 30'. vVitllin the occupied area we find 11 very dry conntry north of :t line extending diagonally from Mount Cooper, iu the southwestern corner of Garza county, to the mouth of' Bnft'alo creek, in Wilbarger county, ~tltllough both forks of Pease river and the headwaters of the Big Wichita, flow through this region. This has 11 rough, broken smface of red, sanely soil, often worn into cailons by the rush of waters during the rainy seasons. Notwithstanding the usual dryness of this tract of countr;y, the :for1•ge growth is considerable. Beside the "black grama" aud some huffalo-grass, the mesquite shrub abonncls, bearing· in the early antnmu clusters of pocls, which are said to equal Indian corn in fattening properties. ,

vVhen, in 1874and1875, the iirst wl1ite settlers came into this region the mesquite, which was found in scattered clumps almost everywhere, was growing to the height allll spread of a ten-year-old apple-tree, this growth being i>riucipally ou the uplands. It furnished the vioneers with fence.rails and fuel. When cut there sprang up from each root from five to twenty.five shoots, which bear the anmrnl crop so beneficial to stock.

South m1d east of U1e dry region above indicated the country is better wa,tered and not so broken. 'rile basin of' the upper Brazos river is a broad fertile valley, varying in width from one to five miles. Eastward the black grama-grass is less abundant aml sage disputes possession with it;, This is the earliest grass aud is the best spring and summer feed. Buffalo and grama grasses become valuable when the first frosts have driecl up or kiUed the sage, !'fi10se ranges are the most valtutble where both :flourish. \7Vhere the buffi:110 and gram11 grasses and mesquite prevail no winter feed is required for sheep, but east of longitnde !)80 30' cotton-seed and prairie hay iire serviceable, if not essential.

The sheep business is in its infancy in this section, bnt the country is as well adapted for sheep n.s for cattle. The great drawback to northwest:em Texas is the bad character of its water. .All the rivers and many of the crocks are more or less allmline. In ancl about Baylor county they are called "crotou" creeks, from their effects upon lb an. The upper Pease and Wichita waters are impregnated with sa~t, gypsum, and alkali. They are offensive to both taste and smell. Nevertheless it is ai:iserte<l t,hat their effects are not permanently injurious. Both here and in tlle Pa,nhandle there are areas of abundant maRt for hogs, from the scrnb oaks, and the mesquite wi~hits beaus; there are also many wild plums. In 1879 the mast crop failed.

Nine-tenths of the stock occupatfon is by "squatting". A large part of the grazing extent~ bonnclecl on the west by the Pecos and the Rio Grande and on the east by long·itucle 1000, is nu available for stock because destitute of water; nevertheless, the occupied country is not, on an average, stocked to morP. than half its cap,n.city. This is true of nearly all of the western half of the counties above Tom Green; also of the western three-eigl1ths of Tom Green county, and the northeastern half of Orockett county. What remains, though rich iu grasses and forage plants, is very dry.

Toward the north are the somces of' the Oolorado river; on the southwest border the Pecos aud the Rio Grande, and t.he sources of the Nueces in southeast Oroclrntt; but these are inadequate water-sup1)lies fot the extent of pasture.' .About Fort Concho and Ben Ficklin, the county-seat of Tom Green, there is more open mesquite country, which becomes rugged in every direction except eastward, and rises about ten miles away to low, hrokon mountains topped by table-lauds ("mesas"), and irregularly cut by verdant valleys. Eastward is the· Ooucho

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STA.TE OF"TEXA.S. 15

valley, more extensive mid richer than those in the west. The soil is generally a sandy alluvium. Farther west, in Tom Green, tlie country decreases from hilly ruggedness to gentle undulations, but the soil grows poor and sanely towarc.l the wastes of the Llano Estacada, while water is found at wider intervals and is impregnated with alkali. Genera.U;r in this region the running streams, alwa;ys small, flow over rock smfaccs. Beside this and the rivers before mentioned are springs, poucls, and water-holes, of which only a few last through the 110t wen.ther.

The mesquite bnsh is found everywhere. A.long the streams grow pemms, oaks, elms, and hackberry. In Tom Green n,ncl Crockett counties the grasses are the mesquite (a), both curly and jointed, black grarua, buffalo, and sage, with occasionally others of' less value. Farther south, along the Mexican border, in Kinney and Maverick counties, occurs the prairie grass, which is cnt for hay to supply government posts, and other plants of special value to stock are found, as the "juahia", the "sotal ", the "nopal" cactus, the "saladio", the '' baradulcia" or greasewood. The first is eagerly sought by cattle mul sheep in the spring, when it furnishes a juice of tlie taste and the color of milk. The second, which l'esembles the Spanish bayonet, so common all over Texas, growing usually on gravelly spots and other poor soils, is very fattening. The shepherd cuts off the top of strong thorns with his "machette", a heavy sword-like knife, that his sheep ma.y get at its juicy, nutritious interior. Where both sotn.l and nopal cactus a.re found, sheep will thrive without water for a long time.

The "baradulcia" or greasewood is extremely palatable and nutritions to stock in winter. In times of drought the many varieties of plants other than grass, growing to greater O'J.' less extent in all iihe border counties of the Rio Grande along its whole extent to the Gulf, contribute greatly to the value of pasture. The only avaifoble grazing in Oroekett county is along the Pecos, 1tnd between San Pedro or Devil's river and the Pecos the country is exceedingly rough.

In portions of' the country near Mexico, the depredations committed b;y thieves who cross from the soutl1 side of the Rio Grande often make the property if not the lives of stockmen insecure.·

In those parts of westem Texas where there are hoth sheep and cattle, the former are much more numerous than the latter, and though their occu1mtiou is coniinecl to the eastern half of Tom Green, to Nolan, u.ncl parts of 1\fitchell and Fi:sher in the north, and to the counties of Kinney and Maverick in the south, they outnumber, by nearly 100,000 head, the neat stock, whose range is much more extensive.

There are a few sheep along the Pecos in Crockett count.y.

WEST OF THE PEOOS.

This section has, perhaps, the least stock facilities of m1y equal grazing area in the state, beeause of remote situat,ion, exposure to Mexican and India11 depredations, great dryness, and the broken character of the country a.nd uneven quam.y of the pasture. Olose n.long the J{,io Grande, where the land is not too rugge<l arnl rocky to afford access to the river, the grasses are excellent. Ten to twenty miles back from the river t,here is generally good pasture, bii.t with the drawback of limited wn,ter.

The Pecos bottoms, above latitude 300 30', f'nrnish pasturn.g·e in many pJaces. Extending east itbont latitude 300 50', for 40 or.fiO miles from the bounda.ry between Presidio and Pecos counties, there is a stretch both m·id and barren. Elsewhere over sonthwestem Texas we find sum.Iler l)~ttches of like character. 'l'liere is little tiuiber, with the exception of dwarf cedar in the mountains, a,nd some pines on the northem slope of the Gua.dalupe mountains, and on the southwest l:ioundary of Pecos county. In Presidio county the hest wafa\·e<l grazing is found in the southern half, where many small streams rise which run toward the Rio Graucie.

The corresponding region of Pecos county and the misteru slopes of the Guacfalnpe mountains fumish pnsture with comparatively good water facilities. The dry est and le11st grassed region of Presi<lio is in the nortllwm;t below the Sierra Diablo, where the valley stretches north to the salt lakes. The" grn.rnas ", the "mesquites", and some little 1' buffalo" are the grnsses of this se~tion, the "black grama" prevailing over the H.io Grancle half of the conn try.

In tbe broad yalJeJ' Ia.ulls running· for nef1r1y a, hundred miles, and with a width of 30 miles on t;ho eirnt sicle of the Ohinati arnl Capote mountains, there is goocl grass, but this entire region is almost destitute of water. From all surface indications, howev.er, the mining and the railroacl engineers, who surveyed the country in 187!1aml1880, state that an abuucfance of water will be found at but little depth.

SOUTH OF THE NUEOES.

The region south of the Nueces river, bounded 011 the west b;y the I~fo Gmncle and by the one lmndreclth meridian, has a very even character of good pasture over its entire extent, excepting wl1ere the Rio Grancle border, averaging 10 miles in width, is overspread by a too dense growth of' cactus, clutparral, and mesquite bush. The last two growths are spreading and injuring thl' quality of the pasture for cattle-grazing.

a. A grass unll i~ shrub have c11ch the name mesquite. 900

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16 PHODUOTION OF MEArr.

The four eonnties of Nueces, Cameron, Hidalgo, ancl Starr, near the coast, contain 75 per cent. of all the cattle in this section, Nueces alone having 46 prr cent. In these counties, south of latitude 300, and as far west in St.arr county as Rio Grande city, the soil is wholly alluvial. .From the last point limestone comes in and strotc1ies Dorthwostwarcl: covering the northern i1ortions of Hidalgo and Cameron. All over the alluvial soil the mesquit is the prevailing· grass. But in the north of the two counties just named, and extel:lding far into the Nueces through wlrnt fa called "The Sands", we find the most abnudm1t and valuable forage to be wha.t are rather indefinitely defined as sa.ge and salt grasses. The names given for the forage plants are necessarily indefinite, owing to the vo,riable use of the same name in difl'erent localities ancl by cliff:'ero11t people, Mexican or American. Colonel Sykes, comumnding fort I3row11 in 1870, in a report dated in October of that year, uncler the head of'" grasses", after mentioning the counties of Cameron and Hidalgo as probably ihe best grazing region h1 the state of Texas, stnted that" the. most severe droughts scarcely affect, the grn,ss, which mn,kcs a good qualit.y of hay * ~1 * excepting a i;;pecics of .~alt-grass that withstands all droughts aud makes good pastnmge iiit nll times, hnt is not fit for hay." II. S. Hock, the post guide and scout at fort Brown, filling in a printetl circular of pasture inquiries, wrote: "'l'he sand region in northem Cameron is principally covered with a S}lecies of sage-grass, affording good pasture never affected hy drought." Along the coast there also grows a burr-grass, very excellent for cattle and horses, bnt not goocl for sheep. There is some" grama" in the coast; counties; i1; increases in quantity as we go northwest.

For accounts of the imsture in the i·egion n,bove Zapata county to the eastern boundaries of Mn.verick rnul Khiney, we rely chiefly upon the testimony of ti.rrny officers and circulars, as the season of ftelcl·work in this part of Texas was unfavorable for pasture examination, following as it dicl a, long period of drought, when tlw graRses were neither in :flower nor in seed. First in order come the mesquit and the grama; next, the "gramille" (a) described by 0aptain Oa.raher, of fort Mcintosh (in General Orel's report, June, 1870) ; "an articnlate<l stoek which rapidly spreads and takes fresh root in the soil from the joints, like Bormutla grass, au<l is pa.rti.eularly valuable, because no drought the. country has ever sustained has cmtirely killed it.. It is the best grass for horses and sheep." Other grasses named are the sacltelmiste, wikl rye, and wire-grass. In this section of droughts a.ml insufficient streams recourse is ustmlly had to wells about oO feet in depth, but in the "sands" ''tt'tter is found at a depth of from 10 to 15 feet. Southern Texas has more sheep than any other section of the state, irrespective of area. Webb, Duval, Nueces, Starr, a.ncl Enciila1 i1re the great wool counties.

EAST OF THE ONE HUNDIWDTH MEIUDIAN AND NORTH OF THE NUEOJJJS.

In this section of Texa.s, for about eighty miles in breadth along the Gulf, .the fine, quick-fattening gmssos flourish. These are juicy a.nd luxuriant, putting cattle in sle.ek condition for near markets in summer ancl falL In all the region between Matag·orda, San Antonio, and Mason county, and a line thence northeast through Monta.gue county to the Red riYer, we hfwe a country of an average agricultural condition sufficient to distinguish its stock production from that of the general mnch system elsewhere. The farm in this region is the hom~steacl, the suppl;y station, the dependence. Here is the area of smaller but more valtrnble hel'ds under closer care. Here

. are provi~ions for shelter ancl feed in times of storms and droughts. Here extent of pastnre is re.placed by the llrOducts of cultivation; after the farm crop is gathered the stock consume the gleanings. This region of farms and nmches combined in central and eastern Texas covers about one-half the available pa.sture a,rea of ·the sta.te. As we travel southward from its center we fipcl the nativa plants of pastoral southern Texas beginning to nppear.

·west of the ninety-seventh degree of longitude arn more of the rich, hardy, coars',l, tuft and bunch-growing grasses of the elevated prairie ranges of northwestem Texas and the Panhandle. Owr the north and miclllle i1ortions of eastern and central Texas there are, beside some of the distinguishing grasses of the extreme sect.ions, the mesquite, at home in almost every part of Texas, the blue grasses, and other cultivated herbage, as the clovers, orchard grass, timothy, herd and Hungarian grass, and millet. Agricult'flre over all the country that may be worth cultivation is much retarded, and the ranch interests are proportionally fostered by that policy of tlle state (b) which sells and rents the public and school lands in large tracts. Alreacly we frequently find west of longitude 98° 30' extensiYe areas, sometimes whole counties, in the possession of stockmen or associn .. tions of capitalists, who have in many cases inclosecl these estates. The extent and regular successio~1 of the investments already accomplished constitute a hinderance t0 the adrnnce of agriculture.

Although the area of timber iu the state is stated to comprise about 2s,ooo,ooo acres, not more than from 5,0oo,ooo to 7,ooo,ooo forbid pasture, and three-fourths of that is on the eastern borders of the state.

The mozement of stock westward since 1876 has been very marked. East of a line running northeast from Eu.gle Pr1ss on the Rio Grande throngh Mason, Weatherford, aud Gainesville to H.ed river, stock has decreased in its ratio of annual production, cattle especially. West of that line, for the two or three tiers of counties down to the thirty-first degree of' latitude, a balance has been maintained. Elsewhere over all of the state from the Canadian river to the Rio Grande the increase has been great, partly derived from the coast, partly from New Mexico and

a Probably" grama" grass.

fli() b There are state lands, but no Unitecl States government lands in Texas.

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STATE OF TEXAS. 17

Colorado. Various reasons have promoted a movement from tlte eastward: agricultnre and fence laws both result in restraints on stock; wealthy, long-established proprietors extend their ranges b:y purchase and fencing; and the removal of the Indians in the northwest left room for open-range herc1ing. There has been a movement of stock into th-is regfon from New Mexico, partly because of stock thieves and Indiu.ns in that territory, and from Colorado because of overstocked pastures. ·

For from 00 to 100 miles from the Gulf a rich belt of dense cattle occu1mtion extends from the Rio Grande to the Sabine. It is an expanse of rich pasturage, almost unbroken except by rivers and lagoons, with markets by sea to Onb~b and New Orleans and by land to the west and northwest. .Agriculture limiting it on the north and the west will prevent its extension in those directions.

M.A.N.AGEMilJNT UPON THE RANGE .

.A mrLn ttbout to enter on stock-raising on his own account may be supposed to have some experience with stock. He selects a location for a ranch where there is n, suitable extent of grazing·-range with water allowing for increase of his stock in the future. For cattle he will aim to control from 1U to 25 acres per head; fol' 8heep from 5 to 15 acres ller head. 'l'hrougl10ut Texas he will possess by ownership or lease suflicient water·rights to -0ontrol all the range he deems necessiny for his use. Often he owns or leases ancl fences about one-half' of the laml used. In 11 convenient locmtiou he builds rt rough ltouse, genera.11~' of logs, corrals for stock, arnl whatever is necessary for simple home admiuistmtiou of tt ra~ch. He must now decide ·upon a brnnd for his stock. Tlti.s requires some ingenuity, as the device, whether letter or figure, or whatevttr else, must differ from all other bmnds in that section of tbe countr;y. Beside the brand there must be a distinctive ear-mark or a" Wttttle'' ('i. e., flesh-mark) cut elsewhere thau in the mw. The brand and the mark arc recorded in the county books, and a .certificate is given for the same, in which way till right and titl('. to all stock bearing the peculiar brnml and mark, wherever found in the state, are legally assured to him. The conveyance, by ltrticles of writing, of this bran cl is n title cleed as effective as a laud deed. If the sale is of a small number, or imrt only of a man's herd, the purcltaser counterbrands. In other cases than those of conveying stock u.nd of "roacl" branding preparatory to drives, the marking of cattle by irons and flesh-marks is doue as soon as the calves are dropped or found .

.As a r~1le, in Texas, the cattleman must keep ltis stock more or less under control,for which purpose his "cowboys" daily ride over the rounds to see that the fences are in repair, or patrol the limits of the range t.o prevent the· stock overrunning the bounds or to clrive them back. Uncler fence, .one "vaquero" ca.n care for several thousa.ncl head. Range-riding requires more men. Because of this constant oversight, which includes bru.ndings as the calves are dropped, the practice of spring "round-ups" is uncommon, except in the Panhandle, where Oolomdh111s and New Meximtns have introduced the custom. The large cattle-raiser bree<ls his own horses. A ranch of 10,000 heacl of cattle will need about 200 broocl-mares. At least :five horses are assigne<l to each" cowboy". The branding .and breaking, with very little other care of the young horse stock, make what labor there is on the ranch besit1e that with cattl@. The·" breaking" for the saddle is usually intrnstecl to one" vaquero", s1Jecially skilled in horsemanship. The speedy, barbaric, but effective manner of' tutoring a cow-horse gives an efficiency in the harcl duties of their lot that no civilized education can g·ive. The stock used is of' Mexican origin, small, tough, spirited, active, and sure· footed. In many parts of Texas their only feed is grass.

The selling time is early in the year, when the drover visits the ranches to select what he wants for the demands of' cities in the state, or for the ranchmeu of Ka1isflis, Nebraska, and Wyoming who wish to increase their stock, or to supply the contractors fumishing beef to the Indians, or to sell for the markets of Chicago and of Kansas City. . . ·Often the ranchman having a large m1rubor of catt,le makes his own drive, under a foreman with road outfit, while he himself preeecles them by rail to arrange the marketing. '

Previous to 1873. stock roa~necl at will, and the control of cattlemen over all land within possible range was nearly absolute. There were no laws defining· the relative rights of stock.men and of farmers. Vast ttreas were unnsecl for agriculture upon which cattle found feecl. The pioneer farmer was obligecl to fence his crops to protect himself from the cat,tle in the vicinity, either upon land of private ownership or upon that which belonged to the state. With the extension of farming the discussion, so common in the experience of other now regions, began .as to whether crops should be wotected against cattle. by the planters, or whether the cattle-owners shonlcl keep their ca.ttle from damaging the crops. In 1873 the trespass htw began to take effect; 1"' this the cattle-own ors were helcl responsible for the damage clone by their. stock to crops even without fence. As it was enforcecl more vigorously farming extended, and the cattle-raisers were obliged to fence or to "line-ride" to keep their cattle from tres1mssing. With the necessity of fencing, purchase becomes important and the responsibilities of the ranchmen .are increased. Those who can not or will not adapt themselves to the changing order of things push out farther upon the frontier. Public lands are less and less avtiilable. The common order in the progress of agricultuml civilization is often first the exclusive occupation of a r~gion by cattle, next sheep, ancl last agriculture .

.Although the average situation of the cattleman in Texu.s is on purchased or leased land, yet this estimate for investment is made on the basis of "free range", in order to present the simplest scale for comparison. It IDf1Y perhaps be assumed, moreover, that in case of purchase or leasing ancl fencing, the cost of land and improvements,

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PRODUCTION OF MEAT.

including taxes and interest, will be balanced by the enhanced value of the property at the close of' five years, by ihe adva.ntages gained during that term ofoccupancy in less amount oflabor, smaller losses from theft and wandering, a.nd the owner's exclusive use of llis bulls.

PLANT.

Cabins, stable, and corro,ls ... -- ....•.....•...••••......•.•...•..•. - . _ ... -- -- ..••••. -.• - .•••....•. - ..••.. Wagon, mules, and harness __ •• _ .... _ ... _ ...... _ ••• _ ••••••• _ .••••.••••.. ___ .•. - . _. _ .••••.•.•••..• - - - - ••. -25 horses, at $30 .. --..•.• - •.•.••.. -• -•••••••.• -•••.• -••••• -.. - • -•••••••••••••• --••.•. - .•••..••.•. -•••• -• 5 saddles, bridles, an<lequipments ........•• ·----· •...•.•••••••••....••• ·---·· .. , ..••....•..••••..••••••..• Sundries: ropes, ro,nch tools, etc ...•...••••..••••. -··· ..•... ·-··-· .••....•••...••..... ------------ .••••. C°'mp outfit ·---····---- ....•••••• ·--···---··· ........•••..•.• ······--·····-·· ..••...•.•.••••..•..•.••.. 11000 throe-year-old cows, at $9 50 .•.•.••.•.•••..•.••.•. ·----- ..•.•••.••...... ---- •............•••••.... 40 bulls, at $20 ...........................•...........•.••.•....•..............••.....•...............•..

l!'ree range, 30, 000 !tores.

$700 00 350 00 750 00 150 00 50 00 50 00

9, 500 00 800 00

12,350 00

Beginning with such an investment the annual current expenses of management wm be somewhat as follows: Two hands, monthly wages, $25 each and·board, $10 each, $840; cook, monthly wages, $20; board, $10, $300; taxes on 1,040 heacl10f cattle, $125; 50 sn,cks of salt at $2 50, $125; horseshoes, $112 50; total, $1,562 50 .

..A.t the end of five years, calculating upon the basis of making no sales all(l with exemption from all serious casualty, the herd may :be estimated to reach a total of 4,812 head, distributed as follows: Calves, I,157; yearlings,. 914; two-year-oltl steers, 35~; three-year-old steers, 285; four-year-old steers, 285; old cows, 773; young cows arnl two-year-olcl heifers, 992; ol'tl bulls, 30; yonug· bulls, 24; having iu the mean time purchased 25 additional bull:;.

O.A.TTLE-RAISING.

THE P .ANH.A.NDLE.-'l'he Panhandle of Texas was first partially stocked in 1876. In November, 187'7, Mr. Charles Goodnight located a, 'herd of 2,200 head of cattle at the head of Ued river, in the so-called Palo Duro caiiou, having entered the PanlrnncUe from son them Colorado. Tlrn.t region has been rapidly stocked since both by natural increase and by purchase, mostly from lower Texas, and in July, 1880, the time of this inveRtigation, there \Vere, ns tlte reports showed, 225,857 head .of cattle in tliis part of the state. . .

The intelligence and enterprise of the Panhandle stockmen are very noticeable. Several successfhl efforts have been made to improve herds by the use of Kansas and l\ihisouri high-grade shorthorn bulls. The second cross between such shorthorn bull and th(:) Texas co"' was estimated in the best-conducted herds to avemge, on tho range, 1,100 pounds at three and one-half years of age live weight, while the native Texan steer of the same age, under the same ciretunstauces, only attained a weight of 825 pounds. Many cattlemen, who have l'ngagerl in the business with large capital, lrnve secured a title to" their stock-ranges by pmchnse of' state 01· of rnilroatl laucl. Th~

further improvement of the henl beyond the first cross of the shortl10rn bull and the Texas cows does uot briug, it is claimed, a pro1Jortionate increase of good qualities, since the high-g·rade cow fails to thrive as well as the lrnlf. breed clnring sen.sons of greatest scarcity of feed, not being·, in the vernacular of ranchmen, as good a" rustler" (a} as the "i:;traight Texas" or as the half-breed.

The failure to obtain ~•high percentage of increase, the severe storms of early spring, and the presenee of the gray and the ulack wolves in many sections, matei·ially lower the ca,lf~branding of many herds.

No stock-cattle are marketed from the Panhandle. The beef produced is driven to Dodge City, Caldwell, or· Hunnewell, in Kansas, and from these points much is shi1)ped to Kansas City and beyon,d. It will be noted from the above that the region is ocqupied by ra.nclnnen f'nrnishiug as yet only fat beeves fit for the market of that season, a btlsiness, in general, distinct from that of the lo\ler Texas cattle-growers, and encouraged by the advantages of climate, grazing, and adjacent railroacl transportation, f01mcl in the .Panhandle, and by the fact that as yet the region is not fully stocked. The average wages paid here to cowboys is $30 per month, with board, costing $10 per month, added. '!'he home ranch and tlrn stable 11re genera,lly comfortable structures of logs. • The former, in some cases, is built of adobe and sometimes takes the form of a "dug-out". The corrals are built stockade fashionr while the food furnished to tlie stock hands is in greater variety than is usually founcl in a Te:x:as cow-carn1l. The cattle are not handled during winter, nor is line-riding or loose herding practiced strictly, but an oversight of the range is maintained, as far as can be done in a region exposed to storms before whi.ch stock drift,

The scattering of stock incident to the seasons, and the practice of allowing the cattle to take riretty much their own course in winter, require a systematic method of rounding up in the spring and at different times during the smnmer and fall. All the stockmen of a certain section of country co-operate in this work, each man furnishing his wagon nud on~fit of men, who, working in harmony with others, nuder a "ca.ptain of the round-up", gatlier and l>rand the young calves aml return to their range the cattle of the bancl they are handling. ..A.fter the general ~-round-up", ( b) the beef cattle are gathere<l' by the same system and started for the shipping points of' the .Atchison,

a This vernacml1tr worclis written ns uni versall~' pronounced in the \Vest. It comes, however, from "wrestle", to strive or contend for, b The term "rouud-np ",as userl iu the eastern counties, is nearly synonymous with "rodeo", as used jn the western countios, with

this difference: "Rodeo" is used for gi·eat gatherings of cattle when the proprietors over a wide area join, while "ro1rnd-up" is applied nlso to even t!Jc gathering by a single owner for branding, selecting beeves, etc,

97-'

I

!) .j

j1•.l., .. ··

@

~

STATE OF TEXAS. 19

Topeka ancl Santa Fe railroad. During the fall and winter, when the stock receives least attention, one rider to 1,200 or 1,500 head of cattle is employed, but in the spring and summer two or three men to the same number of animttls are actively engaged on the range. Such sadcJie animals as are in use in the cold season are generally · fed corn, which costs the rancllman 2k to 3 ceuts per pound laid down at his camp. The Panhandle has proved to be a very favorable stock section, its chief disadvantages being the' spring storms, the prevalence in some parts of the large wolf, aml the existence in the uorthettsteru portion of the loco.

Considerable loss has already been sustained in the P~mhanclle from tlle Texas fever, contracted from llerds driven from lower Texas. The average annual loss on adult acclimated cattle from all causes in the Panhandle is placecl by ranchmen i1t not over 5 per cent. On herds from lower Texas a loss of 10 per cent. is usually experienced the first winter. Losses at the hands of stock thieves, wuen cattle range far out on the edges of the Llano Estacado, occasionally swell the amount beyond the average figure. At the date of this research the stockmen were m1tkiug an effort to secure legislative protection from the inroads of lower Texas cattle dnring the summer months.

BETWEEN '.l'HE ONE HUNDRIBD'.l'll 11muIDIAN AND '.l'IIE .PECOS RIVmt (exclusive of thePf111handle).-Iu themg'ion immediately south of the Panlrn11dle, and extending also co.st of the one hundredth meridian, were the homes and the hunting grounds of the Kiowa and the Oonrnnche Indians until 187 4 and J 87 5, when they were snbduell and removed to reservations in the Indian territory. It was not, howev~r, until a. year or two later that.the country attracted any considerable attention. As early as 1872, Slrnrd Brothers located their preseut rauch in Wichita count;y1 where they were alone and exposed to Indian depredatious for several years. Next Daniel Wagoner brought in from Decatur a stock of cattle 20 miles lower on the Wichita river. The great Ii Ye-stock m1trket establislled in western Kansas had g·iven a powerful impetus to cattle-breeding in Texas, while the mpid settfo!nent of the central part of the state by agriculturists obliged stockmen to look elsewhere for new grazing sections. These causes, and the practical set.tlernent of the Indian question, excited in 1877and1878 an exodus of cattlemen aml herds from other parts -0f Texas, a movement which still continues. No stock-cattle were driven in 1880 from this reg'ion to the K1tnsas market, the country receiving, on the contrary, many herds from nearly every lmrt of Texas except the Panhandle. Only fat, mature cattle wen~ driven into Kansas, the cost of driving to the railroad at Oaldwell or at Hunnewell being about 75 cents per head, and requiring thirty to forty days. The route taken by these beef herds was Uy way of Fort Sill to a junction with the Fort Wortll trail near Rush springs, Indian territory.

Stockmen in the northern part of this region hold their ranges only by the insecure title of first occupancJ·, few of them owning tlrn land on which their mtmps are lomtted, aml fewer still having a purchase-right to the territory pastured by their cattle. The log cabin, pole corrals, and limited cnmp outfit of a stock-camp of this section represent ordinarily nn outhty of bnt tt few hundrecl dollars. The average wngcs imid to experiencecl riders is $25 per month and board, the latter costing· about $8 per month. In the line of provisions, the sim1)lest .articles only find i>lace in these camps; flour, bacon, coffee, sugar, ancl simp being the staples, while beef killed from the range contributes the remaining substantial food.

The•cattle of northwest Texas are iu a large measure controlled or held on their ranges by a system of ''line;ricling". The cowboys engagell in this work ltre called "line.riders"; they live usually in cmnps in the summer season und in "dug-outs" during winter, on the borders of' the range. These camps are located some 20 miles apart, and each contains two men, who ride every chty in sepamte directions ha,lf' way towal'<l the next station ttnd effect a mcetjng with the line-riders of that camp. On the rottte they look for cattle or cattle-tmils crossing the ot1tside line of the range, drive back· the stock iu sight into their own pasture-grounds, or, following np the trails, recover such animals as have gone beyond. During the winter some corn is fed to sueh sadtlle horses as are required for . this work, but the ma:iority of the horses are wholly grass-fed.

The annual cost of merely holding a herd of 8,000 to 5,000 cattle in this part of 'rexas is stated to be 7G ccmts .a head, !)ig'aiust $1 in the Panllandle, but the beef-cattle when turned off are worth only $20 each, while the· Panhandle beeves bring $23 each in the Knnsas market. ' . The annual increase among the herds of this section is stated to equal 85 per cent. of the number of ln·cetling

cows, a high ayerage arising from the favorable nature of the ranges, which furnish a good qnality of pasturage, and are generally l>rovided with ample wind-breaks of mesquite and cedar, in which stock fiml shelter during lmrtl weather. The trails or routes leading into this part of the state from central tLUd lower Texas tire so nu;nerons that a correct tally of the drives into this region during 1880 was impossible. Stock.men best qualified to judge, however, affirm that fully 100,000 head of neat cattle were brought in and permanently located for breeding purposes during that season.

