| Show BEEF AND MUTTON I Some Facts About Cattle and Sheep in Utah ATERRITORIAL FOOD SUPPLY Statements of the StockKalslng Industry Which are Xot Generally Gener-ally Known Last Sunday morning we published a few extracts from the Census Report relative to the cattle and sheepraising industries in Utah and some of the statements contained therein have been I referred to by stock men as worthy of preservation as matters of history in connection with a business which is destined to be one of the leading resources of the Territory This morning morn-ing we again select from the same report believing the matter will be of account to all interested in the industries indus-tries of beefraising and woolgrowing The subjects are engrossing the attention atten-tion of a large portion of Utahs population popula-tion and the present article is written with a view to aid in maintaining the concern so greatly manifested of late in stockraising in Utah Referring to the early introduction of sheep into the Territory the paper remarks re-marks Mr Daniel Davidson at present a prominent flockroaster in Utah who passed through Salt Lake City in 1854 en route for California described the stock owned by the settlers as very fair native States sheep having a grade of the Saxon and Cotswold in them though there was also a considerable number of the pure Mexicans Many small lots of footsore sheep with occasional Cotswold Cots-wold rams were obtained from the Californiabound wagon trains In this way two merino rams aresaid to have been obtained in 1858 At intervals inter-vals from 1859 to 1803 the excess of mutton sheep was disposed of by driving to the mining districts of California and Nevada Owing to the large importations of New Mexico and coarse Missouri sheep at intervals between 1858 and 1863 the quality of Utah flocks was lowered In 1866 upon the establishment of a woolen mill in Utah there was demand for finer wool than had been produced Henry Dell traded to Brigham Young in exchange for fat weathers 5000 graded merinos from California derived from Mexican ewes bred to fine woolen rams After the war of the Rebellion the high prices of wool stimulated a demand for stock sheep which was supplied between 1869 and 1876 from California and Nevada The majority of these flocks were more or less improved by the use of merino rams In 1SG9 Christensen brought I in some Cotswold and Southdowns succeeded by others yet in 1871 only three wellgraded flocks were owned in the Territory and these were of the Cotswolds merino rams having been as vet used in only a few flocks Previous to 1873 the Wasatch i and the Deseret mills and other home demands consumed all the fine wool produced The amount was insigni ncant not over 80000 pounds for machine ma-chine manufacture in 1872 according to Mr James Dunn while the total wool clip of the Territory was not over 400 000 pounds In 1873 Mr Davidson brought in highgrade Spanish rams an example followed by other stockmen and resulting in a few years in the presence pre-sence of a large number of merino rams from Vermont Kentucky and California Cal-ifornia of both the Spanish and French dna Speaking of the sources of loss among sheep the report says The migration of sheep flocks encourages encour-ages the prevalence of scab This disease I dis-ease was said oy all flockowners to exist almost universally throughout the Territory Previous to 1 < 57U no Mormon sheepman practised dipping his stock I as an antidote to scab but in 1879 many flockowners dipped their sheep Handling sheep for the disease was I still extensively adhered to which consisted con-sisted in catching such sheep as were seen to be affected and rubbing grease I mixed with mercurial preparations on the diseased parts Close attention to the appearance of the disorder often I kept it under control never however fairly eradicating it When flocks were I entrusted to lazy unreliable herders who failed to apply tho ointment frequently fre-quently the progress of the disease 1 during the long season of absence ab-sence on the deserts was often rapid and resulted in great mortality from weakening animals thus causing 1 them to succumb to storms while the wool product of the surviving flock I would be much reduced The custom of driving thousands of sheep each spring to the neighborhood of the river Jordan for shearing convenient to the Salt Lake market has also tended to spread the contagion Flockmasters assert that the bed grounds of infected sheep are a sure medium of disseminating scab to a healthy flock which may later occupy the same spot Each season between 100000 and 200000 sheep approach this common rendezvous in shearing time Of other troubles occurring among sheep blind staggers was stated to be the most common and fatal though no great mortality resulted from it Losses by alkali taken in too large quantities with feed or drink while heated with traveling and from bears mountain lions coyote or wild cats in the up land summer feeding grounds were occasional oc-casional throughout the Territory and in some localities of more frequent occurrences oc-currences A flockmaster of White River reported the loss of thirtytwo valuable blooded rams in one night by a mountain lion that entered their pen This owner attributed a 5 per cent loss each year to wild animals an uncommon uncom-mon complaint however in most sections sec-tions of Utah Referring to the stealing of cattle and sheep for which protective measures are now being taken in the organization organiza-tion of cattle associations and the selection of a corps of detectives throughout the Territory the report re-port continues Although thefts of cattle and sheep were rare on the majority of Utah pasture grounds the outlying desert border ranges were tne scenes of occasional occa-sional serious depredations Desperadoes Despera-does would run a drove of cattle or of horses across the deserts to the west by forced drives and resorting to some isolated locality hold the stolen stock until the immediate danger of pursuit being over they could move it to some mining market Fixing brands that is changing the shape of a brand on a cow so that it might be openly claimed on the range or sold with effrontery at the localmarketa was another reported device of these cattlethieves The dif iculty of following such trespassers over the barren wastes tojwhlcb they resorted resort-ed or of routing them from a country full of hardships to the pursuer favors a few bold marauders familar with desert trails and secret watering places In connection with the weights of cattle the report says From the statement state-ment of ranchmen and butchers the average weights in 1880 of grassfed beeves three and a half years old from the Utah pastures are estimated as follows Native ungraded cattle live weight 1055 pounds pressed 550 for cattle improved by use of graded bulls live weight 1175 pounds dressed Cln pounds There was a general belief that the average weight of the animals I had increased 10 or 12 per cent between 1870 and 1880 due to better breeding According to Special Abstract No9 Manufactures Tenth Census of 2677 beeves slaughtered valued at 56 185 the average live weight was 1100 pounds j of 0640 sheep slaughtered valued at 16600 the average live weight was 160 pounds and of 360 nots slaughtered valued at 6400 the average live weight was 360 pounds In the compilation of the information acknowledgement is given to Mr E C Hall anQ besides the recognition of the labor of that gentleman the cordial and hearty spirit with which the objects of the report were advanced the census commission acknowledge the cooperation coopera-tion of the following gentlemen in securing secur-ing information Hon John Taylor Daniel Davidson Esq Colonel John R Winder and Bishop Sheets of Salt Lake City Bishop Nichols Brigham City j Bishop Snow Manti j Messrs Charles Popper Patrick H Lannan John Whitney and Sharp S Walker Salt Lake City LieutColonel H Douglas Camp Cameron j William Jennings Esq Heber P Kimball EsE Es-E M Weiler Esq Major Dix W L Pickard Esq A S Patterson Esq Hon H S Eldredge and Messrs SteenCo Salt Lake City Mr L C Lee and Dr F E Roche Corinne Mr M L Shepard Beaver James Dunn Esq Provo Mr Daniel Whitbeck Juab Mr Newton Dunnion Tooele Adam Sharp Rush Lake Judge Bean Richfield Mr Jonathan Black Manti Mr Lyman Wood Springville Mr L Bartlett Pack Creek Piute county Judge W G Smith Morgan MajorJ J Critchelow Uintah reservation Mr William Halls Huntsville |
