100 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. ~ 
[March, 
CAMELS UPON T 
necessary here to speak. On the southern des¬ 
erts they at first hade fiiir to succeed. They 
crossed rvith ease those desolate stretches that 
■were very trying to horses and mules, hut while 
they could go longer without water, the “alka¬ 
line water” of the American desert seemed as 
fatal to them as to other animals. They obtain 
from the stunted shrubs, where there is little or 
no grass, a larger proportion of their food than 
horses or mules ; and it is stated that they Avill 
even eat sparingly the stinking" Creosote hush” 
{Larrea Mexicana) of the Colorado and Arizon¬ 
ian deserts, a plant no other animal will touch. 
Various causes induced the sale of govern¬ 
ment camels, and we believe none arc now 
owned by the government, hut that all were sold 
in California, and arc now scattered over that 
state and Nevada. "We have heard of no camels 
in Texas since the beginning of the recent war. 
They were a losing speculation to govern¬ 
ment, selling at only onc-lifth of their original 
cost, or even less, for it is currently stated that 
camels which cost the United States $1,800 
each, sold at an average of about $150. Some 
of the Bactrians that were imported privately, 
proved a better speculation, we Ijelicve. 
The dromedaries are the largest, and some 
were fine animals compared with the miserable 
Caricatures Ave see in menageries. The strength 
of one of them Avhich aaws detailed for use by 
the United States California Boundary Com¬ 
mission, in 1800, Avhilc at Los Angelos in South¬ 
ern California, Avas tested by some of the reck¬ 
less employes. lie was packed Avith a load of 
2,300 pounds, Avhilekneeling; he rose and Avalk- 
cd about the corral Avitli that enormous load 
and did not appear to be injured. IIcAA’as kil¬ 
led a fcAV nights later by one of his mates that 
got loose and attacked him Avith his ponderous 
HE AMERICAN DESERT. — 
feet (their weapons of offence). The heavy 
blows could he heard nearlj’ a mile, Avhile the 
drivers dared not inteferc. The skeleton of 
this animal was sent to the Smithsonian Insti¬ 
tute, where Ave suppose it is noAV to be seen. 
It is a curious fact that horses and mules are 
A"ery much afraid of these animals, until they 
become accustomed to their appearance and 
odor. A grizzly bear does not inspire so great 
terror, as does a camel. Sometimes the horses 
seem perfectly frantic even before they can 
see the animals, simply from smelling them. 
The newspapers stated that at one time, about 
1859, the town of Brownsville in Texas passed 
an ordinance declaring camels a nuisance, 
and prohibiting their being driA^en through the 
streets, OAving to their effect on the horses; and 
California ncAVspapers contain many accounts 
of runaway horses in the Auirious towns where 
camels are seen, incited by this same cause. 
Nevertheless, AA'hen horses and mules become 
accustomed to them, they appear very much 
attached to their homely comrades. 
A fcAV camels arc now scattered over Cali¬ 
fornia, but most of them are in Nevada, where 
the}' are used mainly in packing salt from the 
deserts for use in the processes of siNer ex¬ 
traction ; the usual load is about GOO to 800 
pounds. We have no means of knoAving the 
actual number of camels noAV aliA'c in this 
country, but as before slated, their numbers are 
decreasing, although soiAe luiA'c been born here. 
There are several causes 'which combine to 
render the success of camels in the United 
States more than doubtful. Our deserts arc un¬ 
like those of Asia and Africa, they are more 
covered Avilh shrubs, and often the surface is 
strewed Avith sharp, cutting fragments of vol¬ 
canic rocks. We have much greater daily c.x- 
for the American Agriculturist. 
.-\ 
tremes of heat and cold, and at times heavy 
rains and snows. At these times, the feet and 
backs of the camels are apt to get very sore. 
An Arab can wait; he is never in a hurry ; if 
he can find feed, a few Aveeks more or less is 
not of much matter. Not so with the Ameri¬ 
can, he is in a hurry, he can not wait, even to 
save his camel. Furthermore, in Asia camels 
are abundant, so that if one gets sore and the 
caravan is in haste, the animal is sold or traded 
for a sound one. A few Aveeks’ rest aa'IH recruit 
him, and he is ready for a new journe}'. But 
here he is used as long as he can go, then 
throAvn aside for new animals. They seem ill 
adapted to the habits of Americans, especially 
that class Avho have long lAScd mules for pack¬ 
ing on our western plains. 
“ The last camels I saw,” sa}'s Prof. Brewer, 
“were near Virginia City, Nevada. Their hacks 
had not been cared for, and they had been used 
in packing heavy loads of salt from the deserts. 
Salt water and alkali had accumulated in the 
long hair of their humps, their pack-saddles had 
galled them, and great loathsome sores nearly 
coA'cred the parts touched by the saddle. A 
pitiless snow squall was sweeping just then 
OA'cr this inhospitable region, and those miser^ 
able beasts having fallen into bad hands, and iii 
a bad climate, looked Sadly enough. Late Cali¬ 
fornia papers relate that soon after opening the 
last addition to the Pacific Rail Road in that 
State, the locomothm demolished a camel that 
had strayed upon the track. "Who he belonged 
to, or hoAV he came there remained unknown. 
The merciless steam-Car knocked liim aside to 
give place to a more truly American favorite. 
lYe have more hopes in the success of the Pa¬ 
cific Rail Road, than in camels, be they onc- 
humped or tAVO-humped.” 