CATTLE-DRIVE.

Though the producer sometimes takefl his own cattle to the northern markets, they are nsua.Uy taken by t1

·special r1rover. Taking contracts to deliver stock-eattle to fill specified requirements of number, age, sex, aml condition, young cattle to be grazed to matnrit.y or young cows for breeding, or to deliver' l!eeyes (i. c., steers ancl dry cows) for Indian agencies, packing-houses, aud other slaughter, or, planning for his own account, to put .on the trail what will answer profitably the demands he believes will arise, the drover, early in the year, .goes to that region of the state where he expects to find suitable stock and visits the various ranches. Having

973


bought the cattle and arranged with the sellers to deliver his imrchases on a :fixed day at a certain l)Oint, he goes to some horse ranch and buys such a lot of horses as shall carry his drove through, say 40 horses for each average chovo of 2,SOO to 2,500 cattle. Ile also engages about a dozen cowboys for each such drove, at the rate of $25 to $30 per month, and a " boss" drover as captain and field 'manag·er of the stock, equipment, and men, at $90 per mouth. Having made these engagements, and purchased camp-wagon, team (four mules or four oxen), cooking utensils, and other necessaries of an outfit, he is ready to receive his purchases, only enough coming in at 1~ time to ma,ke one drove, which is· road-branded, and is then started out on the trail. So the deliveries go on until all his dl'oves are under way. When first put on the road the cattle m·e closely guarded and driven brii:1kly fo1· several c~ays, until the danger of their breaking am1y for home is passed. For the :first few days at sunset the drove is "rounded np" compactly, and half' of the men, relieyed by the other half at midnight, ride i·ound and round the bed-ground. This labor decreases as the cattle become tractable, and two men at each watch are then sufficient to guard them through the night. The ordinar;y order of march is the foreman ahead, searcldng for camping place with grass and water; the drove drifting onwar(l in the sltape of a wedge, the str@ng few stretching 011t to a sharp point in front, then the line growing thicker and wider, until in the butt end is crowded the mass. On each side of the lead rides a man on "point", tllat is, to direct the column. Back where the line l>egins to swell 1·icle two more at "swing·", further back ride two nt "flank", and the 'emainder are 011 "drag", (i. e., about the i·ear,) to push on the march. These positions give cowboy rank. The "greenlloms" or "tender-feet" serve at "drag", while tho cowboys experienced in driving hold the places at "point", the llOSt of honor. These distinctions arc observed at mess and bed. One man drives the horse herd apart from the line of cattle, or, with large 'bands, two men are employed: Tbe distance traveled each. day is 12 or 15 miles, according to grass and water. At daybrca,k tbe cattle are moved off the "bed-grouncl" to graze, and while the two men who were lust on guard remain with them all other bands breakfast. The first to finish breakfast relieve the guards on duty and allow them to come in for their morning meal. Then, the horses being caught an cl saclcllecl, and the cook having cleaned UJl, the clrive is started aml continued nntil about eleven, when the cattle a.re allowed to graze again, and lunch or dinner is ei1te11. Immediately after that the men who are to stanclfirst guard at night, and who also act as horse-herders, go on ahead with tho messwagon and the horses to the next ca.mp, where they get supper, so that when the herd comes up they are rmt<ly to .,, gra.ze ", a.rid hold it until the first relief of the night. The bed-ground is, when possible, on Em elevn.tion, with spaclJ sufficient for all the stock to sleep. The men off guard roll themselves in their blankets without remoYing their clothing and lie down on the ground near the camp-fire to sleep.

These are the ordinary details of a drive from Texas. Departures are made from this custom according t(} circumstances and the different degrees of skill of drovers. A herd traveling with calves cannot make 12 miles per day. A "mixed" herd-that is, one made up of va.rious ages and of both sexes-is the easiest to control; a beef-hen1 of four-year-olds is the most difficult. The slightest dh<tnrhance at 11ight may sfa1mpc(lc them. The first s;ymptom of a.larm is snorting. Then, if the guards are numerous and alert, so that the cattle cannot easily brenk away, they will begin "milling", i. e., crowding together with their heads toward a common center, their ho1·ns clashing, and the whole body in confnsecl rotar;y motion, which increases, and, unless controlled, ern1s iu a concentrated outbreak and stampede. The most effectual way of quieting the cattle is by the cowboys circling around and arouml the terrified herd, sing·ing loudly and steadily, while, too, the guards strive to disorder the ': rnilliug" l>y breaking· up the common movement, separating a bunch here arid there from tbe mass ancl turning them off, so that tho sympathy of pm1ic shall be dispersed and their at ten ti on distracted, as it is in part, no doubt, by the singing. The somber surroundings of a wild conn try at night, with the accompanying strange sounds-the tmmp, the cl ashing of horns, the bellowings of alarm, and the shouted song of the cowbo;ys-are very weird.

The cattle business of the interior was dimly suggested in the experience of the ox-teams of the Mormons in· 1847 and of the California gold-seekers soon after. Up to that time there was no definite moyement for cattleraising in the far west. In a little mor~ thau thirty years stock-raising bas become a business west of the 95th meridian, producing in 1880 between $225,000,000 and $250,00o,ooo, not only a.icUng greatly in the supply of fooct for our own people bnt adding largely to the food available for export.

Among tbe pioneer stockmen of Texas the na,mes of Goodnight, Chisom, Dawson, Piper, and McKee m·e· prominent.

In 1859 John 0. Dawson made what is said to have been the first drive of stock to Colorado from northern Texas or Indian territory. He came out of Indian territory into Kansas on the' 96th meridian, and drove north across Walnut creek about 35 miles above. its confluence with the Al'lrnnsas, thence across tl10 Little Arkansas, at or near where Sedgwick City now is, to the Arkaustts river at Big Bend, up the Arkansas, generally on the north side, to Pneblo in Colorado. From Pueblo he st.ruck north on the ea.st. hiLnk of the Fountain qui Bouille creek to. the present Little Buttes, where be turned off east to the beads of Squirrel creek nntl north west across the divide and down Cherry creek to its month, where Denver hltS since become a great cit.y.

The droves northward in the summer of' 1880 were tailied as they traversed Indian territory and Kansas. Ouc · hundred u,nd three droves were driven on the drovers' account. Their destination and their character are shown . in the following table. The cattle solcl iu Kanstts City bro~1ghG there for three-yea,r-olds au avernge of $21 por· head; for four-year-.?lds, $22 150; for dry cows, $14 50.

974

I

STATE OF TEXAS. 21

ONE HUNDRED AND THREE DROVES ON DROVERS' ACCOUNT . . ---------------··-·····•·"'" ___ ,_,,,. _________ , ______ _ Dll8TINATION.

----·---------·--- --·----------·--------, : , u' , Dil'cct into

To Nebrnsk11, To ppe1 Inclinn torr!· To Color1ulo \Vyoming, Missoul'ilnllinn tory for for Sol!l in

Diiliotn,, nncl agencies fo1· brcedlng pnr. stooklIJg. :Knnso.s City. Montnnn. lJeof. poses.

1----------·-·-- ' _____ ...... -t •... --1------ ------------ ----------1-----1 Yearlings................. ... • . . . . . . 401 777 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 11, 052 21 050 ••••••••••.••• Two-yenr.olds . . • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 870 . • . • • . • • • • • • • . • • 11, 002 1, 250 •••••••••••••.

Three-year·olds . • • • . • •• . . •• . . . • .. • . . 18, 080 13, 508 870 1, 075 20, 900

Fom-yMr·ol<ls.. .• .. . .. • • • • .•••....•. 10, 4-70 . 7, 821 I 748 200 21, 007 Dry cows...... . . • . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . 11, ooo s, 011 s11 ' 525 a, ooo Cows nml calves . • • • . • . . . . . . . . . .. • . . 518 . . • • • . • • • • • • • • . . 81 400 •••••.•.•.•.•.

Number of cattle (2251100) ........... =- l~!~~--=- BO, 090 1= 25, 21B =- G, 500 1=_51, 066

A vomge cost of driving, per hcacl. .. -- $1 O~-= ... :;;_~ ........ --=-~~Oif . - $1 50 ,--$0 62r

Number of droves (103) . ............ 33 (*) I 15 1 ol • Tho nniinuls of this column nrn lnclu<le<l In tho i1rovlous column.

Beside the above 103 ch'oyes taken on t,he drover~' account them wcro 28 droves driven on contract and 33 droves driven for breeding purposes, aggreg·ating 104, droves and 384,147 cattle. There were driven to Kansas 123,0SS head, of which 58,000 were sold for stock purposes (tnd 24,831 for beef in Indian territory, and 401207 for stocking in Kansas. The composition of these 164 droves is shown below: · ----------------·-····-------- ----------·--------.,..-----....,----.,.----

Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent. _____________________ , _____ , ___ _ Total.... . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . •• . . . . . . . . . . •. .• . . . . . . . . 884, 147 100 Throe-year-olds .••.•...••.....•.•••..•••.•••••••..•••... 60, 087 17

Four-yenr-oltls ......................................... . 48, 237 11 Yonrlings.............................................. 124, 007 113 Dry cows .....•.••.........•.•....••..•...••••••.....•.. 80, 060 8 Two-ym1r-ol<ls...... . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . llO, 824 :m 1 Cows nrnl oa]Y(>B ....................................... · 2, 072

---------------------·-·--:--------~---~~~--

.A.11 the yearlings and two-year-olds above speciiied and about one-third of the remainder, or 75 per cent. in all, were for stock imrposes, or for g-mziug, and 25 per cent. were for slaughter, either at once or according to the demands for beef at the Imlim1 a.gencies of the upper Missouri river and Indian territory.

Tliese droves averaged 2,34,2 bead eaeh, n.11d required the services of 1,fHl8 men, or au average of 12 men to a. drove. The nmnl:>er of saddle horses useil was G,4911, an aYerage of 3.3 llori:;es to each i11ttn. The estinrntecl loss in driving to Km1saH was n,ooo head. 'ro drive from. southwestern Texas to the vicinity of Ogallalla, Nebraska, for Nebraslrn antl \Vyoming required about 00 cfays. To drive from Texas to For!; Dodge, or to Oaldwell for Kansas Oity, required 35 days; to Pneblo, Oolorado, 7G days.

Of' the above cattle 25,033 were from the Panhandle; 54,147 from Texn.s south of the Nueces river, ancl almost two-thirds of' the whole from the regions east of the lOOth meridiu,n. The cattle sold in Kansas Oity for beef were from the Panhandle and tlrnt; portion of Texas contiguous to t1rn Red river. The cattle clrive11 to Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana were. practically stock cattle. .A. large number of' cattle were sold in Kansits to be driven back into the Indian territory for stock purposes by reason of chal!ges of demancl arising late in tl1e season. The cattle sold in Kn,us~s for beef in the Indian t0rritory were bought by contmctors for the agencies.

The following table exliibits the "clrive" of Texas cattle to various points for the respective yen.rs, as derived from records of each year:

Por Sedttlia, Missouri : (a) . 18GG. - ...................•.....••........•. -••..••.•.• - ••..•.••••••.••••••.•.•.•••.•••..••••••...•••••• 260,000

To A!Jileno, Kansas; --~~ 1867 ..•••.....•••.. : • • • • • • • • . . • • • . . ........................................................ _ .••••• ~ • • • . :JG, 000 1868 .•....•. ···•·· .•.. -··· .... ·--······-········ •..• .••... .••••• ................. ••••..••••••• .... ..•... 75,000 1860.... . . . . • • . • . • • • • . • . • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • . . • . . • • • • • . • • . • • . • • • • • • • . • • . . • • • • • . . • • . • • . • • • • • • • • . • • . . . • . • • • • . . il50, 000 1810 .....................•.•••.•.••..•••..•.•• _. • • • • . • • • • . . • • • • • • . . • • • • . • • • • • . . . • • • .. • • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • . • aou, ooo 1871. •••••..••••••...••.....•..••... ···-·············· ••••••.•••••••••••••••.•••••••• ••••.••••••••••••·· 700,000

