158 



the table. Eeturns from the whole uorthern section of the country, 

 where tlie winter was severely cold bnt dry, often refer to the obvious 

 fact that deficient protection increases the demand for feed as well as 

 iudnces emaciation, weakness, disease, and loss, while good housing and 

 careful feeding insure comfort, health, and thrift, but do not report any 

 local causes affecting condition worthy of special notice. In the South, 

 cattle appear to have suffered more than sheep from the prevalent cold 

 rains. In Virginia, owing to this cause, counties in which cattle receive 

 "no shelter and but little care," generally report bad condiiion — " i^oor 

 and weak ; reduced to mere skeletons." But there has been no difliculty 

 in securing good condition with proper protection and feeding. In 

 Buckingham, where there has been a decided improvement in manage- 

 ment and care, " many are now in good beef," and in Page and other 

 counties, for the same reasons, the condition is above the average. 

 Keturns of sinjjlar import come from the States farther south. In Texas, 

 though the general condition is above average, in a few counties suffer- 

 ing and deaths, from want of shelter and feed, have been frightful. 

 Titus and Kaufman report that 25 per cent, have been lost from these 

 causes ; Eusk, Wood, and Waller, that many have died ; Dallas, that the 

 loss has been fearful ; and Hamilton, that the prairies are dotted with 

 the carcasses of the dead. On the other hand, in Wilson, cattle have 

 stood the winter remarkably well ; in Collin the condition is much 

 better than usual, owing to the dry winter ; in Ashley, good beef is being 

 taken from the range ; and In De Witt many are fat enough for beef. 

 Arkansas and Missouri report an equally dark side, with no favorable 

 contrast. These two States are the only ones in which a majority of the 

 returns for cattle are below average. In the former State, Garland 

 reports that about one-third of the stock at large and fully one-half of 

 work-cattle have died, nearly all from starvation ; Independence, that 

 all are poor and feeble, and many have died through neglect and want 

 of feed ; Baxter, that the condition is worse than for many years. In 

 JMissouri, Cass, Clay, Lafayette, Washington, and Moniteau are coun- 

 ties reporting very bad condition and heavy losses for want of proper 

 protection and feed. In Iowa the dividing-line between good and bad 

 condition coincides with that between good and bad treatment. The 

 same is true in Tennessee, where the report from Campbell will answer 

 for the State, namely : " Those sheltered from the colcl rains look well ; 

 those not sheltered, in bad plight." In Kansas and Nebraska, owing 

 chiefly to precaution in storing up prairie-hay, better j^rotection, and 

 more careful feeding — these measures being doubly stimulated by 

 extensive failures of crops and by recollecting losses in the previous 

 winter — cattle have been brought through in a condition above average, 

 and with very much less sacrifice of life, vigor, and flesh than in the 

 winter of 1874. In California, for reasons previously stated, the con- 

 dition was never before excelled, probably never equaled. 



Sheep. — The condition of sheep is still better than that of cattle. 

 In the table for condition (also in that for losses) counties reporting 

 no sheep worthy of mention are classified with the " not specified," 

 and all simply reporting "good condition" are under the head of 

 " average." For all the States, out of 1,039 definite returns all except 

 162 are average or above. From the States north of the Potomac and 

 Ohio, with Minnesota and Iowa, but 45 returns of condition are below, 

 while 420 are average or above, and 57 are hot specified. Eelatively, as 

 with cattle, the poorest conditions are in Arkansas and Missouri, the 

 figures being in the former 7 above, 15 average, 12 below, and 4 not 

 specified, and in the latter, in the same order, 7, 35, 20, and 3. Eeturns 



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