198 



'RECREATION. 



about equal. If no one were now willing 

 and able to try the experiment of restoring 

 a sufficient number of these animals to in- 

 sure them from total extinction, it wo'uld 

 be the duty of a great Government like 

 ours, regardless of expense, to do whatever 

 could reasonably be done to that end. 

 Thousands of dollars have been spent in 

 vain in the mistaken effort at the Yellow- 

 stone. Colonel Jones called attention to 

 the dangers of that experiment, and offered 

 to round up and save them from destruc- 

 tion ; but the offer was rejected, and head- 

 hunters, wolves, and the failure to breed 

 have almost annihilated that hard. 



Practically all the animals with which to 

 try this experiment of domesticating the 

 buffalo are under the control of Colonel 

 Jones. We recognize the fact that the buf- 

 falo, like the Indian, must be domesticated 

 or disappear ; but it is also true that an ade- 

 quate home must be found for the few re- 

 maining, or else they can not be protected 

 and preserved. After a few generations of 

 domestication their breeding can no doubt 

 be carried on without the broad range that 

 now seems necessary. To turn these ani- 

 mals out on the plains of any of the West- 

 ern States or Territories to take their 

 chances with domestic cattle would result 

 in their destruction. A range sufficiently 

 large and at the same time fenced in should 

 be provided for that purpose. The owner 

 of this herd is willing to bear all the ex- 

 pense of this experiment and asks mo Gov- 

 ernment aid. He can not turn these ani- 

 mals out on the open range without danger 

 of their entire loss. 



In New Mexico the buffalo finds his 

 natural home, both summer and winter. 

 There remain vast areas of unoccupied pub- 

 lic lands where the buffalo formerly roamed 

 and bred with much fruitfulness. Out of 

 the 600,000,000 acres remaining of the pub- 

 lie lands it is proposed by this bill to set 

 apart a tract of 20,000 acres ; not free of 

 charge, as the sheep and cattle men now 

 use that land, but subject, to a nominal 

 rental of 1 cent an acre; also 2 buffalo 

 in kind which are to be delivered to the 

 Government each year for the use of the 

 public parks. 



Owing to a misunderstanding of the 

 boundaries the original bill provided f®r an 

 unnecessarily large area, and the hostility 

 of the sheep and cattle men was at once 

 aroused. The committee, in reporting back 

 this bill, has cut the extent down to such 

 dimensions that we believe the bill would 

 meet the approval of even those interested 

 parties. The addition of this herd of buf- 



falo, instead of being an injury to New 

 Mexico, will be of positive advantage, be- 

 cause it will add an additional industry, or, 

 rather, will restore one which has been de- 

 stroyed. The lease is a temporary one, 

 and runs for but 20 years. If it is found 

 that the animals sufficiently increase under 

 this arrangement the lease could be re- 

 newed ; otherwise there would be no harm 

 done in terminating it. 



I visited the Yellowstone last summer, 

 and from the best information I could get 

 there were not to exceed 23 buffaloes still 

 alive. At $10 a head the 10,000,000 of these 

 animals that existed only a few years ago 

 would be worth $100,000,000. 



In 1873 Congress passed a law to pro- 

 tect the buffalo, but the President of the 

 United States failed to sign it and it did 

 not become a law. The failure to sign this 

 bill might be called another "crime of 

 '73." Action then would have been in 

 time. The failure to act now in this mat- 

 ter will be fatal. We believe the Gov- 

 ernment should make this experiment. It 

 ought to be made, even if it had to be 

 made entirely at public expense, but under 

 the plan proposed by this bill the Govern- 

 ment will not expend a single dollar. The 

 land to be used for the purpose is public 

 land. It belongs to the people. The whole 

 people of the United States are concerned 

 in saving our nation from the reproach of 

 allowing the entire extinction of the 

 American bison. Our children's children 

 would curse us, and they ought to, if we do 

 not prevent this reproach on the American 

 people from being consummated. 



There is another important feature con- 

 nected with this experiment. Domestic cows 

 can be placed on this range and crossed 

 with the buffalo bulls. That is no longer 

 an experiment. The product of this cross 

 is an animal with a coat heavy enough to 

 resist the severest Western winter storm. 

 This, however, is only an incident to the 

 real purpose of the plan, as there would 

 be no attempt made to breed from the fe- 

 male buffalo anything but the pure blooded 

 bison. The addition would be made by 

 breeding pure blooded cows, and so the 

 production of the pure bloods would not be 

 in this manner decreased. 



Your committee earnestly recommends 

 the prompt passage of the substitute for the 



bill. 



* * * 



Yet, strangely enough, in spite of this 

 masterly argument, the bill was not passed. 

 And so we must wait another year. 



Editor. 



Some male hairdressers dye old maids; 

 and female hairdressers die old maids. 