To Wichita and Ellsworth, Kansas: 1872. - •••.••.• , ••••..•.••.•• - •.•..• -. . • . • • • . • • • • . . • • • • • . • • • • .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • 850, 000 1873 ••...••••...... · ........................................ - - . • • . • • . • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • .. • . • • . • • • 405, 000

~~~~:::::::::::::::::::~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ig~:~~~ . --- 1, 072, 619

'.l'o Doclge City ancl Ellis, Krinsas: 1876 ............ ····-· .••• ··'·- .•.. , ....•.•.. , ••...•••..•.•••.•.••. ·······-·· ...... ···-·· .••••• 322, 000 1877 .......................................................... - • . •• • •• • • • • . •• • •• . • . • • • . . . . . • . 201, 159 1878 .•................... '····· ••.•...••.• ; •••••••••..•••..••••..•.•••.••.• ····-· ••.••••• ··-. 265, 646 1870 .•••. - •.........•••••..••..•.........•.•••••••• - .••.•.•••••••..••••••..•.•••• -•••• - • • • • • . 257' 927

--- 1,046,732 Dodgo City, Caldwell, ancl Hunnewell, Kansas: · ·

1880 .•.•.....••....••..•••••••.••....•.•.•.•..• ·•·••· •·••·· •.••.• •·•••· •...•••••. ···-·· ··-··· •••••• •... 384,147

1,460,000

Totitlfor 11> yeaa:s .•...•••••..••••••.•.•........•••••.••••.••.•...••.•.•..••••••.••.•••••••••••. 4,223,497

a Tho cattle did not actufllly go to Sedalia, but were divertocl by troublci o.bou-t 'f(\Xas cattle, etc, 075


If we estimate the average. net selling price at $12 per head, the amount realized by "Texan drovers" for stock driven north for fourteen years ending December 31, 1880, was $47,561,964.

SnIPMENTS BY sEA...-The first shipments of live-stock from Texas, by sea, of which we have any definite knowledge, were made in 1851 from the port of Galveston to both New Orleans ancl Ouba. Just wha,t number was taken to each of these markets is not a matter of record, as the customs districts make no returns prior to the year 1859. It has been ascertained on good authority, however, that the tra,ffic attained no very considerable dimensions until 1865, when extensive shipments were begun to the island of Cuba .. At that time average shipments were made of from 1,200 to 1,500 head of cattle per mouth, 200 to 300 beeves to the cargo being carried. The table below, furnished by Mr. Joseph Nimmo, jr., chief of the bureau of statistics, gives, in so far as recorded by the customs districts, tL numerical and :financial statement of the numbers. of cattle, sheep, and hogs exported from the state since 1859:

RETURN OF EXPORTS OF OA'.l"l'LE, SHEEP, AND SWINE FROM '.l'HE CUSTOMS DISTRICTS OF TEXAS DURING EACH YEAH ENDING JUNE 30, FROM 1859 TO 1880, INCLUSIVE, AND DURING SIX MONTHS ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1880.

----F-ls-cii--1-y-cn--r-cn-tl-in_g_J'_un_e -a0_-___ -1-N-~:;~~-LI!l_ .. -~n~-00-. -· _"':'._':~ Voloo

SWINE.

Totnl vnlne.

:Number. Valne.

---- --·-···---··

Total •.••.•.....•••••••.•...• --···· ......... .

1859 ..•.•••••••••••••. ·--··-···················-···· 1860 ............................................... .

240, 617 $3, 532, 390 821, 930 $846, 323 6,815 $27, 557 $1,406, 270 ~·····= ·c~•=~== ------=·===•II==-=---- c.•.====11=-----·-----·

80 835

1, 500 ••••.••••••••••• : ••.•••••• •••••• ·••••••·••• ................... .

0,700 ····-······-···· ............................... •••••·•·•··••·•·

1, 500 6,70-0

1861. •••••• ····- .. ··-· •• --···· •••.••• --· - •••••••• -- .•.•..••••• ···- ••••..•••••••••••••••••••••• •••••• ••••••••••••••••.••.••••••••••••••••••.•.•••.•.••• .,. •••••••.•••.

1802 ...... ·-···· ••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••..•••••. •••••• •• -····· ••••••• - .••••• -·· ........................................ ·-····· ·-······ ....................... .

1803 ••••••• _ ••••.•••••••••••••••.. ·••••••••· ··•••••· ················1·············-·· ················ ............................... ·-········· .................... .

:: : :: : : : :::: :: ::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::~::::::::: :,:::::::::::~~~:I::::::::::~':~~~: : :: : : : :::: :: : : : : : : : : ::::::: ::::: ::::::::: :::::: :: :: :::::::: :: : : : :~: :::::: :~':~~ 1807 .•..•....•••••••• _.............................. 960 17, 110 549 2,~80 41 828 20,018 1868................................................ 7,665 50,122 B,156 2,253 52 117 52,4~2

1869 ••...••.••••••.•..•... ·••••••••· ...••••••••••••• •••••• ••••••••••••..•••••••.•••. ···········---·· ...................... ••••••••· ·-·············· .•.. •·•••••• ..•.

1870 .................... ··················-········· 18, 299 118, 703 27, 481 18, 189 170 517 137, 400

1871. .............. -- ••.•••••.• -··- ••.•••••••••••••• 10, 810 85, 511 86, 247 32, 837 30 141 118, 489

1872 ••••••.••. ·-·········· •••••••.•••... ·-···· •••••• 7,208 72, 942 27, 228 25, 848 51 127 08,012

1873 •••• ··············-··· .......................... 13, 545 184,871 57, 2171 59, 985 626 a, 177 247, 983

1874 ............ ··- .•••••• •••••• ··-· ·····- •.•.• ··-·· 28, 280 381, 970 110, 290 706 2,108 494,371 111, 445

1875 •••.•..••••••••••.•. ····-······· •••.•. •••·•• ··-· as, 045 463, 2215 95, 710 97, 697 1, 6P3 9, 880 570, 2{)2

1876 .•••••••..•••••••••. ·················-·········· 30, 365 48G, 168 45, 140 46, 235 910 a, 632 530, 035

1877 •••••••••.•••.•••.••....•••••••....••••••••. ·-·· 20, 806. 338, 235 108, 747 108, 629 848 1, 008 448, 862

1878 ••••••.••..••••.••••.••••••••••.•. ·••·•••··••••• 28, 838 432, 45() 102, 649 111, 718 388 1, 849 G46, 023

1879 ••••..•••••. ···-·-· .•..•••••••••... ••••••• •••••· 24, 503 427, 676 80, 829 96, 406 054 3, 196 u21, 21s 1880 .••.••••....•••.•••••..•..•.•••.••.••••••.••••.• 17, 7891 300, 443 99, 980 108, 816 287 703 418, li52

Six months &ntling December Bl, 1880: ••••••.•••... 9,430 150, 080 25, 548 I 25, 495 60 104 170,378 I

Exports of articles by customs districts were not prepared and published prior to 1856. For the fiscal years 1856, 1857, and 1858, it appears by the records that no m1imals were exported from the customs districts of Texas.· In 1866 no statement by customs districts was prepared and published, and no returns were received from Texmi during the years 1861, 1862, and 1863, and for 1869 the numbers were not given. In the present conduct of the trn.cle with Ouba, cattle shipped are purchased and transported, under contract with the government of that island, by the J\'lorgan Steamship Oompany. The special means of transportation furnished by this line of vessels, added to the quarantine restrictions on returning transports, has driven all lesser competitors ont of the business, and the Ouba live-stock supply is now mainly under its control. Formerly several otl1er contractors, using sailiDg vessels, shared with the Morgan line the risks and the profits of the traffic.

Indianola and Galveston, on the Texas coast, a.I'fl the principal shipping poiutis to both New Orleans and Havana. The average voyage of a steam vessel to New Orleans is made in two days, and to Cuba in four. Cattle shipped to New Orleans are not usually provided with feed during the trip, but an ample supply of bedding is furnished, which litters down their pens 5 or 6 inches deep. Owing to their wild nature, Texas cattle rarely.eat heartily during a short voyage like that to New Orleans; hence no regular allowa:Ii'ce of' feed is carried for them. The voyaige to Onba, being of longer duration, requires the provision of from 15 to 20 pounds of hay per daJ1 for each bullocl{, 'vhich, after the second da,y, when subdued by hunger and accustomed somewhat to their unusual sittrntion, they consume greedily. Oattle a.re carried by the Morgan steamers both between decks and 011 deck,

976

I

STATE OF TEXAS. 23

elevators being in use to lower them into the vessel, where pens are fitted for confining them. Dnrfog the passage the crew of the vessel, or special 1ttteudants, feed and water tho animals. The average loss from natural causes is not o\·er l per cent., but accidents incident, to loading' and unloading the wild and terrified beeves sometimes swell this avemge greatly, while the shrinkage on steers of 900 pounds live weight during the Onba11 voyage lias been found by frequent tests to range from 100 to 125 pounds under the most favorable treatment.

The rate of transportation to New Orleans by steamer is $6 per bnUock. In 1878 the Morgan Steamship Oompt10y contracted to supply the government of Onba, with cattle averaging

!JOO pounds live weight, for which they were to receive $43 in gold per head. Tho tern.is of their present contract are supposed to insure !li slightly increased VlLluation, to wit, about $45 in gold per bnllock. Tho class of cattle moi:1t. in demand in Uuba are four and ftve ;year old steers, though bulls and stags find a ready 11ale, being used on the large plantations. Prime cattle of the first description cost in 'l'exas $10 to $17, bnlls and stags bringing lowei· priees. It is claimed. by the Morgan Steamship Oompauy that, in consequence of the increased shipments of live eattle from Floricfa, and of the growth of a trade in refrigerated ireats from Now York to Havana., there has been a marked decrease iu the export of live cattle to Cuba compared with that of three years ago.

From Mr. H.nff, of the firm of Robinson, H,uff & Borden, which was the chief competitor oftltelVIorgan Company, the follovi'ing particulars relating to the export of cattle by sailing vessels to Cuba were obtained: Mr. Hnfl' entered the business in 1875, using his own schooners in tmnsporting cattle to Havana, and confined his attention entirely to that tmcle; between l\'.Iay and October the easy sea voyage, the condition of the beeves, and the demand in Cu lm are all favorable to transportation by sailiug vessels; the quarantine regulations which deln.y vessels retnruing from Ouba, have made a lmnlensome expense to small exporters. 'l'lte M.organ Steamship Company, with frequent and rapid tJ.•ips, taking cattle only as an incident of tratle, has therefore controlled most of this traffic. In .January, 1880, Mr. Huff was maldng his first shipment for the year; his ciittle 1wemgecl l,OOO pounds live weight; nml wore iu line condition, the coast pastures 011 which they were fattened luwing been uninjured by t;h e frosts of the vrovious fall. He paid $2 per 100 pounds for breeders for these becwes, of which from 200 to 250 heacl constituted. a cargo for his schooners, 1wd tho voyn,ge required on an avemge from seven to ten clays. It was claimotl that no losseK i.verc~ incurred from natural canses when tho vessel oxvorienced fair wm1thm· on her voyage, but tlrnt loss from injuries receivecl in handling tho animals at the time of shipment ancl unlo11d.i11g' nrnterililly 11ffectecl the profits. '£1.tc cost of transportation was place<l at $10 per head; this inclmle<l feed ancl attemlniuce on the voyage and !Lll exvenses involved iu shipment, except the custom-house charges at Havana, which were $G per bullock. The a\'erage eost, therefore, of placing a beef' in Havana nmonnted to $1G, which, addetl to the first cost of a thousandJ)OlllHl bullock, pnt the expense t.o the exporter at $3il on the Hava11a dock. Mr. H.ufl' elaimecl that tlie trausporhttion of live ciittle by sailing vessels was more satisfactory tltan by means of steamships, for the reason that in storms schooners, not being obliged to make the fost time required by the mail eontract.s heltl by the steainshi]J comp1111y, conlcl lay off ancl prevent the heavy rolling of the vessel, so disr1strous to eargoos of cattle C!\.rried by steam vessels. As a case illustrating tltis fact he cited tho instance of a severe gale to which a Morgan steitmol· and one of his own schooners were both exposed. The steamer lost 150 cattle, while his sitiling vessel lost bnt one. '£ho voyage on that occasion took ftfteen dayR, bnt in consequence of tlrn scarcity of' bee\Tes in Il:wmia bis m1ttle sold. for $105 per head, having suffered but slightly from the inclement weather experienced. l\fr. Hull' was then (Janmwy, 1880) llcgotiating with the Texas government to establish a shipping point ut Sabino Pass, where no quarnntine regulations existed to embarrass individuals engaging snccessf'nlly in the business.

'.rhree establishments, ono in each of the counties Aransas, Fa,;yotto, and Hiobe1·tson, according to manufocturiug report Tenth Ceusns, slaughtei'ecl duriug the fiscal year ending .Juno 30, 1880, rn;nss beeves, 300 sheep, 37u hogs. There were 1,036,600 ponncls of beef sold fresh, o,990,000 pounds canned, 72,000 pounds sa,Jted or cnrerl; 13,000 pounds of mutt,on solcl fresh; 5,700 pounds of' pork sold fresh, 1,000 poumls salt.eel; 14,000 pounds bacon and hams; ·6,450 pounds of lard; aggregate value of all products, $486,400.

'.rhe following tables present the weight and value of animals as specified 1tnd the composition of certain herds:

ESTIMA'J'ED AVERAGE VALUE, 1880.

Bl'ood of cnttle. Bulls. Cow·a.

-· ··--- ·- -- .. ·-··--·····-·--·····--··--------1-----1-------Nntive Texnns ....................................•... Improved stook of Panhn.ndlo .••.••••.....•.....••••.

$15 00 75 00

$945 2() 00

I Three-yeal'·old Two-:vom·-olds Yonrlln,,s.

stoors. I • · "' $1120 ,----;;---$5 86 -

25 00 18 00 18 00

On Ives. IlooveR.

$4 00 $H 05 10 00 BO 00

~-----------------'------'------'------------~--'----~-.:-.----62 AG 977

PRODUCTION OF MEAT.

WEIGHTS AND VALUES FROM ACTUAL SALES OF TEXAN BEEVES IN CHICAGO AND KANSAS CITY DURING TllF: MONTH OF NOVEMBER, 1880.

Source of information. Breed of cnttlo. --r~=--J~;~~ir~~-C --s:~~~~~·c.-------------·----·-------·-------- --· ·-·-·-··--·-· . ·------- --··- .. ---·----

1'011nd1" Chicago stook-yat·d ........................................ Nativo Toxan hooves .................... "- ............. . 10, mm 868. :m $~4 ti!J Kansns C;tyynrd ................................................ do ................................................. . 2, 291 862. 03 !.!O -17 Kansas City yard ..........................................

1

Pnnhnudlo hooves .................................... .. 210 U37. 85 2-1 o:;

ESTIMATED AVERAGE LIVJ!; WEIGH'r OF CL\.'l'TLE ON RANGES.

' Yearlings. Two-vear-ol<ls 1' Three-yoiw- Beeves

• ' olds. ' ____ _! ___ ·-·--·--.. - -·--·-··

-l!,C:,r.yoa~~;ill 1~~;11·00-ycnr.olcl I Two·y~1~r-o;;---=;::~~~~- . cows. cows. hoifors. hci fora.

-----------1 --·---------.. - ........ _______ ---·-------- .. Pounds. l'ow11ds.

NativeToxascattlo.......... ...... 050 540 Improved cattle of Panhanclle ...... _ •• _ ........ : ... - ............. .

Pounds. 745

l, 050

Pounds. 000

1, 200

l'om1ds. 750

Pounds. 050

1'01111cl~. 1'01111<ls, 500 :ri5

-----------~·---·-----------.. --------·-------_. ... _ .. _______ ._ ____ ... _ -·----........ ---·-'------'--

COMPOSI'rION OF Clni'l'AIN HERDS DEOEMBEH :n, 18i9.

Clnss ot stock. Number. Per cent.

Total.......... .. . .. .. . .. . . .. .. 180, 551 100

Dulls ...................... ,.......... 8,791 Cows................................. 00,343 35 Three·yonr.ol<ls and lmovea ..........

1

18, 955 ·\ 10 Two-yoar-olds............. .......... 24,0421 lB Yenrllngs ........................ ""I 28, 483 15 CalvM .............................. i 47,387 25

_____________ .. _______ ._ ... ___ _J

Peroeutage of oalves clroppecl per 100 cows, 80; porceutago of calves bmncl.i<l to thoso 80 c1roppecl pot• 100 oows1 71, 42; porccmtago or oalves actually surviving to l>ooomo yearlings, 70 i percentage of average anmrnl Joss nmoug cu,tt.le over 0110 year olcl, 5.

The native Texas cattle are well described by Lewis F. Allen (.f!merfoan Uattle, 1879) and James McDonnlcl (Food from the Far West, 1879) as tall, lank, bony, coarse-headed, high at the hocks, low on the rnmp, with immeuso spreading, half-turned-back horns; flat sided, sway backed, witl1 11arrow hips and quarters. The meat is conr8l'1 cannot be marbled, a.ncl the amonnt is small in proportion to the o:tl:'al. Tlie average live weight at homeofnatiYe Texas beeves is about 900 pounds. Improw~ment hy breeding can l:>e insured to that (•lass of thoroughbreds of which the crosses will acclimn.te ; by limiting the wandering to find feecl ; by restricting· the service of the good sir<'s to the cows for which they were intended. The last two points mumot be reached with cattle on free range. Tho Texas cattle form a valuable basis upon which to cross the improyed stock, securing· ha1:diness from the natfre cowR and symmetry and better quality from the sires.

DISEASES Oli' STOOK.

The diseases of stock iu Texas as well as i11 other dist.ricts iu the United States h~ve been carefnlly inve:stigatctl · by special commissions and otherwise to such a degree that, beyond a. reference to the treatment of losses, it s<~cms best only to refer here to some of the more prominent reports that have been made on the subject. Such are, tho reports of Professor Gamgee on the SJ)lenic or periodic fever of cattle, pnblishecl in 1871, in the report of tl10 Commissioner of Agriculture on the diseases of cattle in the United States; report of J. R. Dodge on the statistienl and historical investigatioI!s of the progTess and results of the Texas cattle disease, published in the same volume; and Dr. D. E. Salmon's investigation of southern cattle fever, in the report of the Department of .Agriculture ou the contagious diseases of domesticated animals, 1880.

HHElEP.

'l'he growth of the sheep business cau11ot be detailed like Uiat of cattle. The census retm;ns g·iYe Texns 100,530 sheep in 1860, 753,363 in 1860, and 714,351in1870. Mr. J. H,. Dodge's estimate for 1878, whioh is generally accepted, is 3,674, 700, increasing the return of the state for that year 985,993; that is, he estimates tlmt tho

978

STA~rE OF rrEXAS. 25

retnrus made for taxrttion did uot represent more thau 73 per cont. of the number of sheep in the state. In 1880 the returns tihow 75.85 per ceut of the estimated number. The ccusns euumeratiou is of stock "on farms". 'l'his tipecfal investigation embraces also stock held on thfl ranches and on ra.nges.

Sheep were probably brought into Texas by the Spaniards, but, requiring more care than cattle, tlwy <lid not increase like the stronger stock up to 1850. The early Spanish sheep, the " chonrros" or "chaurros", had degenerated, from ueglect, to be small, scrub by animals, bearing· not more than a. pound or a pound and a half each of co11rse wool; but, in their uncared.for condition, obliged to bunt feed and water, resist storms, and protect themselves aml their lambs from wikl itnimals, they developed those chamcteristics which distinguish them as the "mother" stock of the present sheep of 'rexas. Upon this ligbt, dry, thin-fleececl, native stock, about 1850 there began the crossing with the .A.merica.n merino, by which the present 1:1tock has been produced with good-sized carcass ancl long. Hberell wool, strong constitutions, the clispositiou to care for their young, tt density of fleece, giving weight and protecting their bodies from storms and the wool from dirt.

From 1850 to 1860 we find that the number of sheep increased nearly sevenfold. F1·om 18130 to 1870, taking the Htatistics of the terminal years only, there is a slight decrease, in consequence of the war, in both tho unmbcr of sheep and the clip of wool. In 1880 the number of sheep was double that of 1870, while, according to commercial estimates, the annual wool-clip had increased from 1,000,000 to 22,000,000 pouncls.

T~1ough the commercial estimates, over a term of' yeMs, present for the past the easiest attainable tltble of the geneml growth of the slleep industry, yet they cannot be safoly muployed nti n. basis fol' estimating the number of sheep for a.ny one year in p1trticular states aud territories, because these estimates include the wool from pelts (i. e., from sheep skins) and also credit a state with the amount of wool it sends out without; regn.rd to the amount produced in the particular state. A certain amount of wool annually comes into Texas from Mexico to be marketed, 11ml is counted in the clip of Texa,s. The same matter will receive furthe1· illnstra.tion in other states.

ESTIMA'rED ANNUAL WOOL-CLIP OJ? TEXAS FROM 1867 TO 1880.

[Prepared from estimates ot' Mr. James Lynch, of New York.]

18(i7 ................................................................................................ . 1868 ...•.••••••••••.••••..•.....•.••.•...••.•.•...••.••.........•••.. - - •••....•..••••..••••.•.•••..•. 186!) ..... - ............................................................................ - ...•.••.•..•.. 1870 .•••••.•.••••..•••.•..•..•...•.•..••.•.••.•..••..•••.•..•..•.••......••••••••••••••••.....•.••••.. 1871. ....•.•.••.••.•••••••••••••..•..•••...•..•..••..•••••.•••••.•••••..••.•..• · ...•..•...••.•••..•... 1872 .•••••....•••••••• ·••••· ••.. •••••· ........................................................ ·••••·. 1873 .....•...••••••••..•••••.•.... - ...•.......••.••..••••••••.•..••••.•••..•••••••••.•.•.•..••.•••..• 1874 ......................................................... ··-· •••.•••.•.••••••••••••••••.••••••... 1875 ••••••••••••••••••• , .••••••.•••••••••••••• ·- ••••••••••• - ••• - .................................... . 18711. ........... - ....•....•..•..••.••.•..••••••••.•..••••••••••••••..••.••.••.••••...••..•........... 1877 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••.•••••••••••••••••••••.•••..• 1878 ................................................................................................ . 1879 .. - -.•...••.. -••••.•.•.. - - ........................................................... - .......•... 1!:!80 ................................................................................................ .

Pouncla. 1,000,000 8,000,000 7,000,000 7,000,000 8,000, 000 1),000, 000 0,000,000

10,000,000 12,000,000 18,000,000 14, 000, 000 17,000,000 1.0,000,000 22,000,000

Totnl for fourteen years ..................................................................... ' .. 150, 000, 000 =""=

With the estimated uumber of sheep in 1880 ( 4,457 ,323) the shea,r of 4.94 pounds per sheep would be required to produce the commercial estimate (22,000,000 pounds) of wool in Texas. Tbe invetitigation by the Oommissioner of Agriculture in 1878 indicated an ayerage of 3.5 pounds per sheep. Heturus from t.he best sheep-growers in tho state make their wool-clip 4.13 for 1880, which would give an aggregate of 18,408,744 pounds. The difference between this amount a.ml the commercial· estimate urn.y be largely if not entirely acconntetl for, as the wool sent out from Texas woulcl include wool from pelts and wool grown else where, but reaching the gennral mtirketH through 'l'exas.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 1880, there were imJ?Orted into Texas I,:n4,<lGG pounds of ·wool, nti follows : Onstoms district of Brazos <113 Santia.go, 406,487 pounds; Oorpus Ohristi, 876,005 uonnds; Salnria, :l0,!174 pounds; El Pnso del Norte, 1,200 pounds.

The estimated annual shear of the different grades of Texas sheep hi for .Mexican sheep (oue-sixth of the whole) 2.17 pounds; hn.lf'breed :Mexican (or five-eighths of the whole), 3.17 pounds per head; gmdeH above half-blood, 4. 70 pounds per head.

WOOLEN MANUPACTOlUES, TEXAS. --------·--·--------·----------·-·--· ·-------·---

I

I Yenrs. i Establish· Hnnds

11fsc?

1t1·_s11

•• Wool usGl1. , ments. employed. , .

---··----···--- !.·---·--···- ·-·-------·--·· I

1870 ..................

1

1

1860 ................. .

1850.,.'."""•"'"'"""""

20 2 1

100

43 8

Poundt. 20 278, 045 4 61, DOO

ao, ooo

Vnhm of i Y11l11!1 of nil rnn~~~fal ;in11m1J'lu:tom'l!'1

usecl. 11ro<hrnts.

.fBG, 817 $152, DOS

2G, 080 as, 7DG

10, 000 15, 000


TEXAS SOUTH OF THE COLOR.A.DO RIVER.-The system followed in Kinney county furnishes the best type of sheep husbandry for the entire region south of the Oolorado.

The party engaging in the business, having first secured, by purchase or lease, a complete or partial stock-range, invests either in some lom1l flock or buys from drovers bringing in sheep from Mexico. If a sufficient acreage is not obtained he relies for further past.ure upon adjacent unoccupied state lancl. 'l'hc practice of holding land by purchase or lease is general ~unonp; sheep· owners; that of fencing iu large tracts is not so general, as Kinnes connty is not agricultural m1cl furnishes but little tim her for fencing. A division of the pasturage into winter range near the streams and lowlands, where the brush affords shelter, and into summer range farther inland on the prairie country, is usually made. The feed consists of the va.rieties of the mesquite grass, vine, cur1;y, l)Ointed, ancl hearde1l grama grass in the western part of the county, and during· winter in the brnshy range of the sotal, .inabfa, uopal. cactns, the sa.htclio, the baradulcia or greasewood, and other native plants.

The :flocks occupy tlie winter range from December until shearing time, and occupy the summer pasture~groundR the remainder of tho year.

About S<lptember 20 the merino rams, purchased for the purpose of improving the stock, lrnving been prepnre1l for three or fonr weeks by a daily feecl of oats and corn mixed, are placed with the bands of ewes. 'rhe rams are admitted each night to the ewes, which are corraJecl for that purpose, and n,t daybreak they rtre removed and fe1l, when the ewes leave tlrn pens for tl1e range. This routine goes on for from six to eight weeks, when tlte ramR :finish their term of servfoe, and the :flocks seek the winter pastures. The less careful practice of lmictling is that ·Of introducing the rams during the proper season, without previous feeding or care, and allowing them to remaiu her<le1l with the ewes. .A.fter removal, usually on the 20th of November, the ramR are recnperate<l by a daily foe1l ·Of grain for It few weeks. The different classes of sheep ttre herded by themselves in bn.uds of from 1,200 to 2,000, (~aeh under one sllephcrd, tho former nnmber being preferred on a brushy locality. Small owners of Jlot oYer ~,000 sherp generally l'lm all except the rams in one lmrnl, to curtail C'.XI>emH:s.

,Just before Jam bing begins (Fobrtrnry 15) three allditioual men to each band of ewes are hi.reel to assi1:1t during the six weeks of that season. The ewes in flocks, commonly of 1,000 head, or in case of extm fin(~ sheep, GOO, arc• 110w carefully watched cln.y and night by the i·egnlar shepherds and the assistants. After the first ten days the ;shepherds are busy in the work of castrating, marking, ancl tailing the young fomqs, care being taken to appl,\' remedies u.ga.inst fly-blow on tl1c mntilateclpu.rts. This work continues until all tho spring lambs have been dropped, when about April 15, or .May 1 in late springs, the whole stock is ready for shearing. The wethers and dr~· stock are sheared first, the ewes with Jrunbs last, to avoid loss of increase likely to ensue if the mothers are ton carlr separated from their young. The extra helpers during lmnbing, no longer needed, have been dismissed or re-on gaged to act as shearers. The sheep brought from the winter range to the home ranch are corralled for shearing; tlw shearers tie them (fown as needed, shear and release them, while the :flock-master tmcl others in attendimce recefre, tally, tie up, and bag tbe freshly-cut fleeces. The sheep having been sheared-a la.bor of some two or three wcelrnthe whole flock, or such sheep as require treatment, are dipped in a tobacco wash, and then taken to the rr1,ng:1~

usecl in summer. After four and u. half months, or t1nring· Augnst, the lambs iwe weaned by separation from tit!' ewes, and arc placed in flocks of 1,000 by themselves, or, on some ranchos, with about OIH\-tenth their number of old wethers, that leac~the young sheep to good feed, ancl make the herding easier. Eady in September the Jloclrn, including' tlie lambs, arc again sheared, and if there is scab they are redipped. Tho rams at this time are once more prepared for sen·iee, and subsequent to the breeding term the whole bocly of sheep re·enter the winter grazing grounds. The custom prevails with many flock-masters of breeding such ewes as have failed to h1mb in l~ebrual'~· or April dnring l\fay, so that a fall lambing season in September requires extra help, the same system of m1t1mgemcuf'. that obtains dnring the spring lambing ancl shearing, but on a smaller scale, being then necessary.

On some extensive ranches of southern Texas the enormous number of sheep held, and the ma,ny employes required to carry on the business, are such that an elaborate system of administration is necessn.ry f'or the successful management of the property. The following acconnt of the methods practiced on one ranch was obtained fi·orn u careful inspection on the ground through the courtesy of' the proprietor. The "Oallahan ranch", lomtte{l in Eucifia1 county, is an unfenced property, holding at the time 100,000 sheep, more or less, a partially improved stock and undergoing further grading by the use of merino mms. The chief aim of the proprietor is to prodnee wool, but t11e wethers are sold to northern buyers when the market makes this advisable. Some 60 miles square of rrrnge :are traYersed during tlle year by the flocks. The terms given in the description of the mai1ag·emeut are Mexican, :and ttre given as pronounced in the corrupt Spanish of the ranch.

Lowest in executive rank are the "pastoTcs", or she1)hercls, each having charge of about 2,000 ll~ad of sheep, wliich he accompanies py clay and camps with by night, moving on foot and assisted by his clog. Over eveQ· tluee pastores whose :flocks range in the same neighborhood a ''vaquero" is appointed, who reeeives filigher 11!tY, arnl whose duties require him to exercise a constant surveillance over the flocks under his charge, and to render monthly accounts to the" caporal", who is next in authority. The caporal is mounted, and gives his time and u.ttentiou to the three vaqueros, who, with their respective subordinate pastores, are under his superintendence. The c11pornl thus <lirects the movements of about 18,000 sheep, m1d by constant riding is familiar with the location on the range of each flock, and can direct t.heir removal to other pasture grounds, return those sheep that have strayed, and

D~O

' I

STATE OF 'fEXAS. 27

watch closely the work of those under him, besides turning in each month the accounts received from the vaqueros to the ''mayordorno". This official is the highest in authority of those who handle the stock of' the ranch; a man of long· experience and skill in tho conduct of the practical part of sheep-husbandry, and one able to deal with the class of men em1>lo;ve!l to carr,Y out his orders. The mnyordomo is constantly 011 the range, going the rounds of the <1i1forent camr>s, noting the con<litiou of the i,;heep, ~mggesting· cliauges of range, autl receiving from the caporals the monthly acconuts, all of which he hands in eaeh month to the general mnch superiutcu<1ent or administrator, beside suggesting many tllings requiring· attention, such as tbe disclrnrge of incompetent shephcrtls, hiring o:f additional hands, etc. The caporals see that their eamps an<l tlleir subordinates ar'' supplied with provisions, ilrawing the same from the home mnclt by permission of the administrator. '.l'hc books of the estn,blislnnent arc kept by tllis latter personage, who furnishes ::mpvlies, maJres payments, 11ncl conducts tlrn general iinnncial business. 'r110 employes arc a.U l\fexicm1s except the tHlminist.r:1tor or agent, who directs tho whole business, with the advice and authority of the proprietor.

At the htmbing season, in February and lVfarch, the additional help required swells the force of the employes to about three times its usua,1 size, and at shetiring-time one hundred and fifty men have to be engaged especially for this work. The same systematic management is noticeable at this fatter period, when the sbeareriil and their helpers work under the direction of' the administrator and the mayordomo, each fleece being credited to the man shea.ring it, and tallied and bagged for shipment.

Sheep liave maintained their ascendancy oYer cattle in southem 1.'exas along the Hio Grande (cattle are worth $15 to $18 each south of the Rio Grande) because the ditlicnlty of driving sheep into Mexieo nnd the low value of th11t stock protected them from Mexican marauders. Sheep, moreover, can iincl a variety of pasture in the thickets bordering the river, more suitable for them than for cattle.

Wllile ca,ttle will not readily eat after sheep, the latter, by sharp tramping, close i'eeding, and the tearing out of' grasses in a dry, light, thin soil, soon dei:;troy pasture that would feed cattle for 11 long time, but they improve it for both grazing and farming, where the earth is strong iiud deep. Here they do not pull the grass out by the roots, and tbeir small hoofs Jrnrrow in the seecl and plant it, and they manure the soil.

The following narrative of' n sheepman in Sm1 Saba county is given a1:1 a picture of the methods and results of his business as soen bJ' himself:

Oc•1'omm 1, 1877.-Pnrclrnsetl thiA 1ltiy 11000 owe Hlrnop thnt win shcu,r 4 1iomHls of wool t,o tho 1111inml. .I dirl not pnrchn.se lall!1,for tlio rcnson tlrnt tliere nre lnrg(\ tracts of land vnc1111t ancl belonging to in!livilluals who do uot live in tho state, wliich I have utilized by loci\ting on tho samo nonr n "cedar brake", which affords ample protection for my stock from storms in winter. I have lmilt a log-cabin, 8 by 10 feet, and 4 foot high. A ridge-polo rm1s 1wross the center, raising it 3 fcot above tho walls. '!'ho roof is formed by stretching a wagon-cover over ft,1 and the gallfo oudij are mado of cloth, aml the cabin is without flam• or cloor,

INVESTMEN'l'.

1,000 shco1> 1 averaging ,1 ponncls wool per head, at $3 .................................................. - • 20 merino rams, at $Hi ......... _ ................................................................. -..••• Hire of two men to build pens and camp .......................................................... - --.. . Sbephor1ls (wages, $12; boarcl, $6), at $18 per month .................................... -... - .....•.•••• 1,~00 i1ounds salt, at I>. cents ................................................................. --........ . Cooking utensils ............................................ --·-·-·.········ .... •· ....... ·· ...... · · •· - -Shot-gun ......................... - ...... - ... - .. - .......... • •. • .. -- .... · · · · -.. · • · · • · • · .. • - · · · · • · - · · - - • • 'I'wo q11ilt11for liodcliug, at $2 50 ....................................................................... . Ax, $1; bell for sheep, 75 cents ........................................................................ . 'Vagon-cover .•.•................•••.......... - --. - -. - . -. - -..•••.•.. • • -·• · • • .. · - · • · -• • - .. · • • • · · - · · - · • · · A.tnmnnition for gun ........................... : ...................................................... .

'l'otal. ......................................................................................... - .

$3, 000 00 300 00

2 00 216 00 24 00

3 00 10 00

5 00 1 75 2 50 1 00

3,ri65 25

The lierder is now preparecl to get along without further assistance until Mnreh 1 by doing his own cooking. 'l'he flock is tnrne<l · out of tho "i1en" at daylight, the herder keoping in frout of his iloc11:, instea<l of behincl it, so as to keep tho f11St sheep back aml enable

tlrn 1wor or wenkly ones to keep up with the flock, the hercler gradually falling 11ack as the sll!le.P approach him, so ns to rettll'll their mornmeuts. By eleven or twelve o'clock he has renchccl a "water-hole", when the sheep aro watered an cl allowed to shacle up under the t,retis from oue to three 110urs, after which they aro takon back to eamp by a cli:fferen1; ronto from the one travolell in tho morning, for the irnrpose of soenring fresh pastnrago on the way. The distance covcmitl eacl1 clay from camp J;o "w11ter-holt1" antl retnm iH 111Jo11t (i miles. A good slrnphertl w.ill not i1en his flock un1.il lhe suu setA, as it is better they shoulcl be kept footling up ia1 that timo.

\Ve st1lt om sheep every Saturd11y, allowing about 5 gallons of salt to 1,000 sheep, tmcl mix with it a fow ponn<lH of 11shc81tnd anlplrnr. If tho Hheop are trcmblccl with grub in tho hoad, we mix with the salt a few pints of soot, taken from th11 stove or cl1inmoy.

Commencing nt cnmp No. 1, October 1, wo continue to use it until the 1st of November, mHl then moYc to ciimp No. 2, about G miles diHtant. These nlter.11t1te monthly chang~s aro couLiuuccl until tho lat of March, being ohlig1~1l to wa,t!lr at tll!l same "wo.ter-holll" 011

account of a scarci1;y of wa;ter. "Vo will now suppose Uw 1st of March to .have arrivod, and find it uecessary to employ a lllcxicau 1mrl his wifo; hnilcl sevrm.il small

i1011s for the aeconunodalon of the ewes tllat will not claim their lambs, and two other larger pt111s. Thcsn pens inc built of hrn~h, aud at .little oxpcuse, a mau buil1ling one in one or two hours. Ahont the lrith of March the ewes l>cgin to cbjj.ip their lumbs at the rate of 50 to 130 per night; the owes, with their lamhs, being kept separate from the main flock until 11bout one week olcl, when they are put with tho older larnh flock, hordecl hy the Me;x:ican. We now have three flocks, viz, fhick No, 1, maiti.i, or dry flock, 1ittondctl liy the regular

081


herder; flock No. 2, com1wsed of ewes with lam us 011e week old and upward, and herded by the Mexican; :flock No. 3, composed of ewes with lumbs j11Ht born, and ltcrdecl uy tho Mo:l(icnn's wifo nntil on<i week old. This is kept up until the laml>ing season is over, which is about April rn. .

Thil shearing season 110\1· bei11g nt hand, we engage mou, who usnally eome to onr camp for that purpose, paying 4 or fi cents per hond, after whieh onr wool is shippctl to rnnrkot., freight. GO cents per 100 pounds.

PrcpM·atiorni are 11ow made to tr:LYol wit;h i;he sheep during tho summer, for which purpose we retain the 1foxicuu aml his wife, at nu expense of allont $16 por month 1md board, an<l foul it necessary to buy tllc following outfit,:

One wagon ..•.... _. --· _ .. _ .................. ____ ............ ·--·. -- . __ .. -- ...................... -· ..... . $60 00 Pair of natin1 ponies ............ __ .................................. ----· .................... ·-·--· •... GO 00 Harness, ropo liuos, chain tugs, otc ........ _. - .. _ - - .............................. - .. - ... -....... - . - ..... .. 4 00 Ono dozen bottles of meilicino for killing the screw-worm ...................... _ ..... _ ....... - .. - . - ..... .. 1 50

----Tot.al. ............. __ ............. ---·- ..................................................... - .... .. trn GO

----The cliJforout bands having been put togotoher, the Moxic:m drives the Hock aud his wife drives tho team, t.lrn "boss" going ou n!J.ciul

for ullout (i miles from where eamp was 11rokcm, whore he lmillls :1 brush pen for tho night's oncampmeni:, com11Ioting which, ho returns to the flock nml nssists in driving tho sheep, which t.ravel ulong leisnrely, focc1ing ns they go, unt.il their arrbrnl at tho new oamp, about sundown.

Long ore this tho Mexican womau lrns nrrivccl at oum1\ iind prep:trecl supper for the imrty u11011 their arrival. By 1.mmisc tho next moming iil10 flock iH stttrtml allll moved aliout tho same tliRtance ns the flay pl'eviomi, and this is continuml for

about ·two or throo wooks, or until arriviug iu a section of emmtry wl10ro tl10r0 is iilcuty of wntor 11rn1 gr11ss mHl no 1ikcli11ootl of inforfo1'ing with eattlomen. .After remaining two or throe wccke we 1rnll up stakes uucl move on, cont.inning to move tho stock, ns found neceHsury from time to time, nni<il the 1st of Se11tomber 01· October.

'l'he flock lmving been brought back to the vicinity from where they wore startod i11 the spring, tho rams are put in with tho cwcR aull allowcil to ruu wit.h t:lrnm about a month, when tho~· aro taken out MHl returned to the former who has belln koc11ing them in hh< pasture cluring the year a1; 11 srnail o:qrnnsc.

October 1, 1878, we find oursclvori hack in tho olcl cnmp, oue year aft(Jr cmliarking in tho uusiness, at about; tho following cx11nnB1•:

Du.

Oot. 11 1877. Origin11l investment in stock, camp outfit, wages of s110phorcl for one year, etc. - - - .... - .... . Mar. 1. Wagon, $60; iiair of imnies, $30 _ - .......... - - ...... _ ...... _ ... -·- ·-·--· .. -- ... - .••. ---- ,I_ - ... . H1u110ss, $i1; !llOllicino, $1 r.o ............ ______ ............ ··---··----· ----·· ............... ·-·-·· -····· ·wages of Mexicun nud wifo from Mnrch 1 to Oetolie1· 1, seven months, at $16 .. - . _ ...... - - .. - - • - . -....... . Board of same, sovon nwuths, at$10 ...... -----· ................. -----· ........................ ---·-· .. .. Grain fed to rams while running with owes .. ___ ........ _. __ .. _ ....... _ .... _ ..• ~-- ................ - .... . Shearing 1,720 sl1cep, at 4 cents ............ ------ .......... ·----· .......... ·--- ............ -----·-· .. .. Hauling ri,875 po1mtls of wool to market. _ .... _ .... _. __ ............. _ .... _ .... __ ..... _ ...... _ ......... .. Public weigher, weighing 2i11mclrn, at 10 cents .............. _ .................. _. - ........ - - -.. -.. -... - . Cost of 24 s:wks, at GO een ts . _ ........... _. _ ...•.. _ .. _ .. _ .......... _ ... _ •... ____ ...•.... _ ... _ ... - ..•.... 10 11onnds twine, iit 15 cents._.--· .. _ .... _ ........... _ ... ___ ...... _ .••.•• _ ....... - . ·-- ......... -- ...... . Needle for sewing sucks ·-- ... _ ..... _ .... _ .... _ ............... _ ••. ·--· .•. _._ ..... _ ................. - .•...

CR.

l\fay l. Salo <if wool from ol<l ewes, 4,000 i10unds, at 25 cents __ ......... __ ...... _ - .... - -.... - •. Oct,.1. Snfo of wool from 750 six-month-old I:i,mhs, averaging2t11omuls, 11875 pounds, at 25 cents.

Oct. 1. Value of stock at expirntion of fir1:1t year: 950 ol<l owes, at $:J •••••• -----· ··---· ...... ···--· .................. ·--·-· .................... . 7li0 six-mont.h-olll lambs, nt $3 .................. ---· ·--· ..................................... . 20 merino rams, at $15 _ .. _ ..................... _ .... ____ ... _. _ .... _ ................. _ ....... .

Value of outfit : Shot-gun .. _ ..... __ .... _ ..• ___ .. , _ . _ .... __ ................. _ .. _ .•.. ~. _ ...... __ ...... _ .. _ .. _ .. Bedding, $4; ax, 50 con ts; lrnll, 75 cents._ ...... _ ..... __ .... __ .... __ .. __ • _ .•.. _ .............. . Wagon, $50; wu.gon-covcr, $1 50 . _. _ .... __ .•. _. __ ... _. _ .. _. __ ......... __ .... __ .... - . - .... _ - - . Span of horses .. _ •. _. _ .......... __ .. _ .... _ •. __ ........ _ .• _. _ .. _ ..... _. __ ................. _ .. .

!Ia rness ........ -.. - . - - .. - . - . · .. - - .. · · • • • • · · · - · · · - · -• · .. - · - · -- · .. · · -· - - · -- · .. · .... - · - ... " ... . Not profits first year to bahLuce .... __ ..•....•.. ___ .... __ • --· ....... _ .... __ ..... _ ....... .

$1, ODO 00 468 7G

2, 850 00 2, 250 00

300 00

10 00 5 25

M 50 50 00

:~ 00

$3,565 213 110 00

5 50 112 00 70 00 20 00 GB 80 20 as '112 40 14 40 1 130

10

3,H09 33

2,1189 17

G, nss GO 6, 988 50

These figures pertain to an exceptional condition, when there is no crowding of the pasturage, m1d when no particular casualty iuterferes with the best attainable results.

The conflicting interests of' cattlemen arnl sl1ecpmen on govemrnent lands often leau to acts of intimidation and even of violence before laws or imperative customs have become established.

Sn1~AitING.-Tbo })l'Rctice of shearing twice a ~·ear is general iu southern Texas; the s1)ring sliearing begins, with dry sheep, someJjimes in the latter imrt of February, ·usually bet.ween A111'i1 1 and l\:f£L;vil, sometimes in late springs exteuds to the 20th of .June; the fall shearing usually occurs during September, often during the earl;v imrt of October, and rarely in the earl;y imrt of November.

982 ..

t •.. '" f

c

li ll

l '

STATE OF TEXAS. 29

The contingencies connectecl with sheep-raising ai·c such that expenses in detail will vary with ea,ch one's experience, but the following outline may be suggestive as a basis of judgment. The investment may lie, for example: ·

5,poo tbrec-qnartel' merino oweH, nt $2 5(i . ___ .. _ .......••.•.••..••..•.•...... - _.. •• . . . . . • • . . ..•..•.••. $12, 800 00 150 meriuo rams, at $24 2:l. _ .............•....••••........•..•.•.•........•........••••••...•.•...•••• ;, 3, G34 50 640 tWl'es of ln,ucl, with water privileges, nt 50 cents per acre....... .• • • .. .• • •.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • • . . . . . • . 320 00 Buildings an cl fences ...•.•. : .. _. . . . . . . . . • . . • • . . • . . . . . . . . • • • • • . . . . • . . . • . . . • . . • • . . . . • . . . • • • • • . • • • • • . • • . . 250 OD Eq niprncats, horses, wagon, httrncss, tools, 1t1ul dogs............ . . • . . . .. • . .. . . . . . . . •• • • . . . . . . . . . . • . . • . . 500 00

17,504 50 ===

The following may be the expenses for the first year: li'oreman (rwernge wages, $21; board, $5), at $20 1)er mouth, $312; cook: (average wages, $13; board, $5), at $18 per month, $216; two shepherds (avemge wages, $13; boal'd, $5), at $18 each per month, $432; ten extra men for five weeks during lambing, at $18 each per month, $2:35; shearing 41508 sheep, inclrnliug board of shearers, $185; rent of range, 24,360 a.cres railroad lan<l, at 1.li cents 1ier acre, $305 40; dipping 4,568 slleep, at [i cents, $228 40; salt for 4,568 heac1, 5,481 pounds, at. :..l cents, $100 62; taxes on sheep, $145 7G; corn, 140.H2 bushels, $140 62; other ranch expenses, at $25 per month, $300; total, $2,659 80.

In successive years the expenses of shettring, dip1)ing, saltingi nud taxes increase with the number of sheep; 8,000 acres of' land additional arc reute<l for the second year, ttnd 1warly as much in addition for the 1ltinl year. At the end of the third year the stock will occupy nearly 40,000 acres of land, with four she1)hcrtls instead of the two employed at first, and the tot11l 1lock, prei,;nming on no tfomsters of' nu:y kind, will be composed of 8,072 sheep, distributed as follows: 3,4,HO old ewes, 1,108 ;young ewes, 1,108 yo11ug wotltcrs, 1,108 ;yearling ewes, 1,108 ycnrling wethers, 150 r;:i,ms; the sales of' wool, meantime, 18,860 pounds ilrst year, 27,000 r1ounds the second year, and 3i3,000 ponm1s the third ;year.

Fignres for a flock beginning with 2,000 owes and G'I rums, and kept threo years, as ti1lrnn from the books of onB of the best munn.ged firms of the st11te, show an 11mnrnl 1n·ofit of 21 1ier eeni;. upon each yen,r's capital. Tin~ firm has about 10,000 sheep. The fignres are giYcu :for sheep on fancls not fully stocked, with amph~ room for the g·rowth of the bnsine:;;s.

NoRTlllt:RN T.mx.A.s.-The ouly 1ioclrn here rcforre<l to iu the Panhandle are those of Mr. A. B. J,eg11rd, which aggregn,te some 151000 sheep, aucl are lteltl 2o miles west of Tnseosa, Oltllrnm county. Having tried sheep-raising in both Colorado l11lll New lVIexico previons to entering t,110 PnnlH11ulle, ho regimls the latter section as an excellent sheep region, although the pasture an<l climate 11re iwrhaps not more favorable for sheep than for cattle. Ile sta,tes that the chief losses arise from the nufoithfnl and iuefJ.icient clrnrncter of the labor. Mexican herders iue hired, as white help is unattainable; 11 few Indians <we employe<l, alHl nmko good shepl1erds. Starting with Missouri sheep, Mr. Legard has constantly bred them to Vermont, New York, and M.icbigan Spanish merino rams ]ltuchased in late years at $35 i1er he11d. 1:he 1werage ~·ield of wool in 1880 was 4k pounds to thn fleece. 1:his was sokl to bu:ycrs on the line of the Atchison, 'fopelrn and Sm1t1t Fe railroad, to be marketed eveutually in l~hiladelphht. The \vethers are driven to the railroatl 1111d sold to feeders and s11ippcrs. In the urn.nagement of his sheep lVIr. Legard pastures about 2,UOO iu each flock during fall and winter. Three Mexican herders attend each flock, and are paid $1.li each per month, board costing $4 7u extra per month per man. Just before lambing the ewes are divided into tlocks of 1,200 heacl, and additional help is engaged in carr;ying the stock t.hrough this period. Tho expenses incident to t,lte business are rather above those incurred in southern Texas. W'hen on tho rango tho flocks ar'e moved often enongh to chauge their grazing grounds twice a week, the slrnpherds using t.Iw Mexican donkey with which to pack the articles of their camp outfit-a method of transportation .necess~try on accmrnt of the rough character of the country, ancl adapted to the f'rngal habits of the Mexican shepherd. "' Mr. I1egnrd, us stn.ted, breecls his ewes to high-grade Spl1nish merino rams, using three to each hnnclrecl ewes. He states thnt his drop oflambs is 90 per cent. of the ewes, 67 per cent. of which (or 60 per each 100 ewes bred) survive us ymwlings. SeYere storms in the spring usually cause a hea'y percentage of loss amo11g the young lambs, and wil<l animals 1n·ey on both young and aclult sheep. The wool, fL medium-grade merino, has averaged well during the four years that the stock has occupied the Panhandle, anc1 has been sold nnwaslled at au average of 21 ceuts per l)Otmd.

Immediately east of tlle one hundredth meridian and south of H.ed riYer sheep-mising lrn.d renclled comiiderable importance in only one connt;y (Throckmorton) in 1880. Several flocks of modemte size were found in Montague and Olay counties, and one flock in Baylor county. It may be sairl that iu the thirteen counties from meridian H7° 80' to the one hundredth meri<lian and north of the thirty-third pa.rallol, inelucling those just named, there were no sheep in 1875. The flocks now there have come from lower Texas, New Mexico, northeastem Toxf"ts, Missouri, and in oue instance from Oregon.

The soil, grasses, climate, and shelter are all favorable to shee1) in this part of Texas. Tho chief aim of the proprietors was· found to be wool-growing, though they were beginning to give attention to mutton also. Attempts' were in progress to grade the flocks by using Spanish merino and cotswol<l rams, the former breed l.Jeing greatly preferred.

983

30 PRODUCTION OF MEA11•

In northern Texas, south of the Red river, the estimated average weight of wool was, for New Mexican sheep 21.- pounds; merino grades, 4 pounds ; Missouri and native, 3 pounds; and cotswold grades, 4 pounds, '!':ho estimated average live weights of mutton sheep were: New Mexican, 75 pounds; merino ~racles, 90 pounds; Missonri and natives, 85 pounds; cotswo1d grades, 112 pounds.

'.l'he averng'c increase among sheep in this pa.rt of Texas was found to be 75 per cent. of the bi.'ecding i:rwes, in large flocks of 2,000 hca<l and more. Among smaller and more ea.refnlly handled flocks of ewes of 1,000 head or less tlrn proportion of lnmbs saved was fonud to be fully 85 per cent. of the ewes, not reckoning barren ones. Over most of Texas the winter of 1880-'81 is now known to havl\ been lrn11snally severe, but the snow storms wern less damaging to sheep than cold ru.ins sometimes are, and the nvernge losses were not much increased acconlmg to report.

Tlie prices of common Mexicm1 sheep are as follows: Hams, $1 50; ewes, $1 20; wethers, $1 45; and lamlls, 56 cents. 'l'lle estiim1tecl live weight of wethers is 75 pounds; dressetl wt>.ight, :3(i pounds. It is impracticmllle to classify the improved sheep in Texas, but the price is increased a.ccorciing to grade, nncl the weight of the wl1thers is increased with better breeding.

The composition of 71 flocks of Texas sheep, agg·1:egatiug 130,UGS head in 1880, m1s: Ha.ms, 2,5fJ4, or 2 per cent. of the whole; G3,310 ewes, or 45 per cent.; 33,105 wethers, or 24 per ce11t.; 40,H5!) lambs, or 29 percent. Bstimatecl 1rnmber of lambs dropped to each 100 ewes was 83. Of these 63.71 survived to ~'earliugs. The estimated ayerago anmrnl loss among adult sbeep was 11.30 per cent. from disease, winter storms, wild animals, an<l poisonous weeds.

DISEAS.ES .

.Amoug· sheep in Texas infhimmatory diseases aud typhus fever are unknown. Scab, rot (nsually calletl liV('l'·

rot), and worms of two kinds, as described below, grnb and hoove, are the on~y diseases reported in the ::;!;ate. LIVER·TWT.-A flockmaster of Sau Saba county reports in 1877 a loss of 1,198 sheep out of 1,515 by liver-rot, 'l'.A.PE·WORM.-A sheep-owner in Hays county states that during the summer of 1880, whic1h was yery wrt, ho

lost 45 per cent. of spring lambs from a cause not ascertained a.t the time, but which was att.ributecl to wet. Ho writes July, 1881, that the summer has thus far been very dry, itnd that his fambs are d~·iug· a month earlit~r than in 1880. Upon examina.tion he finds "in the small entrail, which is 100 feet long, an1l runs from the bowels to tho anus, one or more wo1·ms of great length, white, very soft, one-quarter of an inch wide, arnl susceptible of parting· at every eighth of an inch. I'1mow no remedy, and th._,. disease is very fatal. It is :not identical with lombr(:z."

LOMBREz, OR woR11:rs.-A correspondent at Corpus Christi says that this disease prevails in Duya.f alHl Livo Oak counties, on thll Nueces river, and in Nueces county, when rank grass is induced by much rtiin in the fall 01·

1atter part of summer. It affects the lambs first, and has destroyed during the fall and wiuter of 1880-'81 GO pm· cent. of the weaned lambs.

A f:lockmaster of DeWitt county Sltys that his sheep are affected by lombrez, owing to heavy rains during summer; that when he has fed, during the winter following such wet seasons, half a bushel of corn to tho bead, the disease was checlrnd.

A flockmaster of Nueces county reports that twice during fifteen years his flocks h~ive sufl:'ered from lomb1·ez. GRun.-One owuer reports losses from grub in Kinney county. HooVE.-Oue owner of Corye11 county reports some losses from this disease, which proceeds from feeding

g-reedily on fresh clover, followed by distension of the paunch by gases released in the fermentation of the green feed.

GO.ATS.

Texas is on~ of the states in which ntteution bas been paid to raising goats. Some .Angora gm1ts have been introduced with which to grade up the common goat for the wool or hair. The mutton of goats is largely used in some localities. The market for the fleece has been quite irregular, and the industry correspondingly fluctnn.ting. While a fow in<1ividnal flocks have sometimes exceeded a tbousa.nd each, the aggregate in the state has not been very great.

SWINK

In the management of hogs in Texas tllerc is little that is peculiar or exceptional in methods, although they vary considerably. l\foreover, although the number of swi11e is large, the whole product of the st~1te is inadequate to the 110me demand. The total exports of live hogs by railroad aud by sea for 1880 are recorded as 2,387 beml with two other railroads to hear from, which may bring the total up to 3,000 bend; and the total exports of bacon and Im.ms for eighteen months were but 32,0fil) pounds, valued at $~i,923, representing for the year 1880, say, 2J,OOO pounds, worth $3,'iOO, or in all, live hogs and pork, a value of atout $7,700. Opposed to this Yery E.mn.ll export Texas is reported by various g·ood authorities to be receiving from $45,000 to $50,000 wo1·th of. pork and forl1 per week, or a value of' over $2,000,000 per year.

98:1

I 1' I

!W

S'l1ATE OF 'I1EXAS. 31

SU.M:l\'IARY 01? MOVBMENT OP UA.TTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE.

'l'lte tigureH of the drives of sheep in the past, as indeed of their railroad transportn,tio11 beyo111l the stu,te, are Hot 1wailable, bnt here are presented the number of sheep dl'iYeu in 1880, the number transported by milronda the same year, aml the number sent by sea since shipments began: Sent, ont by <lrivcs, 1880, 1.11,700; hronght in by drives, 1880, 115,000; seut out by railroit1ls up to Angust 1, 1880, 12,000; sent out by 1:1ea since commencement of the business, 821,030.

The nu1rlrnts for sheep for shtnghter are tho cities witltiu the state, alfm Saint I1ouis lmd New Orlean8. Hy spn, they go to the north Gulf ports.

It is estimated that 4,000 cattle were driven to New l\foxico, 7,500 to Arizoua, and 22,000 sheep to Mexico. 'I'he total reported live-stock sent from '.rexus in 1880 may he tlms surnmarizeil:

,-- .. ··----~::t;r~n1;;:,~~: . - - -T · Cnttlo. I She op, ! ______________________________ -I I

Swhw.

2, 887

I Totnl.. .................. ··-···I rioo, 875 ~~o. 220

By clriYO to tho no1·th ··--··, .....•. 1-···-:::,:;- 80, 700 .••...••••..

Ily<lrivetothowcst ..•........•.•... 1 11,600 22,000 ······-·--··

By mllrontls .................... ·-··1 78, 000 12, 000

--~.::~:=.:.:.:~-~-=-.. =~------~7, 2~J_-~~r.·."~- .. 2, 040

847

Texas received. from New Mexico 15,ooo sheep by drives in 187H i driven over the border from Mexico, 100,000 sheep and 1,500 cattle. A few improveu animals were tilso brought by rtiilroad for breetling purposes.

C.A.'f'l'LE, SHEEP, AND SWINE IN TEXAS AS REPORTlm POH. CERTAIN Yli:ARS.

Yeo.r. Authority. Cnttlo,

~------~---~------·-----··-- ----·--·-~·1---···-·····-----···--··•-----·-

1830 .• • • •• •••••..... Thrall's History of 'l'oxns ..•...........••.• ·----· .••.• ,, .................................. -·. ... 100, 000

1850 .••••••• -···.. •. Seventh Censns (on farms) .... , •......•.•.• ···--· -··--· ·-·- .......• ·----· ...... ·-- ... , . . . . . . . . . 390, 11•!

1800 .... -- • __ ....... .Eighth Census (on farms) ................. ···--. ·--·-· •...••.... -- •.••... -··... ... . .. .••••••... 3, 5!15, 708 1870 .••••••••....•.. Ninth Consus (on fnrnrn)........................ ...... .••••. ............ ....... ................. 3, 000, 158

1878 ..•••.••••••.... Nn.tlonn.l Dopiu'tmm1t of Agrlcnlturo .............................. ·-···- -· .............•.. ·---·· ......... --· ... . 1878 .... - - • -- _ •..• _. Stnto returns for taxntion ... _ ........... - ...•. - - ....•... - .......•.•....... - ..............•... - .. a, 512, 412 1R70 .••.••• _ ••••••.• Stnfo retmns for tn.xation ........•....•.•....•••.•...•• ·-·-··. ••• • . . .. . . .. ..••• . . .. . . . •.. .. . ••. 3, 800, 447

1880 ................ Tonth Coutus (on farms) ......................................... ···--····················---·-1880 ••• --· ----·· .••• Tenth Census (on fnrD1S nml ost!m11to<l unonumer11tcll i·1mch 11nll rnngo stock) ................. .

4, 084, 6Q5

4, 804, 008

----------------------------'----·------·---··· ES'rIMATED CA'l"l'LE, SHEEP, AND SWINI~ IN 'fEXAS JULY 1, 1880.

Region.

APl'UOXIMATE AOllllAfm 01' STOCK OCO!ll'ATION,

100, 5ao

753, non 71'1, 051

3, 07•1, 800

2, 088, 702

3, 603, 041 2, 411, 033 n, os1, 01a

STOCK,

002, 022 1, 371, r.n2

11 202, 44G

1, om, ml6 1. 014, 881 l, OilO, 371 2, 440, 028

---·--··------···---·----- Cattlo, __ J . .. .. -~cep.___ _ __ :~ttla~---j Shct•p. * ·----~=-!~~·- ... rno, ooo, ooo 125, 500, ooo 4, 89·1, oos I u, 651, oan 2, Ho; 023 Total .•...................... ····••···•········ ......................... ···

==-.=~.·'.'."-=~-':':--: ~_:_ :.:;..·_;'.'_:._'::::~.:C::.::.::..:.:: ~ -.. -:.-, __ ., .-_· __ :.-• .:..:.:::.c:::.:::~;-.,; :.::::::.::~:::---:·· .. :::-:::·."'.-"..": ~-":"-~ -.r~-;. ·:;:..:-.;;·-~:;;;,.

l'11nh1m<lle. ...••.••• ...... •••... .•.•.•. ............ ................... .••. ••• ••• 10, 000, 000 o, ooo, 000 225, 857 121, 028 1,0-00

1Vcst of ono-humlrellth morlc1lan to tho Pecos, except tho PanlmmUo ..... ·---·· 10, 000, 000 7, 500, 000 488, 970 264, 278 '• 107

iVcstofthoPooos ............................................................... 17,000,000 17,000,000 17,000 20,IMO 847

South of Urn Nueces······-·····-··--··-··-·...................... ...... .••.. ... 18, 000, 000 I 13, 000, 000 221, 507 1, 044, 208 4, 044 l~llet of tho onc-lnmdrc<lth merldinn nnd north of tho Nueces ..•......•... - - •. - . . 83, 000, 000 82, 000, 000 3, O.Jl, 274 1, 502, 520 2, 438, 725

+>•-• -·-·--~--~.-.. ------·--------------~---------·- -·-- -----·-------....---------·-··-·----··-·---~----·------ --- -----~---·--- ·------------~-·-··•--•L••~•

* Tho ont1mcmtors in 1870 wcro iustrnatecl not to count spring lnmbs, but inn, conslclcmhlopcroont1tgo of insLuncos this diroction wns 1lisr<•gnr<foi1, Tho ftl(Ul't\8 fot' 1880 nre for ndults only, being in fact tho nmnhor of Jlcoces in the spring sheening of fa'l"ln Jlooks. '

Total larnl area of' stato _. _ ..... __ . _ ... __ ... ___ - .. __ - . - . -... ____ - _ - .... - ... __ - - - . - .. __ - _ - . - •. - acres._ Hl7, l:l(i5, 600 Total aren of approxinmte available pasturage .. -- .. - ..... - - -- - .. - . - - .. - - . - - . -- - ....... - - - -· .... clo .•. HiO, 000, 000 Total population··-----·--·_ .. ---·-··· .. ·--.-· - --· - . - - -·. - . - -·. - ..... -----· ·-- --- . -- ..... -- - --·· .•. . 1, 501, 740

AVERAGE DirnsrrY m· STOCK (CA.TTI.lil AND SFilllEP) OCOUPATION.-Makiug 0110 hortcl of ueat stock tllCl unit of ~tock, ancl cousitlering five sheep to equal 0110 heacl of cL1ttle in consumption of pasture, we 1uwe 5,!123,024 units of stock, occupying la0,000,000 acrcR, or 24,72 acres to t 0lrn b cMl.

In the various tables of stock occupation in this report the area of occu1iation comprise8 the extreme limits of cattle ancl sheep range over hC>th summer ancl winter, and whether occupied solely by one kind of stock or in comlllon by both. The arel~ of available pasturage comprises all lands producing forag·e uatnmlly and all lands under cultivation. The amount of laud valueless for pasturage purposes is the difference between the armt of available pasturage a.ud the total laud area, and is the aggregate of tracts both ari<l and barren, dense forests, regions inaccessible or above vegetation, and grass-bearing grounds where water is practically unobtai1rnble. The difference existing· between available pasturage and the area of occupation is the amount of wnd pasturage suitable for grazing and not used in 1880.

985


NEW MEXICO TEHRITORY.

HISTORY.

Authorities differ as to the year of the settlement of Santa ]'e, in N cw Mexico, but it wal') bGfore the yen.l' 1000. Domestic auimals were probably introduced early in the occupation by white men, but bByoncl this general probability little is known as specifically applieable to that pa,rt of Sptwish America now <lcsig1rntc<l as Nl'w Mexico.

Iu 1694 General Varges, in his account of the cttpture of tlte pueblo of fomez, mentions that among t:hn hoot.y were 176 sheep. In the history of the Spanish arnl l\foxieau rule, we iin<l no other allusions to the stonldng of New Mexico from the sonth, tltongh the tradition is that importations with the di:tforeut. settlers n.ncl the uatnral ineromm had fully stocked the present New 1\foxico with sheep long before 1800, and that that stoek nnmlH~re<l as many from 1825 to 1835 as in 1880.

In New Mexico sheep al'e far more nnrnerons thnn cattle, an cl the ri1ising of sheep is ro1ativo1~, mort~ promilwnt tbau in Toxas.

P ASTUH,AGE.

Of the land area of New .Mexico, 78,374,400 acres, 0,000,000 acres are estimated as worthless for 1rn1-1tnrngo1 a11cl 63,374,400 acres are .estimatecl as fumishiug grazing of some kiud, from good grazing to the aricl hut often grassed plateaus of the Llano Estacado. Of the available pastnrnge noitrly rn,000,000 acreH n.re m1ocenpietl, either because of the scarcity of water maiuly in the southeast, or because of nmranclcrs, red mHl white, chfo1ly in the southwest. The l>est great continuous areas of good iinstnrc ine iu the northern half of 1Jrn territor~·, especially in Colfax, M:ora, and San Miguel eonnties in the northeast. Bigllt;y-tltree per cont. ol' all tho cat:tlti a111l 92 per cent. of all the sheep of tbe territory are located norm.of Socorro mHl Lincoln eounties. S(weuts·six prr cent. of' the 289, 722 northern .m1ittle are in th.e nol'theustorn counties, Colfax, l\fora, and Sa,u Miguel, while about HO per cent. of tbe 3,000,106 sheep in the northem section are west of th(~ lfocky mountains. In the ::;onthern half of the territory, uot 15,000,000 acres ~•re occupied by eattle, hut the slleop, which 11re iivc times as unmlirOm:l as Jl(\llt

stock, are scattered over 27 ,000,000 acres, their density reaching one heall to ao acres in the H.io Grnmfo nonu l:r,Y of Socorro county, but over the rest of the southern section about one llm1d to l!l7 acres.

Colfax is the great cg,ttle conntj7 of New Mexico, while Bernalillo and V11lencin. sbttHl first in density ofslwep occupation. Dona Afia bas the fewest cattle and Hucoln the fewest sheep in proportion to area.

Oolfax and Mora counties and San Miguel down to the thirty-fifth Jlarn..1lcl nmy be regarded :.is goo<l 1Hrntnrage, f'rom which about 5 per cent. only of a/ea can be exclnded a.s wortbloss. The best, prolrnbly 20 por ccut., lios on the Canadian ~incl west Cimn.rron riYers, along the arroyos, the Plaza I.it1rgo, and tlll\ northem trilmtarirn;i of th11 Canadian, and in many mountain parks. The worthless parts ture compamtively smn.11 JH1tches of dense pine aurl i·ug-ged heigbts in the monntltins and arid sands in the east. The iiastnre is in rolling prairie and mesas nud the finer denser-grassed mountain slopes and valleys. Many tracts are unavaill1ble for pn.stnre during· part of the year because of want of water.

The Great Raton mesa is servicm1l>le for :live months in summer, but during the rest of the year it is too co1tl and exposed. It is mostly a sheep ra.uge.

Oolfax county is eqnally adapted to cattle .or sheep, except that cold storms in the eastern half Irnrm Hlu~ep more than cattle, particularly if sheared in the fall. Tho tendency is towar<l an incrm1se of neat eattle mul the pushing of sheep to the counties south and particularly west.

The ridge along the division line of Mom and Sn.11 Miguel counties l>etween Oamiclhtn rivers m1d Ute ereek secures warmer and more sheltered range' south of it. Grazing areas ar(I confined by the naturnl honmlH of topogTaphy so that s1Jring "round-ups" are much less necessary than in Oolfax, Mora, and the northern purt of 8n11 :Miguel county.

The available cattle area of about 11,500,000 acres provides au average of' 65 acres of grazing to eaeh head if tho pasturage were not sJ,iarecl by sheep, this oecuvatiou being proportioned 30 aeres in Colfax, 63 in :Morn, aud about 100 in San Miguel. The avaifable sheep t1rea of about 1~,500,000 acres provides an average of ~O ncrcs to each heacl if cattle did not also occupy. the pasturage, ancl the sheep density is proportioned 20 aercs in Colfax, 17 in Mora, ancl 21 in San Miguel. Taking five sheep to represent one "cow" in consumption of' forage, we hnve 24 acres to tbe unit of stock in Oolfax, 35 acres in Mora., and 55 acres in San Miguel. Oolfax seems stocked to its fnll capacity, and range is not what it was ten years ago nor even what it was in 1875.

'l'he basin of the Oana'.dian river is about 30 miles wide, with a high table-land, called locally "Big.flat", bonmling it 011 the north and the Llano Estacado on the south. The white grama and other grn.sses common in

986

•

TERRrroRY OF NEW MEXICO. 33

the Texas Panhandle iwevail in this section, but tlle sage-grass: a bnndaut east of Tnscosa, disappears near the New Mexico Hue. Passing west about JiftJ' mile8, the snrface of the basin changes from rolling pm.irie of good grazing with frequent s11ring branches, to long, abrupt, deeri arroyos, .often dry, ancl to irregular hilli,; nml mesas, which seem detached a,rcits of the Staked Pin.ins. Upon those t:mmmits grazing exists, but the si1le8 are almost bare of gmsH. '.rhc hills .-1i1111 mesas increase in 1mml!er westward. Betwem1 the elevations are belts of graHs, cut for lrny.

'L'hc white grama rtbounds on the levels, while lmH'alo arnl black granm n.1•e tho principal high-land g'l'asses. TJpon the ridges aud rocky spots am several val'ieticR of the cactus, the sharp ba.rbecl thorns of whieh, easily <letnched, trouble herdsmen ancl stock. Iu the i·oeky sides of cnSi.ons 1tr1\ fouucl Rhrnbby cedarR and piiions which furnish shelter and the material for fuel a.nd for eorrals. In the ltl'ro,yos and nlo11g· the rivers there occasionally appear small chunps of' cottonwood. Aside from these growths the conntry iR not timbered, lmt tho brakes and <.m.i1ons nfi'ord refuge from the cold, dry storms. '!'here is 110 poisonom; water or injurious vegetation exnept 1L litth~

loco. Iu the PhtztL l1argo count.r~', ou the north l>or1ler of tile Staked PlainR iuul ~m miles sonth of li'ort BaHcom, there

is au iuclosecl tract of 04,000 acres, fm1ccll for 2:l miles with barbed win~, at a eost of $200 JHW mile, :u1<l clefeudetl over tile remainder of its line by ua.tnml barriers. This is m1Hnrveyed imblic hLIHl without w~ter other than the .:trtificial supplies fnrnished from wells and tm1ks, and clistrilmted by pnmps, wiml1ni1l8, and pipes. 'rwo stoekmell made thi8 inelosurc for the pmpose of leasing its privileges O\'er aml n.11ove what their own stock (1,200 citttlc ht 1880) required. 'l'bc;y wel'e plmmiug to take about 2,000 head more from ontsi1lcrs 011 a contract. whiclt would g·i vo them one·lutlf of the n.cernecl stoek at the closo of five J'ettrs, i;ltey a8snming all care of the eatf:!l.11 dming that t.irne. With the facilities eRtn,blii,;hell for snppl;ying miter at iioints reqnirecl for a, uniform oecupation of the grazing, the in·ojcctord GXJlCctecl to ciwry an a.vemge of nbout, 4,000 cattle, or one lrnn.cl to Hi acres, without injury to the pastnrn A.s tl!e men had no leg·nl right to the l!tnd inelosed arnl improved) tJiey sought from government n leaso or Hnle ot the tract.

An irregnliwly cm·yed line running west and ::;ontltwest from abont :34P ;l(J' l!Ltitnde to the averngo longitmle of 10:3° 40' and :following tlrnt meridian to tlrn 'rex11s honmlary inc1n<1es the Heetion of t.lte territorJ' lying in the Llfl.no l!}t,;taeado or Staked Plains enHt of the Pecos cxternling into 'rt~xns and south of tho Omrnclian, itnd is vractieall,Y unavailable for grazing. It is gm1eral1y arid, ttlthough rarely m1til'ely b1trrm1.

• Tlrn entirely unoccupied portion of the Staked Plains in Now Mexico comprises hnt nhout three-eighths of' tho <1xtent nsnally included ou the mttps. Even within the heart of tlle Plains iL smn,ll 1mbramlecl herd is oemisionnlly di~con~red by some l'Xplorer, on some w11terecl oasis, where the nininmhi, st.mying from their eom111tnicms during the wet winter time, luwe maiut11incll themHelve8 nrnl iucrcnscd. The Staked J>laius, so far as grnss alono is eoucernecl, i'requeut,ly poHse:ss goocl grazing, bnt water arnl shelter nm nxtrenrnly limited, though 11ot e11t.irely lacking'.

Beside the oeeasinual depression that in·eserves minwator or tho clrainage of arroyos, tltt1re itre ocea1:1io11al springs of good water along .the w11lls of' the interior platean; bnt they nm soon absorbed in tl1e loose soil. Tlwre is good pasture on the north 8lope of tlte lilano l~sta.caclo :tbont, the tltirt.r-f'onrth parallel.

From Fot't Snnrner eastwartl to Blanco oafiou, about the mericlfan 1010 ·:lO' on tho White river i11 'l'exns, there is a ehain of' 1letuclted fakes, itlong the course of which a safe and 1lirect jomtHW may hfl matle across Ute dreaded Plains.

The destruction of brnsh, shrubs, ancl other wild pla11t1:1 11long the 1:1tre<tms is perh1Lps tho most important factor in the injury effected, for this diminishes a resom·co of stoek in winter. The redueecl gTass e011stantlJ· offeri11g less resistauee to the flow of surface water 1tfter 11eavy rains, gnlliei,; or wash-outs Jmvo iI1jnre!l th<:~ i·n11g'l'S, •rnwelers are often obliged b;y these gullies to make detonrs from their eonrses.

Farmers now cnltivate the tracts on which tlrn so-callell "vegn" grass 1lonrished, once the main de1wnclence of stock in April and May, before the Jrnrn rains.

Sauta Fe eountJ', and eastern Tnos, Rio .A.rriba, Bernalillo, n.rnl Valeneini comprise the ecntrnl uorthern seetion of New lVIexieo. There are great bodies of good pasture covering the lower lands mid ex ten cling into the 111onntains anrl south iuto Socorro county. This north and south track is very spn,rsely watered, the living ::Jtren.nrn t~mptyiug into the I~io Grande being rnostlr on its west side. Taos \'alley and tho mesa sloptis of' tho Tia Oimndn. and Nam lw <;reeks offer many rich areas of grazing, though from Santa T!'e to the Socorro com1t.y line, along the Hock~· mountains, there is very restricted grazing, esveeinlly between the immediate border of the Hio Orando aml t11t) 1tHlth mericlian. From A.lbnquerque down the river there is a broadening agricnltnral vallo,y anirag'ing !3 miles iu wi<lth. H.nggecl ravines become formidable eafious 11bo\~e t.he month of Santfl. Ji'cS creek. Santa Fe conut.;y !urn hnt small urea. of goo<l pasturage, a,1Hl ·that is more largely grazed l~.Y sheep tha.n by cattle.

The central dist,rict sonth of Ba11fa1 Fe contains the prirwipal rai11JheH of the region. The best pa.stti.rnge of Valencia counts east of the Rio Grande exteutls mtHt.w:ml over the :M n.nzmw. mng·e to

about the lOGth meridian, though there are arid 1111d lmiTen jnterrnptdons on tho ridges. 'Ille timber is rarely dense enough to prevent gTazing. East of the lOGth mel'idhm in both Valencia conntr and tlte narrow strip of Bernalillo there is coarse grass, but with few exeeptions, as about. Pedernal in the north mul T1os Posos Piuosos in the south, the only water, that of holes and springs, is alkaline.

11~• I

34 PRODUCTION O:F' MEAT.

In Taos, Rio Arriba, Bernalillo, and Valencia counties, west of the rno Grande, to the Atlantic and Pacific divide, we have a country where streams and mountain ranges, all, except the San Mateo monntains, tend from northwest to southeast. It llas a southeast exposure, and tbe great divide serves as a break to the cold storms. 'l'lw divide marks a general line between the range of. the Navajo Indian slleep and those of tho white men. Most of central northern New Mexico lying· on the east of the divide has a rough topography, sometimes deeply cut as in the long, Darrow cafion Oitperlin. There are but few unavaila,ble heights or forests, but there is much troublesome brush that crowds out the better grass pasturage and tears wool from sheep.

Tracts Qf very good grazing are uumcrons bnt small. The largest good area in the north is southeast of ol<l fort Lowell, southwest of Servilletta creek, 11nd along the Oangilon creek and the Caliente to the Rio Grande; in the south are found goo.d ranges in the country of the Rio Demez and the Rio Puerco. All between the divide and tho Rio Grande and south of' Colorado to Soc01'ro is lleld by sheep to a density of about one head to 20 acres, whilst cattle in eastern Taos aud Bemalillo have an occupation of but one hettd to an avemge of 160 acres, though in eastern Rio Arriba and Valencia counties tlleir density is one head to 50 acres.

Northwest New Mexico, including about one-half the Navajo reserve and the counties of Taos, Rio Arriba, Bernalillo, ~tud Valencfa west of the divide, is pre-eminently the sheep region. Eastward to the Zuiii mountains just east of the 108th meridian there is good pasture. There are timber, arroyos, and barren exposed heights, but withal tlJere is a variety of good pasture for sheep. l!'arther east to the divide and in Valeneia county below the 35th parallel, nearlf to the 107tll meridfon, is an arid country, through which there are only small and uncertain streams. South of' the Rio San Juan the dry caiions, J;argo and De Ojo Amarillo, make n partial barrier. Parthel' south in Rio Arriba county the caiiou of the Rio Chaco renders that river inaccessible for miles on its north banks. Etist of the Navajo rese1»re bnt farther ei1st and south of the canon water is found in wells and in pools.

The long, broad basin country between the Znfii mountains ltucl the Sau Mateo is another grazing gronnd. In northwestern New..Mexico eattle have but transitory, if any, hold south of the Sau ,Tuan valley and east of the Navajo reserve, until we reach the Pueblo countr.Y southeast of the San Mateo mountains. The cattle of the San Juan valley were almost all moved thither from the crowded ranges of Colfax county in 1879 and 1880. Most of the Navajo cattle range westward into Arizona. 1\'I:any migratory sheep of New Mexico profit on the superior grasses of Apache county in Arizona, driven west over the line for a few months, returning without offieial cognizance, and a.voiding taxation.

SOU'l'HERN NEW MEXICO.

Southern New Mexico, except north of the thirty-fourth parallel, the western portion of Socorro county, is an elevated mountain district consisting of numerous short ranges and mesas. On the great plateau west of the 108th meridian herds and flocks graze to a limited extent. The sources oft.he Gila and Rio Mimbres are reported as grazing grounds, as yet unoccupied.

The eastern slope of the elevated region, to the Rio Grande from Socorro south, presents a series of grazing valleys.

In 1880 each head of neat cattle on the Rio Grande slope had an average of about 125 acres of forage, whilst the sheep of the same strip of country had an average of 30 acres. Socorro north of latitude 340 is a comparative plain. There is good grazing for 40 miles C1ast from the Arizona boundary.

The other portions of the country north are generally arid. About one· third of the whole country in the west remained comparatively unoccupied in 1880. East of' the Rio Grande to the well-timberecl Oscnro mountains and south ward there is good pasture for 15 miles north of fort McRae and also south of the fort.

In Grant counts· the stock oceupation was only in the northern half in 1880. Below, about latitude 32° 2t:i1

white and reel marauders interfered with the holding of herds or flocks. Though water is scarce south of the Gila there is grass and the ranges are itecessible. The pasturage is generall.Y good on the Gila, the headwaters of tho Rio MimbreEJ and southeast of the Burro mountains; sheep are twice as numerous as cattle. Below Socorro connty and east of Grant county to the Pecos valley, except near the l~fo Grande and the bases of the monntl~ins, there are extensive tracts of poor grnss lauds, dry during three-quarters of the year. The most conspieuous vegetnition is cactus. The brown, coarse scattered grass is unavailable until the rainy season may leave temporar;r pools of water.

In the fall of 18SO, the immediate river valley of the Pecos, from latitude 340 201 dOWll to 330 301, was nearly bare of vegetation. The basin of the riYer is about 30 miles wide at Fort Sumner. About 9,000 acres were irrigated and eultivate<l here when it was a military post, but the dam has fallen into rnin. At Bosque Grimd, tho grass on the first bottom was wholly eaten off', but upon the second bottom and over the foot-hills tho past.nmge at that time was very good and water was plentiful in springs which sank before they reached the river. Farther south we enter the most available cattle pasturage of Lincoln county, extending down the river to the Texas line nud west on the branches of t·he Pecos. The plain of the Rio Hondo extends west nearly to Fort Stanton, avemg·ing a width of 10 miles on each side of the river. Near the mouth of the Hou<lo two great springs supply water for irrigation. About South spring is an extensive ranch controlling a large number of neat stock and horses, uow greatly reduced, principally by losses incident to that long desultory contest whieh is locally known as the I.Jiucoln

gas

l

f

•

, 1rER.RITORY OF NEW MEXICO. 35

<munty war-a border feud which, beginning with tho depredations of desperadoes and Indians, extended to loss of life, the breaking up of herds, tho imictice of s'tock pillage as i1 business, and a series of forays nnd skirmishL'S involving tho interests of lmndrC!I of miles of country before it was suppressed.

Twenty miles up the Hondo begills a cafion valley, GO miles long and averaging' h~1lf a mile wide. This is irrigated and cultivated in part, each settler also owning a small herd ranging upon the neighboring low monntainR. Farther up the Rio Bellito is the fort Stau1 on military reservation, an area of low grass-bearing 11ills.

Opposite to the intersection of tbe Hondo nnd the Pecos, 11 belt of rolling country, fit J'or g1·nzing only, stretches eastward 40 miles to the Staked J)lains. It is wen grnssed and wa.teiwl by springs all!l pools.

Lincoln county, as liounde<l lly territorial chm1ges mtHlP in 1880, includes all of Dofia Aun tlint Jny immediately south of H, ancl contnins about 2H,G87 square mile!!, or rn,000,000 acres, of wllich the extreme enttlc occupation did uot exceed 8,300,000 ael'eS with its 20,700 lH'tHl of ucat stock and 75 per cent. of t110se situated north of g30 12', or the old south bournlaryof J,incolu. 'l'hc 72,500 sheer> ranging over about "five-eig-htbs of tho count;i,·, or 11,875,000 H("l'l'S, bad au avemge of lM ncres of range per hen<l. Ninety per cent. of' tlrnt stock wns west of the Pecms.

It, is popularly reporte<l that in 18·:10, wh11e this was a l\fexicm1 provinCLi, there were driven nerosB the JH'CBfm1. border into l\foxieo half t1' million of shee1), and one mnn is si•id to lrnve clisposecl of 1loeks numbering 300,000. W(I me to remember t.lmt Santa ]re, settled rthont 1500-HlOO, luttl l>ceome a noted trading point.

'l'be tmde from tho province consisted largely of sheep, principttlly for mntton, and piiiou unts. 1rhe exchn.11ge wns in eattle, horses, iron, dye-woods, chocolate, and lnxnrim;. 'rlie raising' of sheep to snpply <lmrrnnds beyond the borders of tho proviiwe began vrobahly before 1800. Jn 1s:3n Colonel Olmvil-1, according to ltiB son's a.nthority, d1•ove 75,000 sheep into lVIexico from Uw J{,io Gmnde Ynlle,y, and in that year about 225,000 were movccl sonthwnr(l by others. The stoel• then eost 50 cents per ltea<l in the provineo. 'rim clrives to Mexico, which are believed to Imm begun long· before tlmt elate~ contimw.11 until tlt!l g·ol<l exeitemm1t, an<l Wlll'e then exti~ncled tp California. Between 1850 anc118GO 000,000 sheep are estinrntecl to have becm clrinm from New Mexico to Oalifornia. In 1850'" aml 1857 those auim11ls tleliYerecl brought souwtimcs $Hl per hrn•cl, lml; when the drives were hirgest $:l :37 per lwall. After 1875 sheep were clriven from Oaliforni11 to New 1\foxico. Among the most; notable of these drives :!'rum California was Colollel Stoncroad's driye of 10,000 in 1876 from ]\forced county to Puerta de Lrnrn, 1,600 miles, -0ecupyiug seven and one-half months h,y the route taken. Of tlrn (approximatel,y) 407000 sonthern Oaliforni11 shee.ll brought in by Stoneroau, Ulmiec,y, Hobinson, Onstcr, Zuber, Booth, McJ(ellcr, and u. fow others from 187G to 1870, ahont 13,000 went on to Ooloraclo. TheJ' were all grade meriuoes, 11 class until thei1 very scarco in New Mexico. A .shipment occurred in 1.8G'l of 130 merinoes from Vermont into Uolfax connt.y, near the Tanaja. It is probable that <Jattle 1Hwer hacl the same relative importance in New Mexico as sheer>.

The extensive driving of neat stock from t,be sonth through New Mexico began in 1865. At that time a number <Jf' sohlicrs and 11bont 10,000 Navajo Indittns were 11t fort Stanton. To feed them, cattle were bronght from Texas, but in number that exceeded the dernnncl. Mr. Dt1wson conceiving· that ud vantage might be taken of this in the DenvN· market went t,Itero and mado contracts, and the cattl(I which had stopped near fort Sttmtoll, and others hronght direct from Texas, were movecl northwarll, some to feotl the miners all(l railroad men in Oolorndo, some as 8tock for Idaho and Montana. A year or two before the time that this through trade was iimuguri•ted, the Indians east and northeast of the Llano Estacado were killing the western pioneer Btoclnnen of Texas and stcH.ling their l10rds. Stockmcn of New Mexico fitted out expeditions into the dangerou,-; country and purchased the I1m·£1s. Many thousand m-i,ttlll were thus secured for New Mexico, especially for its northeastem section. Their location, largely in Colfax countyi constituted an important advance in New Mexican stock occupation. The Indian d-cpredations 011 northwest Texas stock and almost simultaneously the close of the war of the rebellion enabled cattlemen to buy cheaply. The sudden aucl great opportunity to stock the 1101·t,hwest grazing country gave wonderful impetus to the through-driving business of New Mexico. Th0 Texas men brought their droves to the lower Pecos, where they were purchased and thence driven by Goodnight, Dawson, Chisom, Stockton, and others. This trade reached its greatest magnitude in 1870. The Pecos route was the only one practicable through New Mexico for Texas <Jattle intended for Colorado and the north west. East were the Llano Estacado and the Indians; west wns the Hfo Grande valley, interrupted sometimes by very dry areas, ag1:1in by extreme rugg·edness, and sometimes by farming districts.

DH.IVES.

The Goodnight trail-often called the Goodnig·ht-Ohisom tmil-wns the route used by the ftri:it drives of western <Jentral Texas cattle to and through New Mexico. The cattle were assembled about fort Concho, from which point the drive went up the Concho river to its head, then southwest for 00 miles over the Staked Pln.ins to Horsehend crossing, on the Pecos river, about 190 miles below Pope's well. 1rhat sanclJ' waste, without water, constituted the most serious obstacle on the way. 'l'be time consumed in crossing was from 30 to 40 hours; beeves making it in the shorter time; a mixed herd req uiriug the longer time. Started about 2 p. m., the lmimals would, by the next afternoon, be frantic for drink, and the cowboys in advance would labor to hold them back, the stronger animals forcing tbemsel vei:i ahead, the exhausted ones feebly straggling far behind. A few miles north of' the Pecos there is an alkali lake or pond into which the thirsty animals would plunge, unless prevented, mul drink, causing death. The losses

089

36 ' PRODUCTION OF MEAT.

were often very heavy. From Horsehead crossing the drive, keeping up the Pecos., entered New Mexico near Pope's well. There it divided, one branch striking west along the Delaware river for El Paso, on the Rio Grande and

. ' thence on to Arizona, or, continuing farther north np the Pecos, it struck off at the month of the Penasco and proceeded west up tliat stream and across the divide to near Tulerosa, whence a genenll southwest course was made for La~ Cruces, on the Rio Grarn1e, tho main Arizona trail through Florida pass. The great drive followed tho Pecos nearly to the thirty-fifth parallel, thence crossing the divide to the Oanadian rh'er 20 miles u,bovo La Ceutat then east of the Oanadian, due north, entering Colorado either through the 'J:rinchera, pass or by no1·thwester]_y div~rgence through Olifton, across the Raton mountains.

The most experienced New Mexican authorities on cattle-driving pt1t the present expenses (1880) of' driving· in this form: Ten to 12 men are required to 2,000 heal1 of neat stock. The cost per hea<l depends upon the size of the bercl. Taking an average drive, say from Fort Worth, Tex~Ls, direct through tlle Panhandle to Ver1m\jo, a dri\'e of about 700 miles, it will require an expenditure of' from $1,800 to $2,000 to bring through a her<l of 1,000; to take 2,000 head will cost $3,000; to ta.ke 3,000 head, $3,500; 5,000 head, $5,000; 10,000 hen.cl, from $0,000 to $71000. That is, w1dlst the small herd of 1,000 costs nearly $2 per head, the large herd of' 10,000 costs not over 75 cents per head. A drive of the latter size is impracticable, however, unless a broad belt of' pasturage is to be traversed, for that number in one drove is not easily managed, aside from the fact that the advance animals of tllis nmnbcr iu one body would leave nothing for the rear animals to feed ou. A division into three or four droves over a width of country sufficient to feed each is necessary, keeping strong beeves, cows with calves, e~c., distinct. .A person who kept count of the cattle drive of 1874 from Texas reported that 110,000 heatl passed Roswell on their way up the Pecos. ·The same authority stated that to be the largest number that had ever gone through New Mexico from Texas in one season. Whether or no the number was exceeded during any year prior to 18747 it is certain tJrn,t it has not been equaled since that date.

OATTLE.

The cattle of New Mexico have been: 1. So-called "wild cattle", which are not now found in the territory, but are frequently spoken of as having

ranged the country in former years. They were brown, with a light stripe down the hack; long, slim, blue horns; large and mealy nose.

2. So-called Texans, of Mexiean origin, of every color, and with patches of white; horns enol'mously long u .. ud thin with a half twist back; heads coarse but thin; they are tall, gaunt, and narrow behind. The legs are long, and the hoofs large. The cow bred to a short-horn bull produces a wilder animal than those from Mexiean cowst and one that does not breed as wei1.

3. Mexicans-so called in New Mexico-sometimes "Spanish" cattle; smaller thttu the Texttns, raw-boned, with shorter horns, and not so wild. They are often black and white; sometimes their colors are brindle, brown, buckskin, and calico. In Taos county more than half this stock are bh1ck and white. The cow brecl to a shorthorn bull produces an animal gentler than the Texan, but not so large or shapely. It is a harder bloml than the Texan to breed out.

4. "Chino" or "curly-haired Tex:ans"; large, well-formed, rouncl; legs rather long; body heavy; color CL

brownish lmffaJo, no white, bbck, or red. In winter the hair is cul'ly as a buffalo's; when it is she<l in the s1wi.11g the under coat has a bluish, glossy tinge. The horns are of medium size, and shaped as those of' Missouri ciittle. They are said to breed better than other Texans. Mr. E. Johnson, of Oolfax county, had 11 uumher of this stock.

Storms and short forage ailfoct the well-bred animal quicke1' than the coarse ranger. Many ranehmmi con!:.lidet: that the two-year-old grade shorthorn cow crossed back to the Tex:as bull is the most profifable market animal. They assert that it is the favorite of Chicago dealers. Whether the common or high blood should predominate, depends upon th.e market to be reached. If the steer is to be fattened. on t,he 1n·airie, the 1m:rchaser seeks but H.ttl\'J fineness in his animals; but a Missouri or Illinois buyer, who feeds with grain, wants the best-brc<l stock.

The management of cattle is best in the northeast and in the San Juan valley, aucl next on the Pecos. '\Ve shall refer chiefly to examples taken north of the thirty-third parallel in the eastern half of the state. Comparatively little land is owned, except on the grants; 160 acres are taken with water, nuder pre-em1Jtion or homestead laiw, for headquarters, where corrals, generally picket-built stockades, and the necessary llonses are constructed, the walls of the dwe1liug consisting of i1osts set in the ground and :filled between with aclobe. A dirt root' on cross· pieces is covered with hay or brush. Log or frame houses are not nnfrequently provided, but "dug-outs", half below and half above ground, are more common. The Jarge maJority of New Mexico cattle are rnn nmler "free mnge" and ''line-riding"; fencing is fast increasing. "Olose-herding" is the Me:xican mode fol1owec1 by native J\foxicans, small owners, who, holding each from 75 to 150 head, gnard them on foot, and corral them at night.

In fencing, three barbed wires on posts 33 feet apart cost $110 per mile, 11ncl if the posts are 25 feet apint, $125 per mile, within 50 miles of a railroad. But the feneing for cattle-grazing i.s not fe11sible for small areas; for example, two sections, 1,280 acres, w bi ch will carry 64 head at 20 acres pasture to the head, woulcl require six miles of fonce, costing from $660 to $750, or about 55 cents per acre, over $10 for each head of stock kept, whilst a. township of 23,040 acres, to carry 1,152 cattle, would need but 24 miles of fence, and cost but about 12 cents per acre, less than $3 per hoad of stock kept. A fenced range must bave, besides grass, water evenly distributed, and shelter.

9(}0

TERRrrORY OF NEW MEXICO. 37

The a.d vantages claimed for fencing in this region. are: 1st, the range is Ilrotected fl,gainst overstock.fag by 8tra,11ge. st1Jck; 2cl, tho use of the bt\lls is restrictod to the owner's herd; 3d, losses by straying and by theft aro lessened; '1th, the cost of la,bor and of horse-ftesh is reduced, because branding, beef-gathering, etc., may bo made by n, few regular cowboys; 5th, young and disabled animals may be helped and tho stock assisted in severe wetttber; 6th, the special needs of either snmmor or winter range can be better pro-ridcd for.

Tbe objections to fencing are: 1st, for snmll lrnrcls, the expense; 2d, to fence public Ia.nd is a risk not assnriug totll~ investor the permn,nentuse of the imstnmge for his own herll a.lone, n,ml, even iftlmt ma;y be a,llowetl by eonrtes~·, not continuing· his tenure beyond the possible llay of goverrnaeut sttle or lease or the incoming of settlers takiug np pre-emption or homesteacl tmcts· within his boii.udaries; 3cl, in case of n, severe storm. or other cause of stampede, a charge of the excited animals, unless they are controlled by riders, will brea,k the fence and iujnro themselves 011

the barbs. Acconling to answers received to special schedule questions in certniu lrnnls of New Mexican cattle (a.) tug·gre

gating 98,029 in 1880, there were 1,010 bulls, or 1.02 per cent. of the whole; 33,()72 cows, or 3{L041)er cent,.; 11,332 i,;teers, three years and over, or 11.45 per cent.; 14,839 two·~'en,r.olds, or 1.5 per eeut.; rn, l8H yearlings, or 16.37 per cent.; 21,887 calves, or 22.12 per cent.

The estimated number of ealYes l1ropped to each 100 cows was 75; of these ur;, as estinmted, survived to yearlings. The estimated average annual loss for 1t term of .years among· these cattle over twelve months ol<l was c;.r; per cent. The estimated perceutage of annual loss in northern New Mexico from winter storms, theft, aud other causes for a term of ~'ears among eat.tle over 12 months o1cl is 6 per cent. In southern New Mexico the 1oss is 10 per ce11t., with a gren,ter ratio fr~rn theft than in the north, less from winter storms, and n. little higher from other causes.

AVERAGE VALUES AND LIVE-WJ~IGH1'S Ol!' NEW MEXICO CA'r'rLIC SOLD IN KANSAS CI'l'Y S'l'OCK-YAHDS DUR.ING NOYBMBER, 1880.

Texns (dry) cows gmze1l ono or more scnsonR In New Me:x:ioo ....• Texas steers grazed ono or moroaenaons !11 No1v Mexico .......... . .American (native) 1.>coves 1.>ro11in Now Mexico .••••. , .••••.•.••••• ,

67 oa

188

7CO

810 1,078

10 BS

20 ,so 20 00

·------·---····--·-···-·-------······-·---····· ...... ··-··-· ---·--- -----·-·-·---· ·----·------

SHEEP.

Of the sheep in New Mexico, 72 per cent. mtty be estima,teu 11s Mexican shee1\ 1\ml the rest 11s of vario\1s g1'11\les of merino blood. The nsual estimate in ordhmry seasons is that 60 iier cent. of the breeding ewes raise their la.nibs, which gives a ye1i.rly increase of about 38 per cent. on the flock. From February 5, 1.879, to July 12, 1880, there was an itlmost unbroken drought thronghout most of the territory, and sheep perished hs thonsanllfl; and because of cold, dry storms, there was a failure of g·reen grass at lambing time, nud consequently the mothor ewes failed in milk. The common estimate of consequent losses was nearer 50 than 2u per cent., including lambs. Hains eame bonntifnlly in the fa,ll of 1880, relieving thn extreme depression in 'iVl1ich this invnstign.Uon foum1 the s1rnep interest in New Mexico.

The rams run wit.h the ewes for about six weeks from tho first; or third week in November, d(~})lllHling· npon the locality, whether in southem or north0rn New l\l'exico. Lambing is in .April. The spring shearing is in J\fay; immediately nfter which lambs are marked~ docked, mid eastratecl. 1!\tll shearing increases the ycitr's elip about; 20 i1er cent., ancl permits .an economical (loctoring for smtb, and is t;hcrefore nclvisttbble where the climnte permits. It has been general over New Mexico, but in northern lom1lit.ies of higli. altitncles tho praetice is cleereasing.

Tho plant investmeut to run u,OOO sheep, incln<ling vnlue of the stock, fa put 1tt $12,000. Five men are rcqnircd throughout the year at a cost, including board, of $1,300 to $1,500; ad<litiona1 labor, dnring· lmnhing and shearing, will increase the annual running expenses to itbont $1,800, or, inclndiug· wooi.-tying·, packing·, and dcliver;y in 1ocal market, we may pnt the total at $2,000. The nsnal estimate of yearly expense is from 40 to 50 cents lHll' head.

Sheep are generally divided hlto flocks from 1,500 to 2,000 each, as is done in othet grazing r.itatos, though the 1\foxicmis sometimes hercl as many as 10,000 in a iloclc, dividing tlwm into four or !lve lmrnls during tho day only, and never separating· the rams :from the owes. ..A.mong Ameriean iloek-masters, the nsnnl distinct floeks of wcthers, mother ewes and lambs, rams, and otherwise, nre maintained as occasiorn; demand. Some sheepmcm put their rams in with the ewes during the mating season at night only, and take them out in thll morning, when they

a VALUATION FOR 'l'AXATION.-In Colfux county oattlo were valued for tairntlon at $0; sheop tlt $1 25; hogs at$'!; and taxes were assessed at the rate of one iier cent.> oue-lmlf territorial, one-fourth couni;y, 1~nd one-fourth school tu.x.

991


are fed with grain; others reverse this, to remove and feed at night; others again turn in half at night and half b~· day. With large flocks two men arc assigned to each in careful management; one to bercl and the other to keep camp, pack the donkeys-of which each band has two--move the tent, cook, etc.; or, if a, double band, three shepherds are provided, two herdsmen and a cook. The pasture-ground is constantly changed, the tent seldom standing in one spot longer than twenty-four hours. I~ations are carried for a grazing campaign of weeks; mnttousheep arc driven with each band to be slaughtered as required. Over all the forces an overseer is placed, wlw directs tlle movements and constantl;y rides the range to seleet grazillg grounds nnd camps.

In the soniill and west, especially amoug the Mexicans and Indians, the grazing migrntion of sheep extends to great distances, even l>eyond the territory, to take advantage of all the pt1stnrage facilities offered within a sen son's tran1l, arnl is often appnrently directed to escap(' taxation. 'l'hc pre-eminently nomadic sheepmen, who thus avail themselves of all ranges not actually occupiecl at 1 he moment, rtre prineipally l\:foximws. 'l'lteir homes are where their slieop feed. 'l'his is ouc reason why not one-half the sheep of New Mexico nre taxed. A county at ono time i~ without a. flock, whilst an adjoining county is cro"·ded. A11other montll occupation is reversed. This Jll'Cnlinrit;r is more noticeable during summer, rain coming generally iu loeal thnmlcr-storms. The freshened llistricts, with their streams renewed nml their sinks tilled for a tirne, me quickly occupied. In the northeast, where Amcricam;; are locatetl, pre-emption or homestead elaims fix at least a home rnng-e, alHl the frocks are uot so nomadic. 'rhis refers principally to Oolfax, Mora,, mid San Mignel eounties.

There is a strong- feeling th11t the present land lnws do not meet the needs of stockmen in this territory to enable them to control sufficient areas for profitable grazing. Wool is the principal object of slwe1H'aisi11g in New Mexico; indeed it is onl~· i11 the northeast that Hlweprnen raise rnutto11 other than to snpplJ' the herdsmen with m~at ancl satisfy a small local <lcmaud.

\V Acms.-Wages vary from $13 per month all(l ratio11s for tJ1e pas tores to $;)0 per mont.11 for the mayordomo. The number of wethers killed for n1eat will avemge :W to nu aclult pastor OJ' sheplier<l per annum, !UH1 1;ome

sllcepmeu are buying beef' at 4 cen tt:i a }llllllHl to feed to their rneu that they may save their sheep for \Yoo!. From tlle three northe~tstern counties ~tbout; 60 per cent. of the Hheep exported by drive went to a.11cl through

Oolorado and Kaus~ts for slaughter,of which those to eastern Ka.mms and Nehms1rn were to be grain-fed nud marketed during the latter part of the wiuter.

As tlle aim is simply to pel'Ject an animal for wool prodnction, t.110 nMive l\foxican 8l1ccp is bred to the mel'iuo rnm. The first cross of theHc parents will clonblc the Meximtn yield and mnch improve the quality. As this grading is further continued, when a three-qnarterl:' to seven-eighths bred merino is produced, the improvement in size, symmetry of form, weight of fi.eec,~, and fineness of wool is ofiset by loss of llarcliuess aud of fe1·tilit;r. Shecpmen report tltnt when they cross with the htrge cmtrse-woo1ed mutton breeds tlw wool loses its uniform textnrt\ aud becomes uneven in strength, the fleece becomes too open, and exposes the animal to cold and wet, awl iiual1y tlw flocks do not, lierd well. The lrnst wool-growers of i10l'theastcrn New l\fexico fiml that; wllen they get (ns they Iuwe reached iu a few instances) 1111 average clip of 8 pounds per amnun of' unwashed wool all around-wool fine, ;rolky, aml of good medium staple-they rwcomplish about nn tlrnt m1u l.le douc withont harm to a" rnstling ", lrnrcl~· habit and prolific increase .

.An ayern.ge annual loss over a series of years in sheep from birth to weaning, owned l>.Y Americo.ns, is estimated at 15 to 20 per cent.; in those owned by Mexicans from 25 to 30 per cent.; over six months of 1oge the loss is estimated to be 10 per cent. of slleep o\\·ned by Auierico.ns, and lu per cent. in sheep owned by Mexicims. In individual cases the losses in snow-storms have been very great. Iu 1880, a ;year of special c11lmnity from drought, these figures were la.rgel;r increased. ]'oot-rot and mouth disease are unknown in New Mexico, but scttb is common. The majority of the Mexican sheep are not dipped. A dip consisting of 30 pounds of tobacco, 7 pounds of sulphur, arnl 3 pomnlR of concentritted l;re, dissolvetl in 100 gallons of water, and used at a temperature of 1200, is deemed efficacious.

We haYe the following estimates of drives to the Pacific states from those engaged in the early driving: 1852, 40,000 head, selling at $12 to $16; 1853, 135,000 head, selling at $9 to $12; 1854, 27,000 llcacl, selling at $3 to $4; 1855, rn,ooo lteacl, selling at $3 to $4; 1856, 200,000 head, selling· at $3 to $4; 1857, 130,000 heacl, selling· at $3 to $4; 1858, small number bem111se of Inclia,u troubles; 1859 the business ceased; n.ggregating 551,000 in the years specified.

In certain flocks of New Mexican sheep, aggregating 95,103 l.Jea<l, in 1880, tllere were 1,188 rams, 59,08,! ewes, 20,7113 wethers, 14,116 lambs (rams 1.2'5 per cent., ewes 62.13 per cent., wethers 21.78 per cent., lambs 14.841rnr cent.). The estimated number of lambs dropped to each 100 ewes was 90. Of these 23.89 survivecl to ;yearlings,

.According· to special abstract No. 9, :Manufactures, Tentll Census, the principal slaughtering establishments i11 New Mexico, during 1880, slaughtered 1,900 cattle, average live weight mo pounds; 3,000 sheep, having nu average live weight of 70 pounds; and 350 hogs, having an averag·e live weight of 171 pouncls.

992

'1

TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO. 39

APPROXIMATE VALUE 01!, SHEEP, AND WEIGHTS OF MUTTON SHEJ~P AND OF WOOL. -··-- --·

~ ANNUAL SllllA!l.

Dreod of sheep. Hnms. In woe. Wotlrnra. Lnmbs. Mutton sheep, --·-.. -------~-··· ·-Uvo weight.

HMns. lilwes. Wotl10ra. Lnmlis on ycnt• ol!l.

------ ------ -~--------·---····- ---···-~·--· ··---.. -~ ------ --------~ ---- ···--···-·· l'ounds. l'ounds. l'ounds. l'otmds. l'o1mds.

Moxlenn ............... $2 50 to $3 00 $1 00 to $1 ~5 $1 00 to $1 25 $0 7fl to $1 00 70 to 75 3 to 4 2 to 2. 25 2. 25 to 2. 75 1 to 1. 25 Ilnlf·1>ree<l 1'foxicnns ... 4 50 to 6 00 1 50 to 2 25 1 50 to 2 00 1 00 to 1 50 85 to 00 6 to 7 B. 25 to 8. 5 4 to fi 2 to 2. Callfornin. m()l'inoe ..••. 20 00 to 50 00 2 50 to 3 00 2 50 to 2 75 l 75 to 2 25 oo to 05 12 to 15 7 to 7.6 8. 5 to 0.5 5. fi to O

--------------· .

WEIGH'.!.' OF l\1UT'l'ON.-Accorcling to a butcher's recor(l in Santa Ft'.i,·Mexican fat wethers weighed, dressed, 35 to 40 pounds, whilst improved merinos weighed 50 to 55 pounds.

OoMPOSI'.l'ION OF FLOOic.-From record of' an actual sale, March, 1880:

Hn.nlB ....................................................................................... . 205 5,100 1,520 2,050

Pct oent. 2. lli

Two yen.rs aud upwn.rcl, owos .•••....•.....••••••••••••••• ~ .••••••••• ~ •.••....•••.••••••.••.•• Two to fom· years, wotl101·s .................................................................. . Droppocl spring of 1879, lnmbs .............................................................. .

Total ................................................................................. . ll,475

53. 83 16. 04. 27. !)7

100.00

WooL.-Bernalillo and Valencia, counties rank first as wool counties, in regarcl of quantity; Sa.n Miguel comes next, n.nd Colfax third; but in quality Oolfox con11ty is first, Sn,n Mig·nel second, and Benmlillo nnd Valm1cia third.

The wool of' the Navajos is badly sheared, often clipped with it knife, and is badly prepared. One-half' of their wool is made into bhtnlrnts. About one-half' of it is black, and it is heavier than white wool.

PELTS.-From books of sale consulted in Las Vegas, ms pelts in March, 1880, weighed 711 pounds, and brong·bt $156 42; average weight of' pelts 3.0 pounds, and ayerage price 70 cents. This was the best r>rice known .since 1870. Instead of' this 22 cents per ponncl, the n,verage vrice hns ruled from 11 t.o 14 cents.

The drives of sheep from Oalifornia. into New Mexico, couseqnent to the drought on tbc Pacific eonst, was large in 1870, 1877, and 1878, but foll off during 187H, and in 1880 Hnml>erecl only n.bont 10,000, for Urn fatter was a prosperous year in California, ancl 1iirntnre had l>ecomc poor in New Mexico. 'l'he direct cost of those clrives is pnt at from 2 to 3 cents per helul, but the loss on 'the way is often heavy. Of 25,000 sheep, the aggregate of three mernoru.ble <lrives matle'iu 187G and 1877, 8,f.iOO, Ot' 34 per cent., perished on the way. Wl1ile Mexica.u sheep will make from 10 to 12 mile1:; per day 011 the route, merinos and otlier fine.wooled slieep will not t.ravel more than 4 to 8 miles.

Individual statements were conflicting, lmt, as one said, most American shct~p·owners do not succeed until tl1ey hi.we a few years of experience. A prominent llllnker gave as his opinion that the failures were noticeably in the comparatively small holdings and with im1Jrovecl sheep. Of twenty-one grent vropcrties, representing 2,005,000 sheep, or au average of 140,700 head to en,ch ownership, success m1s the rule. F01ir-fifths of those ownerships were vested in olll Mexican families who inherited the pastoral trnllitions and comlucted thf\ir administrations frugally, with the advantages of large plants and of lierclsmen bred .in their duties. Against this it is to be.remembered that the losses of l\fexicau flocks exceed those of American flocks b,r 50 per cent. ·

SHEEP-ItAISING ON SIIARES.-Three methods ~ire vractieed in raisil1g sheep on shares. By tlie first a flock of, say, 1,000 ewes and 30 nims is taken on fl.\To years' contract from the owner, the one who runs the flock engaging to return to the owner at the close of a fixed time, two or three years, l,000 head of two years of u.ge and 30 rams . ..A.gain, generally at the close of the contract, he is to return 1,000 adnlts rnoro, three lamlls being counted as an adult sheep. By the second method, m1llecl "particfario", a. shepherd contractor, receiving, say, at t.11e first l,000 ewes nnd 30 rams, engages to return 200 wethers nud 500 fleeces yearly nutil the close of five yen.rs, when he ttlso returns the original number of the kind received. 'l'he thir<l plan is this, illnstmted by the following actual tmnsaction: November, 1874, a herder reeeivecl 4,000ewes,1,000 wethcrs, aud 120 rams. In June or July of 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, and 1870, each year, the owner received 10,000 poumls of clean, unwashed wool, delivered at tho railroad, and in November, 1870, he had returned· to him the original m1mber of' sheep, by classes, as tho contmctor had taken them.

ES'l'IMA'rED MOVEMENT 0.1<' CATTLB AND SHEEI, DURING ll:l80. ------,-------·-·-------·

FllOM NEW MEXICO. 1'0 NJIW MRXICO.

-----·------·-··-~· .. ·----------------- i --- ··---·-----··-··· --·--·--·-·---------- - - ·-·~--·---·-- -----------.-·--···-··-----·

---~~:t:~~~-~~: __ · ---~~t'.~:_ Shce1i. i __ ··--- -·--- ·---~:::_______________ Cntt.~ Sl1~~.'... .. .A.rizonn territory.... 15, 000 SO, 000 I From .A.rizonn. . .. .. . • • . • • • • • • . • .. .. .. .. .. • • • .. • .. 1, 000 10, 000 Texas, .... !. . . .. .. .. .. . ... .. . . .. 15, 000 From Colomdo. ... • • • .. .. . • .• .. .. .. ... . .. •• .. • • .. 5, 000 .......... .. Wyoming (stock) ............ :... 22,000 ]'rom Texns ....... .............................. 4,0GO ........... . Colornclo (mutton) . .. . .. • • • . .. • .. 60, 000 Dy m!lron<l from stntes northea.st, for breodlug.. 160 500 Kansas .. .. .. . .. .. . .. . • • • .. . .. • . . 80, 300

Toti\! ..................................... . 10, 150 10, MO Tobll . • . • .. . • .. 15, 000 107, 300

'------'------'----'--·--------- ··-------·-·-------------'----'- ----· 63 .A.G 993


CATTLE, SHEEP, .AND SWINE IN NEW MEXICO TERRITORY AS REPOR'l'ED FOR CERTA.lN YEARS.

Year. Authority. Cnttlo. Shilcp.•

1850,..... . . • • • • • • .. Seventh Census (on fnrms) ........... } .' .....•.••••••.•.•••.•.•••.....•.•.......•..•......•.. , .. . B2, 077 377, 271 1800, .•.•••••••••.•. Eiµ:htll Ceusua (au forms) ...................................................................... . 68, 720 830, 110

67, 534 019, 438 160, 70L 2, 088, 831

1870 •.••••.•••••.••. Ninth Census (on fal'ms) ••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••.••••.•••••••••••••.••••• 1880 .••••••••••••..• Tentll Census (on farms) ...• : .................................................................. . 1880. •• • • . • • • • • • . • • . Tc11tl1 Census (on farms, aml ostimatccl unenumoratocl mnoh nnd rango stock) ...•......•...••. 347, 030, s, 038, 831

ESTIMATED CA'l'TLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE IN NEW MEXICO TERRITORY JULY 11 1880.

Sections. Sections defluccl.

Al'PllOXJMAT!I ACUltAlm 01' STOCK OCCUPA1'ION,

Cattlo. Shoop.

STOCK.

Cattle-. Sb cop.•

Swiuo.

7,314 IO, 3HI 11, l!G7 7, 007

18, 151>

Swine. ----·!---·------------- - -- ---- .. ___ -- -- ----··----- ---------··-- ---------- -- .... ---------- --·------- ---------·--- -----

Total .......................................................... ..

Northern ...•.. North of northern boundaries oi' Socorro nµd Lincoln. counties ..... .. Southern ...... Sonth of tho nbove. - ................................................ .

'

30, 800, 000

23, 150, 000 13, 740, 000

00, 500, 000

83, 700, 00()

26, 800, 000

3"17, 980

280, 722 GS, 214

3, 938, 831

a, 000, 140 278, 082

• Soo note to '.l'exas tnbles, p. 31. Incliun stock ls iocluclc<l in nbovo for conven!ouae, embracing tllo wl1ole Navnjo i·c~crvation.

18, 151>

H,550 3, 000

t

I

I Total land area ofteuitory •..........................•..................•..••.......•..••.... acres .. 78,374,400 I' Total approximate area of available pasturage . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . • . • do . . . crn, 37 4, 400 1 Total approximate area of unoccupi<Jd available pasturngo.......... . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ... .. . . . do . .. 12, 874, 400 B Total population .... -.·.................. . ••••. • • • . . . . . . . . . •. •. •............. .. • . .. . . . . . . . . • . .. .••.... 11!.l, 5H5 i

AVERAGE DENBlTY OF STOCK (CATTLE AND BIIEEP) OCCUP.A.TION,-Making ODO head of neat stock the unit of stock, aml considering tive sheep to equal one bea<l of cattle in consumption of pnstnre, we have 1,135170'~ units of stock, octmpying GD,500,000 acrCB1 or 53.27 acres to the head.

INDIAN TERRITORY.

O.A.TTLE.

Indian territory is largely a grazing country. Cattle-raising is genera,lly on the open-range system, without other food than that which nature provides on the ranges snmmer and winter. There are some exceptions to this in the nort.heast, on the Missouri and .Arkansas borders, and at a very few other points in P1Lnl'l'!l valley. Milch cows and saclclle-horses require feeding during the winter. The stock is not herded, but the boundaries of tho range are guarded by "line-riders".

The line-riders, two of whom sha,re each of the cu.mps about 20 miles one from another on the boundaries of the rauge, require from two to seven horses to the man. The line-rider st11l'ts out each morning· in the direction oft.he next station 1~nd rides half way, where he should meet anotller rider. This chief work of tlrn cfay is vcrformccl by noou. There is much more risk of cattle straying in winter than in summer. Short pasture, a fall of suow, 01·

a cold blow will start them off to hunt for better mnge or to clrift before the wind. From September more hclr> iii required, and the f'orue must be doubled for the service until th~ early spring storms ha>·e passed aml until tlw '' ronud-up" is completed. The usual wages is from $20 to $25 per month, and hoard which is estimated at $10 per month. The cowboy f~rnishes his own bedding, saddle, bridle, and fire-arms.

, EASTERN INDIAN TERRITORY.

The Indian meridian or sixth principal meridian of the United States land survey (970 15' 45") is the one to which surveys in that region hiwe refei;ence. Dividing the territory by the Indian meridian southward to tho Washita river, and thence duwn that river to the Texas boundary, sets off about equal areas east and west. Tho eastern section contained in .Tuly, 1880, 58 per cent. of the cattle of the territory, all the sheep but about 200, aml over 99 per cent. of the swine. About 77 per cent. of' the population is in the eastern half. The agricultural area

994

INDIAN 11ERRITORY. 41

territory is northeast of the Arkansas river, principally near the borders of Kansas and Arkm1sas, and .in the valleys of the principal streams. The seasons here vary il'regularly from wet to extreme drought. The natural inclination of the Indian inhabitants is toward pastoral pursuits, and five-eigbtlls of tb.e country o:ffel'S good pernument grazing. In the eastern portion of the Ohoctaw nation, east generally of the Kemishi riYer, according to J. F. McCurtain, principal chief, there is a timber-belt without grass. There is timber along the rivers, 1.mt seldom of sufficient density of growth. to forbid stock occupation entirely. The best extended grazing iu eal:ltern Indian territory lies between tb.e 35th and the 36tll parallels of latitude. Tb.ere, north of the north fork of the Oanadinn river, is an average of one head of stock to less than 40 acres of pasturage. North of the Cimarron an(l between the Canadian and its north fork is good grazing, but the Osages, Pawnees, Poncas, and Kaws about the 3Gth parallel, and the Seminoles and Pottowatomies occupying the i·egion, have not many herds, whilst the Oreeks are large stock-owners. Next in order as stock-raisers iu this region nre the Chickasaws and the Choctaws, south of the Canadian river, who holcl about 40 per cent. of all the cattle in tb.e eastern half of tlrn territory and the same per cent. of the sheep. The leading sheep interest is, however, among the Cherokees in the northeast.

J". F. McCurtain, the Choctaw chief, reported tl.iat his nation had slaughtered for consumption during the year ending June 30

1 1880, 31250 bead of cattle, and had sent out 6,500 at an average home value of $14. He estimn,ted

that beside their own stock, there were 6,000 head of cattle uot belonging to the Indians, grazing there nnlawfnll,y. His figures for the growth of the cattle business in his nation were 25,000 held in 1845, 62,000 in 1860, 15,500 iu 1870, 40,000 in 1875, and G5,000 in 1880.

WESTEl:?.N INDIAN TEBIUTOHY.

In the western half of the territory, north of the north line of' tlie Olleyenne and Arapahoe reservation, the grazing averages a medium pasturage with stretches of better quality along tlte river valleys, especially hi i;he northeast and cast. As a rule, it is better on the south bcfrders of' the rivers than on the north. Tlrn poorest pastures are on the divides mid sand patches, the latter occurdng jnst west of the 98th mcriclinn, near the Kansas bonmlary and in tlie northwest, near the lOOth meridian. Loco weed and gypsum wnterinjnre the ranges west; of' longtiucle 930 301• 'fhc occupation in 1880 averaged, ttbovc the Cimarron river, oue head of' stock to between 40 and GO acres of pasture with comparatively dense occupation near the KmlSas boundtLI'Y in the (~xtreme weHt aucl wwy 011e11 oceupl~tion south of the Cimarron and in the southeast. None of the cattle are herded by Indiaus.

The government treaty engages to punish trespassing, on cmnphiint of tho Inclia,ns, by :t fine of $1 IHlr head of cattle ancl expulsion. The Indians have attempted, with but small success, to tax the intrndcr11 ltt the rate of 50 cents per year, or 5 cents per month on each head.

This belt of' country is generally well watered, though much of the water is slightly itllmlhw. Twenty per cent. of the extent is ricP. valley, 73 per cent. rolling prairie, and 7 per cent. of timber-open-growing cottonwood, elm, lrnckberry, walnut, jack and post oak, grassed with wild rye, oats, blue-stem, 11nu wi.1<1 pea. The valle;ys possess excellent soil for agriculture and are covered with a close growth of' blue-stem grairn. TlHl npfand pmiries grow sage-grass chiefly on their elevations, with bu1falo and the mesquite grasses on the table-bmls and in the hollows. The valley grasses are palatable and nutritions when young and green. The uplands vrovide the wiuter fora.ge of plants tllat cure as they stand. In the herds permanently ranging here tlrn original cows !Lr<1 from T(\:xns. Shorthorn bulls have been used. Contact with the drive cattle coming through this section from 'l'oxas exposes the established herds to splenic fever, aml stock from eastern states is most sensitive to cO'ntagion. 'l'he winter storms are severe here and are very destructive when accompanied by sleet, though the vnJ.ley rtwines nud timber breaks afford considerable shelter. When snows lie on the ground the stock ln·owse on shrnbs, vines, aud sagebrush.

The better herds are found near the northern boundary, with home muches iu Kansas. Th~ region drained by the ·washita ancl the two Canadian rivers, iu which is the Cheyenne ~Lud .Arapahoe

reservation, has good pasturage on its valley bottoms !Lncl on clayey soil underlaid with retl sandstone or with gray limestone, particularly in the Canadhtn basins. Much of the growth is i·ich an<l deuse. The streams tributary to the Oimarron and the vVashita have precipitous banks, from which the r(~cl· soil washes rapit1l;y in gulle_ys. Over the eastern half of this region the nph1nds roll gently ltll(l the valleys are broad and Bmooth, lmt in the west the country is uneven, with abrupt hills a,nd rugged depressions. Here, however, is the best winter pasturage. West of the 99th meridian there are, south of the Canatlian: above 2,000 square miles tlesiguate<l for the grazing of cattle held by contractors for Indilm supply. Otherwise, and indeml al:-;o i,;outlt of tho Cimarron, cattle are very scarce, and there are large tracts entirely ungrazed.

'l'he chief grasses ar~ blue-stem, sage, buffalo, mesquite, m1ll black grama. Blue-stem is eommou nloug the north fork of the Canadian, east of the 98th longitude, but it, as well as the sa,ge-grnss, dies ont between the fl8tlt and the 99th meridians, and then com!3 superior grasses. No cattle except those owned by members of the tribes or helcl by permission for Indian supplies are allowed in this region.

The Indian agent, to encourage the Indians to undertake stock.raising, several yea.rs ago established a small lrnrd called the ''mission herd". Wa,ges earned by members of the tribe were set aside for investment in additions to

995


the herd, and the most active young men were set to lierding them. The Indians thus learned to manage stock, and 1:rnny of the mission-school boys acquired interests in the herd, which in five years came to number 1,574 head. lu 18SO a distribution was made according to the share of' each owner, and thus <L number of' stockmen were establit;hed with stock of their own.

\Vinter storms are less severe in this section than north of it., ancl the natural protection is much l>etter . • Tust above the Cimarron river is a belt of from 1 to 4 miles wide of jack and post oak; that begilrning east of tho lildinu meridian crosses the northeast corner to the Cimarron, and thence, just above. the north bonurhl.ry of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe reser,~ation, continues westward nearly to the north fork of the Canadian river. Tlrn conrse. of the "cross timber" has no itpparent regard to vrnter-conrses or to any physical formation. A region in the southwest, embracing the Wicllita reservation and the Kiowa Ooma,nche and Apache reservation, beside" Greer county" southwest of the north fork of Red river, is waterecl by innumerable running creeks tributary to the vVashifa a.ml Hed rivers. The pasturage is good. The only exceptional fea.tnre to the general uniformity of' evenly rolling plains inclining to the main rivers is the abrupt but low rauge of the Wichita mountains, rising but a few hundred feet above the general altitude of' the center of' the region. These mountains are aboi1t 10 miles wide and extend 30 miles in length. Various creeks of abundant and excellent water head in thi8 cluster of mountains. The plains,

. stretehiug far on al1 sides from this center, promise agricultural capacity beyond their present excellent pastnrnge. From the reservation of' the Kiowas, Comanches, and Apaches, the military excludes all ranchmen not

belonging thereto, except for special permits granted for supplies of millc, butter, etc., to the occupants of' fort Sill. ·One tliousand two hundred head of cattle were kept iu the neighborhood of the military reservation in small herds 'by various rauehmen. The Wichita aucl the Caddo tribes owned nearly 4,000 heacl of cattle, and of that number about two-thirds were the property of white men who had taken Indian wives.

In all tlle western vurt of the territory there are large areas upon which 110 stock was pastured either permanently or temporarily in 1880, according to the l>est information obtainable. In tho southwest comer of "Gree1· <!onnt.y ", the possession of which is claimed by Texas, aucl where Texas ranehmen push in on good grazing unoccupied by Imlians, each head of cattle has an estimated average range of about 70 acres of pasture.

'l'he westeru part of' the Ohie.lrnsaw reservation, as divided by tha Indian meridian ancl the 'Vashita rh'er, is a 1lue stock country ·with a. unit of stock to but little over 4 l acres. It; is tim berecl upon the higher elevations a11d along the water-courses. Two belts of " cross tirn ber" ubont 12 miles apart, of 1iost and jack oak, run east aud 'vest through this region, but these belts furnish good forage, chiefly of blue-stem and wilcl r;ro, with ocem~ionnl small areas t)f granrn grass. The acorus of the post-oak fatten the pork of the Indians. Tho trees sta,ml much scattered-about thirty to the t1cre. Outside of' the cross timber there is a varietJ' of excellent grasses. On almost any sqtrnre rod one may find sriecimens of blue-stern, sage, bnffalo, mesql'lit, and the grama, blaek nud white. In the Creek valleys, where there is considemllle shade, wilcl oats abound. The g1·asses narn.ecl prevail over most of the cOlmtry up to the Oa,nadian river. A large proportion of the cattle in this section of the OhfolrnsrLW reservation it-l owned by white men who obtain their pasturage by making friends of influential Iutliaus, to whom they make ostensible sale of t.heir cattle and then hire themselves to care for the stock. This course evades the treaty law agai11st trespassers, as the Indian has the right to hire white men. The share of the appar~nt Indian

· owue1· in tlte matter cotiltl not be learned. It is saill that in the performance of tha Indian bargains with the whites1

as above described, JJOt a single charge of bad faith has eve1'. been m11de a.gainst the red man, though be has leg·al possession of the mittle and the probable owner could have 110 recourse to law.

The Indian council hfls unsuccessfully sought by taxation to prevent the cattle of outside parties from use oi' tho pnsture without recompense. F'ully 4,000 Texas cattle were fattened here during the winter of 1879 and 1880, going in the :-;pring and early summer to Caldwell .and Hmrnewell, and thence by railroad to market. '£his southern ceutml regi.on of Indian territory enjoys a comparatively favorable climate; beside which there is ahundm1ce both of shelter and of winter grasses. . Along the Washita river, about midwiiy of the reservation, there is an active, prosperous farming clistl'i«t known a.s Paul's valley. Here a comparatively large number of cuttle and hogs aro coru-focl.

The composition of certain herds in Indian territory iu 1879, aggregatiug 65,000 head, as compiled from answers to circula~s was: 1,306 bulls, or 2 per cent. of the whole; 21,450 cows, or 33 per ceut.; 9,100 steers, three-year-olcl and over, or 1411er cent.; 11,060 two-;rear-olds, or 17.01 per cent.; 9,902 ~7earlings, or 15.23 per cent.; 12,188 calves, or 18.75 per cent. It was estima.tetl that 75 calves \Vere dropped per 100 cows; and that of these 57 survh'ecl to ye::i.rliuga. The estimated average annual loss among cattle over twelve months old for <1 term of years was l3 J>er cent.

J;'UBLIO LANDS.

(Unorganized territory.)

In the adjustment of boundaries, in organizing states and territories, a strip lrns been left north of tho P1wha11clle of Texas miassignecl to any civil organization. It lias been occupied to a greater or less extent, in an iwlefiliite mauner l:':iuco J 875. Its 1iasturage is good ju qua lit~· and abundant, exce1)t through tlie· northern half of t.lJO ceutral tllird, ·where the arid charncter of southwest Kansas is continued and intensified. Its generally gootl

996 .

STATE 0]-, KANSAS. 43

gmzing in an untaxed and entirely free range, readily stocked from the south, and with the Kansas market near at baud for its beef, added to the exploring clemantl for new mnges, caused, in 1879 and 1880, the locating of several stockmen with permanent herds, and 58,450 cattle were found there at the time of this investigation. This does not indude the temporary wanderings of K11nsas stock. Above 20,000 cattle ancl 71000 sheep frequently wander over the border from the Oimarron river ranges. Though it is in the belt of severe winter storms, there are enough timber and ravine bre.aks to give shelter. Since the statistics of 1880 were gathered almost all the availabie range iu the region has been taken np, principally by one large stock company.

Sections.

ESTillfA'rED CA'r'l'LE, SHEEP, AND SWINE IN INDIAN TERitITORY JULY 1, 1880 •

Sections defined.

.Al'l'UOXUIA1'E ACll!llAOE OJI S'rOOit OCOUl'ATION.

Cnttln. Shoop.

B'l'OOK.

Cnttlo. Sheep.* Swine.

------1---------------------------1----- , _____ , ___ ------Total. ••••••• ·-.·-·--- .••••• ,_., -............................................ . 35, 000, 000 ........... ~ ~ ~ .. -.. 487, 748 *55, 000 ?73, 031

----~---·~~ --.-17, 441, 000 ......................... .Elnst-0rn ........ Eaat.ofthoincllnnmerldlan nnd tho Wnsh!tnl'ivor, below tho lnterscotion of tl10

morlcllnn 11nc1 tho 11vor. 808, GOO *54, 734 766,431

\Vee tern....... West of al.Joyo.deflnoc1 cUvialon line ............................................... . 17, 558, 400 ....................... 170, 2•18 *260 7, 50D

------~----------------------·-·--'·-·-----------~-----~--~--~---

*Seo noto to Texas tii!Jles, p. 31.

Tot!ll laml !ll'O!l of territory ..••••..•.•••..•..••.•••.•..•..••.••.•.••..••.••..•..•..••••..•••.... !lcres .• 41, 4011 600 Tot!ll !ll)1>roxim11te nren of 11vailn1Jlo 1msturago ................................................... <lo •.• 38, 000, 000 Te fol aren of' unoccupied nvailnble pnstumge ........................................ _ .••..•.•.•• clo... 3, 000, 000

AVERA.GE DENSI'l'Y O.ll' STOCJC (CA.T'l'Ll!J AND smmP) OCCUPATlON.-Mu.king one head of neat stock tho unit of stock, aml COI!SicltJring five sheep to equal one heacl of cattle in relation to cousumr>tion of pasture, we hn.vli 408,748 units or stock, occupying 351000,000 ncres, or 70.18 acres to the 11enl1, nccordh1g to tho uost estimates.

PUBLIC LANDS.

(Unorgnnizetl territory.)

Longitnclo, 1000-1030; lntitudo, 350 30' to 370, CaLtlo.

Total stoek on hnncl(estimated) ...................................................................... 58,450 Totnl laml nrca, 51740 squa1•c miles, or 3,673,600 uc1·cs, of which over 3,000,000 nrc nv11il!Lblc, ihrnisbing about 62.Sti acres to tho bend

of stock.

KANSAS.

HISTORY.

The beginning of stock.raising was by the bringing in of animals as army posts were esta,blishecl, ancl with the emigrant trains. The :first herds ranged on the 38th and 39th parallels in western Kansas came from Colorado. In eastern Kansas small herds were brought by settlers 1Llong the Missouri and Kansas river valleys. ·· As the stock increased the surplus found ready market with local butchers, new emigrants, a,nd the freighters to Santa F6 arnl farther west. The early stock was good, being of eastern origin. As railroads superseded the ox-ten,ms, the demand for working .oxen declined, but about the same time Illinois began to require the cattle of Kansas to fatten 011 its grain, and Missouri made like purchases. · ·

Within the twenty-seven counties nnorganizecl in 1880, or, pmetimilly, west of' the lOOth meridian, a few tlaring men in 1871 put their herds along the Ohnan·on ri,/er and Crooked creek, in Seward ancl Meade counties, to compete with the droves of native buffalo and to ma.intain a defensive warfare against Indian a.i1d white mittletbieves. Beside this initiatory occupation in tlle southwest, there was in the northeast some r1111giug· cloue between Sappa. and Prairie Dog creeks. Not until 1875 did the region attract geneml attention.

OATTLE.

WESTERN KANSAS.-Kansas is, in greater proportion than any other state or territory with which this iuquiry has to tleal (unless possibly California), a forming country, t11oug·h west of 11 line dra,wn dittgonally from the point where Beaver creek, ~L l>ranch of the Ifopublican river, intersects the Nebraska boundary-about longitude 1000 31', to the point where Medicine Lodge creek, a branch of tlrn Salt fo1·k of the Arkansas rivn, intersects the Irn1iu.n

!lll7


territory boundary, about longitude 98° 30'-the state is thoroughly a grazing region. There is generally no h1rge area west of that line where much corn is produced, while the annual rainfall, reaching 20 to 25 inches in the southeast quarter of this western ranch region, does not exceed 15 to 20 inches over the remaining three-fourths of the region. The two interests are therefore sharply and closely contrasted in Kansas.

If t.lte state were divided by the county lines nearly correspondini:r with the 99th meridian, or along the east border of Phillips county at the north and Oomanche connty at the south, the three-fifths of the state east of that line will be the part generally adapted to farming. On the '\yest of that line is pre-eminently a grazing country.

Buffalo-grass is pre-eminently the forage of western Kansas, not preferred in the early rainy season when the more succulent and perishable grasses· abound. It ripens its seed by the time hot weather sets in, and then cures and is available through fall and winter. Grama is next in quantity and quality, with the same enduring character for winter pa.sturage. Blue-joint makes a fair showing north of the Smoky Hill river, in the comparatively well-watered section of weste1·11 Kansas. South of the Arkansas river the sage grows extensively and forms summer feed. The noxious "loco" is found along the Cimarron river. Between the Colorado line aucl the lOOth meridian Kansas is much more broken than the country either east or west of that armL. The drifting of herds and flocks before the colcl fierce storms in this treeless region causes much loss and labor. These winds would be irresistible if the surface of the connt.ry was an unbroken plain. Kansas rises westward from au average elevation ~of 800 feet on the Missouri houndar;r to about 2,000 feet on tlie !)9th meridian; western Kansas has a still greater elevation. Where there is sufficient wa.ter, 10 acres of range will support a head of neat stock. When we ftnd that there were in estimate. 80 acres and a fraction of pasturage to each unit of stock, we lrnve to remember that :at least one-half of the occupied area is scantily watered and that the region is not fully &tocked.

JJooking at the :figures for western Km1sas it is also to be borne in mind, perhaps, that the best pasturage portion has been for years a tmilwa;y for driyes, and that h1 1880 it was crossed by about 225,000 head of cattle, ,grazing on the way. West of the 99th meridian, in the grazing region, comprising thirty.eight counties, of which <eleven only were organized in 1880, we find areas more or less arid, especially in the southwestern corner of' the state; to a less extent in Edwards and Pratt counties, in southern Kansas, just west of the 99th meridian, in tho northern parts of Lane, Kearney, and Sequoyah counties, and in southern Greeley county on the west side of the state.. In Clarke and Comanche counties, on the southern border of the state, extending west of the 99th meridian, and in t.he northwest eountie8 of Kansas, water is plentiful.

About o,ooo,oOo acres, or 9,375 i::quare miles of the aggregate unoccupied area of the state, lie iu western Ka.nsas, and, altllough largely accounted a desert twenty years ago, rangecl over 184,000 cattle and 00,000 sheep in Jnl;r, 1880. Later information shows that after the 1st of July a very great increase in stock occnrre<l. The causes of this great and sudden·increase of li'.'e stock have been alluded to in the Texas report; they were tho terrible drought in Colorado and New Mexico and the unsatisfactory results of sheep husbandry in the Panhandle of Texas.

·with very rare exceptions there is uo fencing beside that of branding-corrals, and no bay cutting. In the unorganized counties there are no natural distinctions between summer range and winter range, which are determined only by the amount of pasturage and water; stock is not close herded, but the range is "line ridden"; a concerted "round up", in which all the ranclnnen within extensive boundaries of common range join, begins about the 20th of April and continues until n,11 calves are branded. Many ~borthorn and some Hereford bnlls al'e used. The marketing is principally in the fa.11, throngh·October and N ovem her into December. South of the Arkansas the herds and their management are principally for breeding; north of the Arkansas, and especially north of tho Kansas Pacific railroad, the business is generally that of grazing steers over winter or for a longer period, and then marketing them eastward for feeders or for slaughter in Kansas Oity and elsewhere.

The following is the composition of certain herds of western Kamms cattle, December 31, 1879, aggregating 21,000 head, as compiled from answers to cirenlurs: 325 were bulls, or 1.55 per cent. of the whole; 0,720 cows, or 32 per cent.; 21310 steers three-year-olds and o\er, or 11 per cent.; 0,500 two-year-olds, or 16.67 per cent.; 3,575 yearlings, or 17.02 per cent.; 4,570 calves, or 21.76 per cent. The estimated number of calves dropped per 100 cows was 76; of these 138 survived to yearlings. The estimated average annual loss among cattle over twelve months old for a term of years was 5.5 i1er cent.

EASTERN K.ANSAs.-In the mtttle business of en stern Kansas there is a wide range of system as contrasted with that of the western, where we see the extensive grass-ranging, subject to some limitations, the cutting of grass for the winter, some feuciug, more building and smaller herds. In the eastern tiers of conntic~s the cattle are actually much more numerous, but they are raised in connection with farming chiefly to consume the grain; In the intermediate space between the 97t.h meridhtn ancl longitnde 990 301 both grazing and feedi11g are practiced. Here, where wheat-growing is more prominent, and cattle-holding is but incidental to farming, the "herd ln;w" is in force, as also in some other parts of the state in the counties of the southeast corner. This law frees the farmer from the necessity of fencing and holds the stockmen liable for injur~r done by the animals to the cultivated crops.

Eastern Kansas is now mainly a great corn region a.nd feeds grass.grown stock from western Kansas for beof. Oom a.t 20 cents per bushel is made la.rgely profitable in this way; at 30 cents the feeding of cattle requires closer management.

9f.J8

; j:

STATE OF KANSAS. 45

From the 97th meridian to about longitude 990 30', a little west of our assumed line between farming and grazing lands, wheat becomes relatively more prominent. The herd law prevails here, and corn is mucll less abundant than east of 970, so that.grazing is restricted and feeding is not practiced as in the eastern part of the state.

The prevailing and most highly esteemed grass in eastern Kansas is the blue-joint or blue-stem. It does not cure standing,. but is a hay-grass. Though'' buffalo" and tlle "grama" are found to some extent east of the 99th meridian, principally in the southwest corner of eastern Kansas below the Arkansas river, yet the buffalo grass is rapidly disappearing before increasing settlement, and there is no winter pasturage.

The feeder of eastern Kansas, who breeds a portion of his stock by crossing native cows with shorthorn bulls, purchases late in the summer from the western ranges three-year-old half-breeds, or thirty months' cattle if of better stock, weighing on an avera.ge 900 or 1,000 pounds. The better class of inirt-graded animals raised in eastern Kansas have had some corn. A bout the 1st of October feeding proper begins, the stock being lield in open fields provided with sheds for shelter during storms. The feed cousists of half a bushel of corn per cfay per bead and 10 pounds of h:ty. The corn is usually fed in the e~r, but sometimes shelled or crushed. With corn at 20 cents per bushel and hay $2 130to $3 per ton, the feed costs about llz cents per day, or about $20 75 for the six months -0f average feeding time. Labor, interest, and taxes will somewhat increase the expense per head. Hogs follow the cattle, allowing usually one and a half hogs to a steer. The food of the hogs consists solely of what is wasted by the cattle and \lf the undigestad grain that passes them. The pork made to each steer will net an aycrage of $11. During feeding the steer win have put on 300 to 400 pounds, according to bree<l and kind.

In 1880 another system of feeding range or grass cattle was on trial. The stock coming fresh from the plains and entirely nnaccustometl to other forage than the irntive grasses, requires several weeks in which to lle brougJ1t to fnll feed on the new diet. The winter is wen advanced before they reach a fnttening condition. Brside this disadvantage, the 1:1pring market is at the season when the supplies of" uative" cai1tle are the largest, and the western cattle come in competition with the fattened animals of o1der regions; consequently tlley sell low. Now the 111nn is to buy the "grassers" in tile fall as llefore a.nd "rougll" them th~ough the winter, acclimating them as it were, nrnl letting them pick up corn which is left in the stalk fields. When spring comes tliey are put on full feed of corn, with the later additio1i of summer pasture, and then fattening quickly and making a, better quality of beef, they reaeh the best market of the year. Kansas Oity, Sa,int Ijouis, and Chicago are the i1oints of' sale beyon<l the state.

Sheep-raising, as managed in the western part of the state, does not differ from its practice in the alljoiniug states of Colorado and Nellrnska. .As a rnlo, over a11 of eastern Kmums, and in the northeast corner of western Kansas, the feeding of corn dnriug a portion of the winter is usual. With this graiu so cheap throngllont. tlrn easterly belt of the two states named, and many good meat markets within a range of' praeticable trnusporta..tion, mutton becomes an object. Raising sheep with a regular provision for winter clirninishes the per centum of' loss from storms and increases the dro11 of lambs; aud breeding to a greater extent for mutton than is required on the strictly pastoral grounds, preference is given to the long·-wooled soutbclow11s. and cotswolcls.

Kansas is now an important stock-distributing state, Dodge Oity and Caldwell and Hunnewell being tho centers for the transfer and rearrangement of the great Texas northern .drives, except of the numbers that go directly to Indian territory.

During the season of 1880 there was a very considerable trade in driving stock to Kansas .am1 foetling Hhecp from Oolorado, New Mexico, and the Panhandle of Texas. This a,rose from the seYerity of the drought in Ooloradn arnl New Mexico and the unsatisfactory condition of the industry in the Panhandle, together with an increased interest in sheep husbandry in Kansas. The causes were special, and this is not to be regardecl as forming a permanent and regular traffic.

The following table shows the sheep driven into Kansas in 1880, with the average rn·ice. Of these 195,200, were for stock ancl 281700 to feed for slaughtering; 25,200 were driven to 01tldwell and 198,700 to Dodge Oity-ri, fotal of 2281900. From 70,000 to 801000 remained in the then unorganizecl counties.

rmc11 rim n:&An. Source. Number.

Feeders. Stock.

Colorndo ............... - ............ . 53, 000 $2 R71 $2 12! Now-Mexico ........................ . 80, 300 2 00 1 75 Pnuhnndlo, Toxns .................. . 80, 700 2 07 2 12!t

The estimated average value of stock ancl mutton sheep in Kansas in 1880 was: Rams, $5 to $7; ewes, $1 130 to $2; improved, $2 25 to $2 75; wethers, $2 to $2 25; improved, $2 25 to $2 50 ; lambs, $1 to $1 uO; improved, $1 50 to $1 75. Tile estimated average annual wool clip was: Rams, G pounds; improved mms, 7 to {)pounds; ewos, 3~ pounds; improved ewes, 5 to~ pounds; wethers, 4J} pounds; improved wetliers, 6J} to 7-a- pounds; lambs, .2 J?ounc1s; improved wet~ers, 3k to 4 pounds.

In certain flocks of western Kansas sheep, ltggregating 32,335 head in 1880, the composition was as follows, as compiled from answers to circulars: Rams, 310, or .96 per cent. of t11e whole; 15,450 ewes, or 47.78 per cent.; 8,900 wethers, or 27.132 per cent.; 7,675 lambs, or 23.74 per cent. The estimated number of lambs dropped per 100 ewes waR 85; of these 49.68 survived to yearlings. The estimated average annual loss among sheep over twelve mouths olcl for a t.erm of years was 8.5 per cent.

999


SWINE.

The large production of corn has developed hog-raising to great prominence in eastern Kansas. Western Kansas, lying west of about the 99th meridinn, had on hand in July, 18150, an estimated total of only 41,36G swine, while eastern Kansas helcl 1,832,877 head. In 1870, according to the returns of the Ninth Census, the hogs on farms b1 Kansas were 206,587, and the enumeration of live-stock for 18GO found only 138,224 located on fat'ms. The lack of accessible markets for pork was a drawback for a time, but packing-houses have been established in late years at various points. The people, chiefly settlers of small means, are less able to incur the expense of building proper shelter for stock, fencing off pastures, introducing pure breeds of swine, and of giving in 0th.er respects that ontla.y and attention to the business whicb it requires and receives in older communities. Lines of transportation are besides less frequently available, and freight rates on live _animals are more onerous to the former than in regions of tbrough railroad communication. As an important offset to these disadvantages tbe Kansas stock-owner can command Indian corn and pasture land at low prices.

There are two methods in vogue of growing hogs. By the first method the stock is reared and fod in close pens or dry lots, destitute of sheds, without green feecl or sufficient fresh, running water. Reports by correspomlents indicate that three-fourths of Kansas hogs are thus grown. The young hogs get a meager allowance of slop-feed, and are fed dry corn from weaning time till shipment to market. In breeding, the plan followed i1llows the sow and boar to be coupled at the 1ige of six or eight months. The number served by a single hoar varies from 35 to 75, according to the judgment of the owner. :M:arch and April in tlle spring, and August or early September in the fall, are the months for sows to farrow. The average number of pigs to sm'Yive weaning is a little over 5 per litte.r

1 or about 11 per annum in two litters, though some corresponcie11ts assert emphatically that an a.vemge

of' not over 4 pigs to a farrowing survive to be fattened. Soaking corn for sows with pigs during spring ancl suunner is followed by some, crushing raw feed is less often practiced, but cooking grain or otber hog foocl is not followed. This latter metl.10d, while it is admitted by many to be good ou sanitary grounds, is not practiced for swine, since the expense incident to preparing the material offsets the possible benefits derived in a country fnruishiug cheap grain but where labor and fuel arc costly items. Wben the plan of pasturing the sow and pigs is. followed they run' on grass from April till September, with sometimes a light allowance of slop-feed or soaked corn. In the case of the fall litters the use of ii stubble field of wheat or rye stubble is g·ive11, accompa.nied by dry

. grain until the season for grass aud _full feetl comes round in the following year. Of imprnvcd breeds th(} Berkshire and tlle Poland-China are preferred aud ratetl about equal in desirable qualities.

During an avei·age trans1Jortation of 150 miles the shrinkage was judged to be from 10 to 15 pounds per animal of fattened stock, aml the mortality incident to carrying prime hogs the same distance was estimated at lrr per cent. In the case of animals solcl at 11 months olcl, which was the popular time for disposiug of fat 11ogs, tlrn avcr&ge weight attainecl was given at from 200 to 225 live weigllt. With those hogs summered a second timo on pasture, arnl fnll fed in the fall until twenty to twent;y-four months of age, a much higher averltge was, of course~ attained, the live weight reaching in such droves 450 to 525 pounds. The s;ystem introlluced by the special breeders contemplates f'nll feeding, use of green feed, and plenty of running water.while growing. But little clover or blue grass is growu for the use of hogs within the state, the only pasturage being furnished by the uncultivated grasses, with ·the added access fo the stubble-fields after harvest. In m:my counties half-grown porkers follow beef-mtttle that ::Lre feeding on corn.

In spite of apparent exceptional freedom from continued epidemic disease, when contagion or h1fection has appenred, the careless mmmgemeut incident to a new state has exposed the industry to severe checks. Only one ·correspondent, a feeder in Cowley couuty, claims to have experienced total immunity from loss, no complaint ever having prevailed in that part of the state. Throughout all other counties heard from an occurrence of' lung tl'OUble, thumps, sore mouth) or cholera ha.s made havoc at one time or another. In 1880 the state, from the report of a large number of farmers,. was remarkably free from the presence of any fatal epidemic.

The state board of agriculture reports each year the live stock of the agricultural portion of the state, which comprises about three-fifths of the area. This greatly facilitates the acquirement of knowledge regarding the resources of the state.

AVER.A.GE WEIGHTS Ol!, 11, 796 KANSAS GR.ASS-FED BEEVES SOLD IN CHICAGO AND KANSAS CITY DURING NOVEMBER, 1880.

Wherosohl. I Ntnnbet· Average .A.vemge live solcl. age. weight. Kincl of cattle.

I·----·· -·---- --· e·-·---· Yea1•s. Pom1ds.

Knusns·Texnns ...•.•••••.••....••••••••..•.• __ . Union stock ynrcls, Chicago ...... . 2, 212 4! 02()

Kausns-Texaus ................................. Union stock yarrls, :Kansas City .. . 2, 801 4 884 Kansas half-breecl .... -··-·-· ..•..••••••.••.•••. Union stock yards, Chfoago ...... . l, 034 31 1, 032 Knnsashalf-brC>ed .•••.••••••..•..•......•..••.. Union stocJ< yo.rrls, Kansas City .. . 245 Bit 054,

Xitnsas natives ........................ ····'···· Union stock ynrcls, Chicago ...... . 1, 702 3* 1, 142

Knnsnsno.tiyes ......•••...•......•..•.......•.. Union stock ymds, Kansas City .. . 2, 020 3·~ 1, 086 Knnsns natives in po.rt (grade sl101•thorns)..... Union stock ynrcls, Chicago ..... .. 602 4~ 1,354

1000

.! !

8TATE OF KANSAS. 47

According to Special Abstract No. U, Manufactures, Tenth Census, the averugo live weight o:il :l!l,958 grass-feel< K11nsas beeves slaughtered by the princi1ial slaughtei'illg establishments in the state was 1,004 pounds, and the fl.Vera.go age 3t years, and of 23, 754 othe1' Kansas grass-fed beeves the aYerage age was St yearH ancl the a·rnrage weight 1,014 pounds. ·

MOVEMENT OF STOCK.

It is estimatecl that there were broug·ht into Kansas in 1880 104,038 cattle and 275,VOO sheep, as follows: From Texas were brought l!t3,038 cattle, of which 58,000 were solll for stock purposes aml 24,831 for beef purposes in1 Indian territory, at1d 40,207 for stocking Kansas ranges; from Colorado 30,000 head. One thousand bulls were brought into the state for improving stock. From the Panhandle of Texas 89,700 sheep were broug·ht; from New lVlexieo 89,3001 and from Colorado 103,000; beside' 2,000 rams for improving stock. 'l'he nbove statements have reference only to that part of Kansas lying- west of longitude 990,

CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE, IN KANSAS AS REPORTED FOR CERTAIN YEARS.

Yeiir. Authority. Uiittlo; She~p.• Sw:iuu. -·--·-··---·---· ---------------------·-----·-- -----------1------1-----1860.......... •• .. .. .. .. . . .. Eightl1 Conana (on forms) .......... , ........................................................................................................ . 03, 455 17, 500 138, 224 1870 ..................... 'Ninth Census (on farms) ............................................................................................................. .. B73, 067 100, 088 200, 587

l 87fi............... • .. • .. . .. .. .. Stt1to ngifoultuml i·c1port. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. • .. .. • .. • . . .. . . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . • .. .. • • • • .................................... . 703, 323 106, 224 202, 658

1870 ............................... clo ........................................................................................................................................... .. 700, 024 143, 002 330, 355.

1870 ............................. <10 .................................................................................................................. · .................... .. 070, 463 311, 802 l, 264, 400

1880 ................................ do ................................................................................................................................. . l, 115, 812 420, 4!l2 1, 281, 030

1880 ....................... Tenth Ct1n8uB (on forms) ................................................................................................................ . l, 451, 057 400, 071 11 7B7, 000

1880 ...................... 'l'euth Census (on farms nncl oatimutocl uuonumorntoll rnnoh nncl riinge stoolc) ............................ .. 1, 533, 133 020, 071 11 871l1 243

ESTillU'rl!JD CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE IN KANSAS ,JULY 1, 1880.

s·rocit.

Soc ti on a. Scotlone llofined, I Al'l'll0XIMA1'1t

AOIUMOI\l OIJ' STOCK OCCUL'A'rION,

--~--------· ---------- -----Cnltlo nml sl10op. Cnt.tlo. Shoop.• Swh10.

---------1---------·-·-·--------------·---------- 1-------l--·--·-···I··----1-----'l'otn! ...................................................................................... , ........................... .

Enatern .............. Enst of 1t1Jout nlnoty.ulnth merldlnu ......................................................................... . Wea tern.............. Wost of nbo11t 11h1oty-nlnth moricllnn:

Orgnnized counties (11) ..................................................................................... . U11pl'l~llnlzocl c.onntiea(27) ............................. ; .................................................. .

•15, 282, SQO

w, 500, 000

6, 206, 880

9, nm, ooo

• Seo note to Toxns t111Jles, I'• Bl, Indlnn stock ls included in nlJovc.

1, 533, 133

l, ll48, 547

45, 636 138, or.o

020, 071

G72, BOB

80, 080

2fi, 798

'l'ot!Ll lmul arcm of stnttl.. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. ................................................................................... 11.nres. . 52, 288, 000 Total 11pJ.lroximate 11re11 of 11v11ll11blo p11stnrn.ge ................................................................................... do ... rio,000,000 'l'ota.l appl'Oximatr; area of unoccupiecl available pasturn.gc .......................................................... do ... 4, 717, 120 Total 1)()pulatiou .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. • .. .. .. .. • • • • . .............................. , .. • .. • • • . .. • .. • • .. .. .. .. • • .. .. • .. .. • • .. .. .. .. • • • .. • .. ... .. . • • • • • .. .. llDCi,09G

1, 874, 243

1, 832, 877

29, BOO

lfi, 000

AVEilAGin DENSITY OF STOCIC (CA'l"l'LE .AND SHEEP) OCCUP.ATION.-Making one licacl of neat stock, the unit of stock ancl considering, five sl1eep to oqu11l one hoacl. of cattle in rcll1t.io11 to consumption of pasture, we have l 16tl910G7 units of stock occupyillg 45,282,880 l>cros,, or 27.29 acres to the he11d1 according to the best estimates. 1001


OOLORADO.

P .A.STURAGE.

In describing the stock-raising capabilities of Oolorado the reports of the United States Geological and Geographic surveys have been used as a basis, modified and extended by special investigation. Mr. Henry Gannett (a) makes the following estimated distribution of Oolorado lands: 71323 square miles, or 4,686, 720 acres· tillable land irrigable without employment of reservoirs; 55,000 square miles, or 35,200,000 aqres pasture land of all qualities; 20,000 square miles, or 12,800,000 acres spruce anCl pine timber; 13,500 square miles, or 8,640,000 acres quaking- aspens, pillon pine, and scmhby cedar; 67565 square miles, or 4,201,600 acres, barren, worthless. ~

To exhibit approxim~Ltely the number of acres in Colorado in 1880 on which live-stock can be raisecl, the tillable, agricultural land is put at 7,500 square miles; wild open pasture (mostly plains), 55,000 square miles; quantity ·Of grazing land in forests, 81500 square miles, or a little over 25 per ce11t. of the area included in Mr. Gannett's two items of timber; making a tota.J of 71,000 square miles ( 45,440,000 acres) of pasturage available eitll.er in summer or in winter, sometimes through both seasons, and 32,645 square miles (20,892,800 acres) worthless for the purpose of stock-raising. In attempting an approximafo represeu tation of the different qualities of pasturage the distinctions

· are necessarily more or less arbitrary. All areas counted by the scientific surveys as agricultuml lanc:f.s are here in eluded in the goo cl pasture; also other lands within ten miles of run11ing water; and whatever otheq)asturage replies to circulars and personal examination pronounced "good", even though in 1880 many of those sections were overstocked or badly eaten down by previous occupation. In fact, after more than a year of extreme drought, tho •Colorado pastures were as a rule in bad condition in 1880, The best quality of pasture of to-day is only comparatively good, the best quality of twenty years' iigo having been essentially changed. There is hope that with more care, with new methods of irrigation, with less overstocking, etc., depreciation may not co11tinue,

Of the 31,ooo,ooo acres and over of dift'erent qualities of pasturage in eastern Oolorado, we may class 12,0001000 to 14,000,000 as from fair t0 good-perhaps not more than one-fifth of that as strictly good-and from 1610001000 to 181000,000 as poor, exclusive of 1,000,000 acres worthless or nearly so. In western Oolorado, greater in area tlrnn eastern Colorado, we find but about 1410001000 acres of pasturage, but there were over 2,500,000 acres nnusecl in 1880, mainly in the Indian reservations. This includes some of the best pasture in the state, some of it virgin grazing, though in small scattered tracts, often suitable only for summer occupancy. .A.s a rule, that which is suitable for occupancy during a portion only of the year naturally retains its excellence 1011ger than a contiuqous pasture.

The absence of summer rains is the preservation of the winter forage with the peculiar vegetation of the western grazing regions. The bunch-grasses particularly, that keep their sweetness and nourishment all winter, standing where they grow, would become worthless in a climate where summer and autmnn rains fall.

The natural seeding of the grazing regions is trampled in by stock, especially by sheep, and in soils not too sanely is thus defended from the drying and fret1zing it would otherwise suffer. Th~s ancl the richness of sheep manure, with its better distribution, not smothering the g1•ass where it is dropped, are to be cousiclerecl against tho close herding and cropping of the same stock, which latter practice does undoubtedly tear out grasses by the roots from light ranges. Mr. Abner Loomis, of Fort Oollins, who has had twenty years' experience in Oolorado, testified strongly to the luxmiance of the native grasses with moisture and of their wonderful recuperative powers after extreme cropping and prolonged droughts. '

Among the principal grazing-grounds of the state we may first name the plains just east of the mountains, of which the favorable portions are from the mountains eastward, generally to the 104th meridian, the Plntte river neighborhood, and the more extensive regions of the Arkansas river. Along the eastern borders of the state are tracts of arid though not entirely barren land. These dry regions do not absolutely forbid winter occnpation, except in ~"few limitecl areas. The winter snows, where drifted, supply moisture under the warm breath of stock, or are mP-ltecl in holes that animals have tramped or wallowed. Stock will travel farther for water withot1t discomfort iu cold weather. Thus, in winter grazing, animals generally will double the length of their daily summer range from water, and water will often be found in winter on plains absolutely dry in summer. ·

Weld and Elbert counties held in 1880 a fraction over 37 per cent. of all the cattle in eastem Oolorado, and the densest occupation of the same stock was in Boulder and Elbert counties. The cattle occupation was least in southern Jefterson and eastern Douglas counties. •

Most of the sheep of Colorado are found between the 104th and 106th meridians, and 67 per cent. of the sheep in eastern Colorado were in 1880 between the mountains an cl the 104th meridian. Boulder county made 110 return of slleep, and t.owards the Wyoming and the Kansas borcler we find large areas without sheep. El Paso, Huerfano, [A1rimer, and western Elbert counties had Romething over 42 per cent. of all the sheep in eastern Colorado and over ~37 per cent. of the total number in the state. El Paso and Huerfano counties graze 293,000 Aheep on about -- - -- ,_ .. ____________________________________________ _

1002 a Unitecl States Geological Survey.

STATE OF COLORADO. 49

:2,500,000 acres of available pasture, about 8 or IJ acres to the head. It is well llere to remember that this represents the situation in Colorado after the extreme clroi1ght of 1879, prolonged until late in the spring of 1880, during which time the drop of lambs was smaller, there was an increase of the death rate, and large drives were made from the state.

Within the mountains of western Ooloraclo, in the north, we notice first North park. The pasturage was but sparsely occupied, even by summer herds, before 1878. The general impression had been that stock could not winter there because the temperature from 500 to GOO feet above the Lammie plains was too severe and that its basin wonld hold deep snow. During the winter of 1879 some men from Laramie plains kept their stock in the park with success. The abundance of good grass gave the cattle a reserve of strength with which to meet temporary privation, and the central open ranges of the park were well swept of the excessively dr;.r snow. There were natural shelters, giving protection from the coldest storms. Mr. Gannett estimates that the park contained 700 square miles of fine grazing lands; unt, adding wood openings and other extensions of the park range proper,·f,here · are probably ne:Lrly 1,000 square miles of gn"Lzing of different qualities. Middle park is in the south of the same county (Grand). Its pasturage lies more in tletached portions than that of North pa,rk, and is at least 1,000 feet more elevated. For those reasons, and because less accessible than other ra.nges north n,nd south, it was but very lightly grazed in 1880, and bad not been trietl, so far as could be learned, for winter occupancy by cattle. Its grasses arc luxuriant. The extreme oceupation of Grand county was not 200 square miles.

Passing southward, the next importa.nt grazing range is tlrnt of South park, iu Pn.rk cotmt;y, lyirl.g about the sources of the South Platte. It eontains a vastura.ge area not less tluJ,I1 that of' North imrk, and in every respect ·exceeds in value any equal area occupied as a, grazing region in OolOrado up to 1880. It then helll ttbout 30,000 cattle and 5,000 sheep. Among its advantages is shelter on the foot-hills and in the momitain nooks. The surrounding mountains form natural bltrriers ~1gainst straying; the lu.y of its basin or main in closure is so situated as to be swept of snow; there is imre rnnniug water in abundance, and several warm springs are 01mn through the coldest winters; also a variety of grasses suited both for hay 1111cl for standing winter forage. The many mining camps within ev,sy dl'ive of its rai1ges fnrnish markets for an its meat procluct. The risk of an exceptionally severe winter is the chief drawback.

Following south, we come, belowthe Arkansas river and between tlle Wet mountains and the Sang·re de Christo mnge, to Wet l\fountain valley and Ilnerfhno park, the former range lying in Fremont and Ouster counties, the latter about the forks of the Huerfano river, in Huerfano county. The two ranges contain pasture equal to about five-eighths the area of the South park grazing. '!'he Wet Mountain range lies in the two counties that showed in 1880 the densest cattle occupation of western Oolorado. Although an olcl pasture, and available through both summer and winter, it still has afair quality of grazing. It extends well into the mountains, and has been, at t.imes, apparently eaten out. So, too, of Huerfano county, in the eastern port;ion of the state. The San Luis valley is the largest continuous range in western Colorado. It stretches from the upper Wltters of San Luis creek, where Iloman's park is situated, or nbont Ia.titnde 330 201

1 into New Mexico, and comprises, in Colom.do, one.fourth of S~guache county, one-half of Oostilla, one-fifth of Hio Grando, and about one-fifth of Conejos county. There are all 'Varieties of pasture, from limitecl rnlley and mountain patches of excellent qrn1lity, ptfocipally in the north, to arid sage tracts and alkali sands in southern Costilla. 'With an a.verage elevation of a.bout 7,750 feet the climate is favorable for winter grazing•. The mountftins form barriers on three sid'<ls, with hut two passes, Poncho on the nort~ and Mosclrn on the cast. The herds of San Luis valley rareJy c1rift boyond its nat.nral confines, and the labor of "round-up" is slight. The whole of this region was reported by stockmen to hrwc carried 50,000 cattle in 1870, but a less nnmber was assessed. In June, 18801 its neat stock was estimatetl to be between 4G,OOO uncl 47,000, of which 75 per cent. were north of latitute 370 451• The sheep of the four counties traversed by the Sa.n l1nis Vltlley are twice a.a numerous as tlle cattle, but they occnpy chiefly the regions above the valley, east and west of' it, and east of the Rio Grande south of Fort Garland. Iii the upper portions of San Luis valley the ordinar;r bunch.grasses premil.

In the middle region, clown to the Trinchera, and particularly west of the Rio Grande, the grama, grass prevails. Farther south salt grasses and sage form the grazing. Through the mouutitin borders and moist valleys blue-grass, wild oats, timothy, and clover are found. Along· the foot of .mountain walls on the east side of the valley the sand drifts in hills. Southeast of Meadow creek ancl from the San Luis fakes to the western :flanks of' tlle Sierra Blanca there is a wide sweep of sand-dunes, enc1ing in allrnli swamps or ponds in the southwest;, where greasewood prevails for 8 or 10 miles. Nortll of the lakes San Luis creek is not running water, but rather a broad bog of alkali mud, in which cattle sometimes perish from miring. The upper waters of the streams running westward from the Sangre cle Christo range have cut cleep canons, eucumberecl with timber rubbish. We may call the pasturage of the upper one· third of San Luis valley ''good" on an average. Most of the central portion on the eastern slope of the Lacarita. and the Del Norte mountains, following the Rio Grande out into the plains of the valley, may be classed from good to poor. The average pasture below the latitude of Fort Garland is poor.

North west of Roman's park, or the beginning of Sim Luis valley, and in Gunnison conn ty, there is tt range on both sides of the Gunnison rive,r up to the mouth of Tomichi creek. It continnes along the vn,lleys of the Gunnison and · East rivers, and along Tomichi and Ohio creeks. Mr. Gannett found it. in 1878 au excellent summer range untouched, and adjacent winter pasture existed in the lower valleys. Most of that pasturage lies within the Ute reservation.

Farther west is the Uncompahgre valley, with a limited amount of good g'razing. In Uncompahgre pa.rk, of about 3,000 to 3,500 acres, it is of good quality, but generally the table land of the Grande and Gunnison rivers

. 1003


is illy suited for herds. The rivers often run in deep cauons and tlle pasturage patches are broken by outcropping rocki:i or sprinkled with shale. Between the Uncompahgre river and the Dolores river is the extensive elevation called Uncomptthgre plateau, comprising about 2,500 square miles. A large proportion of this is said to lmvo admirable pasturage of coarse, strong grasses that preserve well for winter. It is supposed, though not tried, that cattle cannot survive the winters there. All accounts of Gunnison county son th west of the Grande and Gn111dson rivers are indefinite ii1 regartl to pasturage capacities. The disconnected pasture a.reas forbid the compacti11g·. of large herds, and it is remote from the highways and markets.

Of' the country northeast of Gunnison river and south of Grande river, up to Middle park, Mr. Gannett sn~·s: (a) We find imstnre ll1ml of au iucliJforeut qn11lity, grading here and thero into excellent grazing lancl on the pl11.teaus nt the fu.,t of

the park, aliont the courses of the Gmucl Eagle and the lower course of Roaring F0rk. Tho great valley of the Gmndo, at tho mouths of North -~fan aml Riile crooks is vm·y poor in gntss, aud cloes not improve farther down, whe1~ it is narrowocl !Jetwceu the North .Mau platc:1ll aml tho Roan cliffs. Tho broad valley of Plato au creek nncl tho northern slopes of the Gmud ~fosa are fair gr1tzh1g Iancl.

Uoan or Book plateau, in southwest Summit county, is well grassed where it is not too rngged, cnt up by calions with deep stream-beds frequently dry, and, where wet, diff:icnlt to reach. In the north, west of the 108th meridian on the descents to White river, the irregular grazing· tracts are well grassed. They are less ruggml and better waterecl south of White river than Roan or Book plateau. Pi-ce-ance and Douglas creeks furnish running watC>r at all seasons. North of the White rfrer east of the mouth of Deep Channel creek and extenc1h1g over the Dai\forth to the confluence of Good Spring and Milk creeks there is much good grazing, believed to be safe through the winter. West of Deep Channel creek, north of White river, towa,rd Yampa pfateau, the rugged plains m·e nearly arid and barren.

'l'he average pasture character of what remafos of Summit county is good, particuhtrly north of the ·.10th pamllel. There are rugged elevations, pieces of l.teavy timber, antl poor dry patches, that 111·event l:trge rm~as of continuous imsturage, but there itre more frequently luxuriant park and meadow spots. JDlsewbero a,re greateitracts of strong, coarse, self-curing grasses, with probable safety for herds iu winter. Gnnuisou couut;y helcl but 4,500 cattle and 5,000 sheep in 1880, mostly owued by Indians. Summit conntY. was toti1lly unoccupied, except per·hap8 temporarily by drifting from southeast Routt conut~'· The mining population of this region will p1·ohably consume wlntt beef it may produce in the future.

Houtt county, south of the Yampa, west of the 108tl.t meridian, is almost desert, a isage ancl stunted ]Jine region, ancl is a continuation of the arid region in Snmmit county. North of the Yampa ancl west of Htl'fo Snake river there are a few cattle tlrnt lrnve eome in from Wyoming, from the pastures of which this dift'ers in greater elevation aml more rnggecl topography. It is better watered than the Washakie basin and the gra::ises grow thicker on a heavier soil. Brown's park, in the northwest corner on Green river, befol'e it runs into Lodore cafion, was' known years ago as a wintering ground. There are widenings of the valleys of the Yarn1m aml theLittle Snake better than those of Brown's park becm1se heretofore less grazed. East of the Little Snake and north of' the Yampa, to the heights of Elk Head mountain an cl the Park range, ii; a high rolling region of generally very fair grazing. It becomes excellent in the bend of the Yampa for 20 miles east ancl west of tlle point where Gooll Spring creek enters it from the south. On the sloping bases of the mountains, which a.re but little timbered, the pastura.ge is also good. On the dry, exposed plateau between Godiva ridge and the Elk Head mountains the grazing is poor; no stock was in this part of R.outt county in 1880, except about the nortll bend of the Little Smtlrn,. where it strikes the bouncfary line bet.ween Wyoming and Colorado, and on (Saint Vra,in's fork. Occurmtion of the county, except west of the Little Snake, was very slight and variable. .A.hove the month of Elk Head cree.k stoclc occupancy extended, irregularly and but trausientl.Y, up the Yampa to Egeria park, and thence over into• Middle park. In all of Routt count,y there were in the census year lmt 7,700 cattle and no sheep, or tthoul:i one animal to each 500 acres.

Wheeler a,nd Hayden's surveys contribute most th[Lt is known regarding the extreme southwest beyond tile· San Juan mountains. About the Sa,n Miguel mountains, north and west, with the exception of limited tracts in Gypsum and Saucer Vl'Llley, the grazing is very poor itncl water scarce, sage, pifion, and a little grass composing the Yegetation. Southwest of the lia Plata mountains, to the neighborhood of the San Juan river, in tho very

· comer of the state, below the piue forests, the proportion of pasturage land is small, but water is not so searce as. farther north. Grama grass a.ml white sa.ge constitute the principal fora.ge plants; the sage occupying the dry places aud open plains, the grama growing· on the mountain slopes. South and southeast of the La, Plata mountains, as far east as tho spur of the San Juan rnouutu.ins, on the plateau belt midway between the New Mexice> boundary and the elevated mountain ranges and east of the I-tio Piedra, there are many pieces of fine pasturnge, fnmishiug approximately in the strip of country specified 250,000 acres. They occupy most of the southeast corner of Conejos counl-.y', on the Rio Nutrea, Rio Blanco, and the headwaters of the San Juan.

CATTLE.

The conduct of cattle-raising is very similar in Colorado, Wyoming, and western lfohraska, but the cattlo interest of Colorado has been very, much moclified in late years by dry seasons, 'the markets, and the introclnction of' sheep. The statistics of 1880 were affected by the disastrous drought of 187{) and 1880. l'[ot only were tho

1004 a Unitecl States Geologicnl Survey Report, 1876.

~ :

I


dried-out pastures overfed in 1879 and little old gmss left for winter subsistence but the continuance of drought until midsummer of 1880 without snow enougll for moisture or cover chuing winter prevented tlrn sta,rting of spl'ing grass. In some parts the general spriug "round-ups" were omitted nntil after the rains began, tho lwrds having· scattered in ever~' direction, the stock being too poor to hauclle, aml tlie difficulty beil1g great to gatller or morn them ·where there was neither 'vater nor grass. Stockmen did not know what cattle they possessed until later in the season. .Animals had cornpletel;y deserted some of tlw ranges on the plains aml crowded into other muges, es1Jecially those of the mountains or wherever there was wa,ter. Under snch circumstances aml the dishmtrteued condition of ranclnnen definite statifitics of 1880 were hard to get aud could only be computed after midsummer when owners were able to rnlLke approxinu1te statements to be compared with the assessment returns. About 150)000 stoek-eattle were driven. ont of Oolornclo duriug 11-380 hecmuse of the drought. Another result was tha,t a htrge proportion of the three ancl four yen,r old steers tlrnt shoulll have made beef in that year had to be carried over to 1881, to attain co1Hlit.ion, while outside cattle were brought into Oolornclo cities to furnish beef, for which more tliau half those driven in were used.

S1m;ying .has bnen practiced in some herds. The operation was performed on young heifers, and tlle spayecl cows in their fourth ;year were marketed at the sEwrn prie<) us steers. In certain cases reported, where nearly 2,000 aninmls were srmyell for special sales, tho losses were insignificant and the result waR entirely satisfactory.

The increase of calves for 1880 wits, of course, affectecl by tl10 c1isa.strous season .. -while the en.Ives constitntecl something over 20 per cont. of the total munber of cattle in 1870, in 1880 there were not more than 18 per cent. The increase of the cattle interest l>c~tween 1870 and 1880, a::i exliibitecl by a comparison of the mun bers of cattle on farmR, n.s reportc•cl hy the Ninth and the 'renth Census, is 390~ per cent. As this specin1 investigation of the statistics of all cn.tt.Je, both on farms and ranehes, is the ftrst attempt to inelucle cattle on the grazing ttreas, no compa1'isou mm be institnte<l except with the assumption tlmt the llroportion between farm cattle and all cattle was i;he same in 1S70 and in 1880. •

At this writiug we know of the great loss of cattle during tile winter of 1880-'81, but we learn also thi\t the. Rpriug and early snmnwr of 1881 produced superior pasture. This, with the rednction of-stock during the census ye:w, greatly improved the quality of stock. Their fine condition aml tho rise in value caused large sales of beeves fot· 11ome antl eastr.rn .markets. Beside this draught on the number of cattle, the llatnral increase of calves is l'l'J>Ortec1 to be retlnced by tlrn lrnrdsllips of winter as much as in 1880.

'rhe composition of certain herds of Oolorac1o cattle owne<l December 31, 1879, aggregating 124,576 head, ltS eompilecl from answers to cireu lars, was as follows : Bulls, 2,ns, 01· 1. 7 per cent. of the whole; cows, 42,336, or 31 per cent .. ; tbree-yenr-·old beeves, 12,087, or 9.7 per cent.; two-year-olds, 22,420, or 18 per cent.; yearlings, rn,937, or 16 per eeut.; calves, 25,609, or 20.6 per cent.

AVI·mAGE WEIGHT OP 14,440 GRASS-FED COLORADO CA'l"l'LE SOLD IN CHICAGO AND IN KANSAS crrY, NOVEMBER, ""' 1880. .

="=c·.·•.•~oooc:.••cc.-,.,,,.:=-========·=================c===========;===='7'====;=====

Xlnll of cnttlo. Whoro sol11. Number. Avcrngo ngo.

-----····-.----·--·~ ··-·----------~--~·-·---------------11-----------1-----1---

Ye~rs.

Colo1'11<lo-T~xnus, wlnt.erml ono or morn aensona on Colom<lo ranges ............................. - Cb!ongo,_ ........... ·······-·· lj ~02 nt <Jolornito.'.L'<>xn11a, wlnt~re'cl 0110 or mora sensona on Colorado rnngoa ................ ·- ·- ••• - - .•.•.• -- .do ...................... -••• 845 41 Colorn<Jo.'roxnns, wiot<irml one or moro aenaona on Colomdornngos .••••• ,- •••.....•• ·-·--·-·· ... Knnsns Cfty ............ ·-·- -·· l, 704 41 Coloraclo hnlf-hremls .............. -·····-··-········ .. ···-····-····· ............. -·---···· .••..•. Chicago ...................... . 2,878 81 Colerndobnlf-brcctls._, ........................... ········-·············"···· ········-··-········ Kamas Clty ................ --. 0, 898 81 Colorndo nnt.lvos "·····-···· ................................ _, ...................... ·-··········· Chicago ............... -.... --· 106 4l Colorndo untlvcs ............... ··- ·····-· ..................................... - ........... _ ....... K11nsns City ....•••..•• ·-·. - •• 1, 327 ' 3

------·---··--··----AVERAGE VALUE OF CATTLE ON THE .RANGE IN COLORADO.

--;::::--· -··--·--:=-:=:-::~:':".':':".~• ·-'···-----"-" ---~ ...... .... ----

Kin<l of oatt.Jo. Bu Ila. Cows. llcovoa. Tlmie-ycnr.ol<l Two-yonr-0111 Two-rionr·old Yenrllnp; Yonrllng atoc;1•a. atcorn. h~ fora. etoore. Jrn1fors.

-~--- ------ ---·---------Tc:x::w, from tho trail (< ) $12 00 to 12 50 $10 00 to 20 oo $16 00 to 17 50 $12 oo to rn 50 $11 00 to 12 00 $8 50 to $0 00 $7 50 to $8 00

'1.'e:x:nn, acclimlltccl. t . (* ) 14 liO to 15 50 23 00 to 24 00 10 oo to 20 oo 15 oo to 16 50 14 00 to 1G 00 ................... ·-~·. -............... $35 00

.o 7» 00

Americ1m (mit\yo) ...

Amorlc1m, grnclorl by t'$o0 00 t. im1lrovo1l bull~.

-----·-----~·--

17 50 to 18 50 28 00 to 80 oo 20 00 to 21 00 32 00 to ll4 00

24 oo to 20 oo 19 00 to 20 00 17 50 to 18 50 13 f>O to l•i GO 12 no to rn 50

27 00 to 20 00 22 00 to 23 00 lfi 00 to 20 00 15 oo to 10 00 14 00 to 10 00

Avornl(o llva wolgbt.

----Po1111d1.

sao 956 940

l, 007

934 1,2oa

063

Calves.

(*)

(*)

$8 00 to $0 00 0 00 to 10 00

·• Texns enttln of those clnaAos a~e sol<lom turn~d Jooso from tlrn trail on Colomclo ritngoa. t Only 11 fow thousand Tox1m 01ltt1<1 were <Mvon into Colornilo In 1880.

SHEEP. Oalifornia ttnd Oolorndo practice a similar cornlucj; of sheep-raising. Colorado has for years received the

·overflow of improved stock from California. It is well here to refor to New Me:xico in connection with Colorado, been.use, while there nrehnportnnt <1jff'erences of quality of stock ancl managmnent of flocks between the two,thejoiut. · aTea represents a, unity of gra,zing location, climate, top0grapl}y, pasturage d.istribution, and forage chi\racteristics. ''l'lte sou.them t1dirul oif Colorado in stock-raising practically belongs with New M:exico. Opportunities wera

1005


peculiarly favorable on the :field for study of the sheep interests, especially in New Mexico. In both Colorado and New Mexico the most important owners responded most courteously to the census inquiries.

Before 1865, extending back to 1850, the only sheep-raising in Ooloraclo was by Mexicans on the southern· stre&-ms near the boundary of New Mexico. It was simply an ownership, not a husbandry; the hardy, long-leggea, long-woolecl, fair-sized native or Mexican sheep were left almost entirely to" rustle" for existence, and they yielded a. clip of from 1~ to 21! pounds of wool. A.bout 1864-'66 a few Americans started flocks with the native Mexican ewes which were brecl with rams from the east. In the first-named year a Mr. Toppan brought in a flock from Missouri. The :first Colorado natives were further improved by the introduction about 1872-'73 of merinos. Since· that time the better California stock and merinos from Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania, have produced further improvement. During 1880 about 15 per cent. of the sheep were removed from the state to tb.e east am1 north. In addition to the loss caused by forced removal, only 48 lambs survived to every 100 breeding ewes; they represented but 21.l per cent. of the total number of sheep in the flocks specially investigated. The inc1·ease for' the year ending July, 1880, was but 26.78 per cent. on the flock of a year previous. From these facts we get au idea of the disasters in Colorado just before the investigation of 1880.

Our illustration below is of the business as it exists between the Platte and A1·kansas water divide and to the Arkansas river. This region, about 100 miles east and west by 60 miles north and south, is generally a dry, treeless. prairie, with au annual rainfall of 10 to 15 inches, the waters making their way from the divide to the .A1·kansns on an average slope of about 40 feet to the mile. Occasionally it appears in springs; oth.erwhm it passes on below the surface, and its presence is indicated by the vegetation. .As a rule, wherever auger ancl drill can reach watc1·,. there a sheep-camp can be made. But there are some areas of many miles where no wa.ter can be had. By established custom the possession of water commands the surrounding pasturage half way to the next water.

Take the experience of one flockmaster owning about 7 ,500 sheep in 1880. Be owns about 1300 acres of land,. worth $5,000, and he leases 1,000 acres of school lands for 2[ cents per acre, or $25 per annum. His builclil1g·s and. fences cost him $1,800; vehicles, harness, tools, etc., $450; four horses, $300; sundries, say, $200. His investment,. then, putting the sheep (5,917) at beginning of the year to be worth each $2 5o,·is, in rouml numbers, $22,000. The 500 acres owned and the l,ooo leased cover the water privileges of 30,000 acres of pub1ic lands adjoining, and. include meadow or other exceptional land reserved for bay, the different tracts varying from 40 to 100 acres in. extent, sufficient in each case to control all the water. He employs four men throughout the year at $351wr lf!Onth, and board. Board may be estimated at 30 cents per day, so that the steady labor costs him $2,118 per annum. In addition he hires extra labor during lambing and shea.ring. For the former, five men, at $30 per month for f'ort.y days, which, with board added, makes $260. The cost of shearing the 51917 ltdult sheep, itt 7 cents per fleece, wilL be $414 19; to which is to be added the board of the shea.rers, or $40, if'seven men shear for nineteen days with an average shear of forty-five fleeces each per day; these togethw· make $454 19; with the incidentals of packing the· wool, etc., we may put the extra labor· of the shearing time at $500.

Anoth.er sheep-grower in El Paso county began business in 1872 with 770 Mexican ewes i1nd 10 Vermont merino rams, at an aggregate cost of $2,100. July 1, 1880, he had 7,500 sheep, of which 151 were of the original stock of ewea, the whole flock worth $18,750, and his ranch outfits were worth $7,750; total, $26,500. Meantime, since starting in 1872, he had sold wool to the amount of $24,189 arid 250 wethers for $625.

vVe may consider the flock year to begin when lambing ancl shearing are done. The sheep go on summHr range about July 1. Ohanges from summer to winter grazing are generally but not always made. Tbe main idea is to· keep the flocks where there is grass, and in winter to have them sheltered, artificially or naturally.

l!"'or summer management the stock is divided into flocks, here alwa.;ys called "bands" (a); the numbers vary according to kind from 1,500 to 2,000 each, the ewes with lambs together, the wethers and dry ewes together, each flock under a special shepherd (here usually called "herder"), who is accompanied by a dog. The flock is put in an inclosure every night, for better protection.

The summer ranging continues until the last of Noviember, when the sheep are moved to pasturage with sufficient cured grass, shelters from storm, ancl stored feed for emergencies. Before winter sets in weaker m1imals are separated from the flock and made into an invalid flock, with which, perhaps, the rams are run during the dn.y. This flock receives special feed-hay or grain-as occasion requires. As a rule, feecUng is not necessitatell oftener than, perhaps, four winters in ten, but a prudent administration will always provide feed other than pasture for lambs and weaklings, and for rams before and during service.

Dry stock and wethers will stand almost any severity of weather on pasture alone; the use of hay on a sheep ranch is principally for the horses. ·About 1 ounce of corn i)er day to lambs, or 2!! ounces to other sheep, and twice the amount if oats are fed, is the usual ration for such as are feel. In 1880 corn delivered on the ranch in centraleastern Colorado cost $1 60 per cwt.; in 1879 it was worth $1 30; in 1878, wliile the deep snow lay, it was liau a.t !JO cents. Hay sells from $15 to $20 per ton; cutting costs from $4 to $5 a ton.

The rams are turned in with the ewes from abo1;1.t the 10th of December to the 20th of Jannary. They aro, aa a rule, pub in with the ewe flock at night and taken out in the morning.

a The word" band" is used with vocy different meanings in different localities in the West; it is used for a flock, a herd, a drove of -animals, a subtribo of Indians, etc. .Among stookmen it is used as the common name for either flock, herd, or drove.

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The more experienced flockmasters discard sheds except for fambing. High, tight corrals, with outlying snow and wind breaks, are preferred, as they afford snfilcient shelter and protection, are more cleanly, less liable to inducedisease, and the sheep do not overcrowd and smother themselves in storms.

Inasmuch as severe storms and exceptional years are such an important element in Colora.do sheep-grazing, lhe f'o] lowing facts pertaining to the experience of previous years in this regnrd may be of value:

l n the winter of 1371-'72 severe snow -storms caused great loss, and A.pril 7 a terribly cold win cl with :fine snow (the "blizzard" of the plains) was very destructive. Stock was then run without any artificial protection. The nrnn who owned the largest flock in the state at that time lost outright 17 per cent. of his sheep. The years 1874 and 1875 are memorable for extreme cold weather. The late storms during and just after lambing and shearing were the most disastrous. About the middle of June, 1876, there was a two days' storm of wind, snow, and hail. In the spring of 1877 again a like disaster came upon the flocks. During six weeks of December, 1877, and January, 1878, heavy snows remailled npon the ground, in many places coveriilji the pasturage entirely. One ranch, 18 miles east of Colorado Springs, lost 1300 head out of 3,700 while that almost nuexamplecl snow lay on the ground. The losses consequent were stiid to have averaged 20 per cent. of' the sheep. One mmt who then had 6,000 sheep without ]Jastnrage, bnt who had provided hay the summer before ancl bought Kansas corn at 85 cents per cwt., carried his sheep through with but little loss. Many of his neighbors, less pmdent, lost 50 per cent. of their stock. In March, 1878, an l~xceptioun.lly heavy snowfall, which clriftecl badly, burie<l some flocks caught without corrals tmd snow-breaks.

The remarkable drought of 1879, extending until July, 1880, .is elsewhere referred to. Mother ewes could not suckle their lambs. Sheep.owners were feeding· grain in l\fay and June, and then 1_nany fell short 33 per cent. of the usual proportion of lambs to ewes. The preceding spring lrntl also failed in lu.mbs, because the long, deep snow with frequent storms during December, 1878, and January, 1879, t;he breeding season, had affected the condition of both rnmR and ewes.

At tho present time reports have been received indicating the worst winter (1880-'81) ever known in Oolorado. 'fho.r l'<'JH'eseut the drought of 1879 and 1880 to have been followed by such snows and cold thlLt there has been a loss of 20 per cent. among the sheep of Oolomdo.

'£be experience of ten or fifteen years in sheep-misiug and the consequent great;er care a.nd skill ex1>ernlctl in the lmsiuess seem to be offset by the delicacy" of high-bred stock, un unusmil severity of climate, and a 1msturage dep1 eciated because overstocked. Some wool-growers believed this in 1880, and were purposiu g to meet the iirst danger by breeding in a "strain of sonthdown or cotswold. They argued that with the three·q ua:r;ters breeding of tbe merino blood on the old Mexican stock they had rednce<l the hardiness uncl the fecundity of the original stock as far as it was safe in tlrnt climate and under their system of pnstur11ge, and that more attention shoul<l be 1mid to tbe growing demand for mutton. As the Mexican blood diminishes, the herding instinct also decrenses and the susceptibility to disease increases.

About May 10 the lambing season begins, when extra hands are employed for about forty da.ys. Under goocl management the lambing flock is kept under vigilant gnarclianship on i·estrictetl pasture, the best a\'ailable, ancl fed as neeess:1ry. In the case of high-brecl sheep, the mother is immediately removed with her lamb to· a pen where the two may be sheltered and safe from the annoyance of other sheep. vVith less valuable and more hardy stock, the ewes ancl their lambs are separated each morning from the flock. Docking, ear-marldug, and castrating are clone wht~n the lambs a,re three days olcl. Then the mothers and lambs are gathered in what is called a "docked herd." vVhen .from 800 to 1,000 ewes with lambs are thus gathered, the flock is moved from the litmbing·-ground to another goo(l range near by, where it remains until shearing. Shmi,ring begins about tTune 20 to Jnly 1.

In eastern Colorado the areas occupied py sheep were overstocked in 1880, and the occupation sonth of Arapahoe conuty and north of' Las Animas~ excepting n. comparatively smtlill region in northeastern Elbert and one not so small in southeastern Bent county, rnached to the Kansas line. "\Veld and .Arapahoe counties east of longitude 1030 were not grazed by sheep. There were no sheep in eastern Las .Animas county.· Throughout western Co1omdo the occupation wa:s very sparse. During 1880 a i10table relief wns afforded to the overstocked eastern regions by 11 movement of sheep into Kansas. Whilst cattle were occnp;ying 03 per ceut. of what we estimate to be [tilproximately the total area of available pasturage, sheep were founll 011 but 04 per cent. There remained unoccupied space apparently on which to gr<"tze about 050,000 under similar conditions to those existing where sheep 1

were found. "When stockmen tttlk of 20 acres as a sutlicient pnstnmge for 11 cow and four for a sheep, they mean that those areas suffice when water is there uniformly accessible, but, as the.fact rules over the shtte, ii,OOO head of eattle need 200,000 acres (40 acres to the head), and 2,000 sheep must have a range of 15,000 acres.

Colorado flocks are subject to but few diseases. Scab prev~1ils to some extent, and spread alarmingly, htte. in 1880, from a diseased flock of 18,000 driven in from California.

In Colorado, east 1of the Rocky mountains and no~th of the Arkansas river, where tho stock b1'1siness has

assumed its greatest 'proportions, the number of sheep in 1870 was very small, n,rnl tlrn feeling against them was stro11g. In 1880, throughout much of the same region, sheepmen almost controlled the occmpm1cy liy holding the range by virtue of title to all the larnl containing water. At the time of inqnil'ies in Colorado, the avemge value generally put upon the so-called "arid" lands was 12 cents per 11cre.

Of eight flocks of Oolorado sheep, aggregating 66,463 head in 1880i as compile<! from answers to circulars, the composition was as follows: Rams, 649, or 1 per cent. of the whole; ewes, 29,213, or 44 per cent.; wethers, 22,559,,

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,54. PRODUCTION OF MEAT.

·Or 33.9 per cent.; lambs, 14,042, or 21.1 per cent. ·Of these 48.07 ,per cent. survived to yearlings. months old for a term of years was 8.5 per cent.

The estimated number of lambs dropped per 100 ewes was 85. The estimated average annual loss among sheep over twelve

The average value of stock and mutton sheep in 1880 was: Rn,ms, $.15 to $50; ewes, $2 25 to $3 i wethers, ;$2 25 to $3; aambs, $1 75 to $2 25; the average weight of mutton sheep was, live weight, 95 to 100 pounds; dressecJ. weight, 49 to 53 pounds. The average annual wool clip in each class was : n.ams, 10 to 14 pounds; ewes, 4 to 7 ;pounds ; wethers, 5 to 8 pounds; lambs, 3 to 5 pounds. The estimated average annual loss among sheep over twelve months old for an average term of yea.rs is 8 per cent., made up by the following causes: Disease, winter .and spring storms, wild animitls, old age, poisonous weeds, and snake bites .

. Scam is very troublesome, causing much damage to flocks, and is introduced anew nearly every season by trailsheep driven in from New Mexico. Coyotes, wilcl cats, and black eagles are very annoying to floclnnasters on the prairie, while among the foot-hills the larger carnivora are a source of danger to adult sheep as well us to lnmbs.

SLAUGH'l'ER.-According to Special Abstract No. 9, Manufactures, Tenth Oensns, fourteen slaughtering .establishments in the cwunties Bonlcler, Clear Creek, Ouster, Arapahoe, Gilpin, and Ijakc, slaughtered 21,018 ibeeves having an average live weight of 991 pounds, valued at $675,390; 37,166 sheep having an average live weight of 104 pounds, valued at $107,415; 9,590 hogs, ha;ving an average live weigl1t of 340 ponnds, and valuml .at $106,410.

ESTIMATED MOVEMENT OF CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE DURING 1880.

FilOll cor.OllADO. TO CO!.ORADO.

----·-------·------·------·--- ---···------------------------------,----DeaLtnntlon. Cattle. Sbeop. Sourco. Cn.ttln. Sho~p. Swino.

-----·------ --~---.. ------------·----Total..................................... 140, 800 151, 000 Totnl .................................................... , 21,880 Cl,420 14,640 ___ _. ____ \_-::-.:.;:;::.:_~ =

:Dy clrlvo ..................... W.>omlng ...... . no, ooo 2, 000

2(1, 000

8,000 Bytlrive ..................... Onliforn!tt...................... .......... 10,000 ........ .. Dy ddvo ..................... Arlzonn ........ . BydI"ivo ..................... Wyoming....................... 10,000 ................... . Dy clrlve ..................... Nelirnaka ...... .. 40, 000 By drivo ..................... Toxna........................... 6,000 ................... .

By <lrivo ......... ·-·--·-----· New MuxiCJo .. .. fi, 000 no, ooo 18, 500 2•t, 240

By cldvo ..................... Now llfoxico .................... ·---· ... -· 60, 000 ........ .. illy drivo ..................... Kunsns ....... .. 103, 000 By Colom<lo Coutrnl rnilrond. W~·omlug nnil Nollrnslm ...... , l, 640 00 ••• :. - ... .

Dy Union l'ncifio rn!Jroad.... Chiongo ........ . Dy Colomclo Contl'll] l'llilrond. !own, nntl Nol1r11Alm....... ...... ........ .. .......... 8l0 '.By Atchison, Topekl\ nnrl Kansna City .... . By DGnvor Pncific rnilroncl.. W~·omlng nnil Nohrnalm. ....... 4, 040 860 •••••• ---·

Santa J!6! mid Kansas l'MiJlo rn lrond. By Denver Pneifio rnilro1ul.. Iown 11ntl NollrnsklL ...... ...... .......... . ......... i;, 7(1()

By other rnilromla, cathntttecl lllooclecl. stock for Improving 800 1, 000 B, 000 hnr<ls1 Swlno for lmmodtnto

1

, conaumptiou.

----~------------~------------------~

CATTLE, sm~EP, .A.ND SWINE IN COLORADO .AS REPORTED FOR CERTAIN YEAHS.

Year. Authority. Onttlo. Sheep.• Swlne.

-------- ·-----------·------------------------------ ------ ·-·-··-----1870 ............... NlnthOensus{onfnrms)........................................................................ 70,736 120,GZS 5,501J 1879 ............... Bimminl report of St(l.f.o aiulitor ........................ ............................ ........ .... 530, 823 779, G35 9, 765

1880 ..................... do .......... ··--···--·.. ...... ...... ............ .•••.. ............ ...... ................... 5•12, OO·l 782, 040 7,470 rnso --·--·- ........ Tenth Consue (on fm·ma).... .......... •....• ...... •••••. ..... ....... ............ ............. .. . 840, 839 746, 4431 7, osa 1880-_ .. _. -_·_-_·_-._. -_·_· ._._T_en_t_h_C_o_n_an_a_{_o_n_f,_u_w_e_nn_cl_e_a __ u __ m_nt_c_d_u_n_on_n_m_o_r_nt_c_d_r_nn_c_h_11D_c1_1·_nn_g_o_a_to_c_k)_._·_· ._. _· ._. _ .. _. ··-·---~--.. -'----7-0I_, _49~----1, on, 44~-----~~

Sootlone.

ESTIMATED CA'I'TLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE IN COLORADO .JULY 1, 1880.

Sect.ions defined.

X!MA~'R AC!lllAGJn 01'' I .A.l'l'UO BTO CK OCCUl'AUON.

Unt tlo, F\hcep.

STOCK,

Onttlo. Sheep.* -~----- --------· I

Total.......................................................................... 42,5 :;s, ooo 20, 20D, 535 7!ll, 402 1, 091, 443 -~-·-·.

·-_c::-.::::.:-::~::_· ::-'-======:: ·-· -· ERSt-Orn ...... EttSt of tho Rocky mountains: i.e., enst of western llound1>ri~s of Lnrimer, Boulcler, SO, o

Gilpin, ,Jefferson, El l'nao, Pueblo, Ilucrfnno, nnd Lna Animns countios. oo, 000 21, 730, 535 013, 406 070, 585

'\Voetorn ..... West of tho Rocky mountnius: west of above <liviaio1i. ........................... :... 12, 5 58, 000 7, 478, 000 178, 026 120, 8ri8

* Seo nqtc to To:xns tnlllea, p. 81. Indlnn stock is lnclutlccl In nllove.

Totn,I land are1L of state--···· _______ .• ··-·._ ..•....••.. __ ·-_·----· .. _--· ____ .•.•... __ -·- .•.•.. acres .. 06,332,800 45,440,000 2,882,000

194,327

'l'otal n;pproximi.te a'roa of nvnilaulo pasturage __ •••.. ____ . . . _ .... ___ .. _. __ .. ____ .. _. _ ... ___ ... do _ .. Total m·ea of uuoccnpied <tvailaule pasturage. ______ . ___ . _____ . __ •. _____ .. ___ .. _ .. _____ ·-~.-·--, .do _ .• 'l'ota.l population. -- .• -- ___ . __ . ______ . __ ---· . --· .......... ·- _ --· __ ...... ·--- .... ··-· ·-- •.. ---- .... ·--·

Swine.

10, 885

a, 011

2,268

AYimAGE DENSITY OF 'STOCK (CATTI,E AND smmP) OCCUPATION.-llfoldug one head of neat stock the unit of stock, and cnisicleriug five sbeep to equal one hl'lad·of catt.le in refation to co11s11mption ofpn~tun1, we 11ave 1,009,781 units of stock, occupying 42,558,000 acres, ·Ol' 42.1':> ueres to tlie ltcacl.

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CATTLE, SHEEP, AND SWINE,

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