National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-02-28
ColOrado-0ur Future Source of Beef.

At the great convention Of stock
, breeders lately held in Denver ther,
wns an interest shown which indicates
that when Texas fails in her supply o,
stock we shall have large source ol
: beef supply ready for us in the territory
on the eastern face Of the Rocky Noun
tains, and one, too, whence we may
draw far better quality of meat than
has ever been sent us by Texas. Mr.
} Fred. J. Stanton, speaking of " North
ern Colorado" says
Colorado is divided from north ia
south by strong line, Az miles OF
which is on the east, and comprising
the plains, and the remainder the noun
tain region. This is again divided by
what is known as The Divide" O
spur of the Sierras which runs from
west to east, thus forming natural
division known as Northern and South
ern Colorado, the south fork of the
Platte River, forming the great artery
of the northern portion, as the Arkansas
forms the great artery of the southern
portion. The great Platte River and its
allluents is the great source from which
we gain our magnificent system of irri-
cation canals and bitches. The great
Platte basin, in Northern Colorado, is
one of the most grand areas which the
world can contemplate. The grass
region extends from the boundary of
Nebraska and Colorado on the east, and
from the Divide through Wyoming on
to the Laramie plains on the north.
These grassy parterres-for they are so
-rivaling the wavy and brilliant colors
on the prairies of Iowa and Illinois,
have from time immemorial sustained
countless herds of the buffalo and the
roaming nomads of the pllns. The
| grass is green and beautiful in Sum-
ner, but i'll mid-winter has the appear
ance, rs well as more than the nutri-
ment, of well stacked and cured Eartern
hay. Perennial and never-dying, it
forms the food of the animal as well in
midwinter as it does in midsummer.
There is no necessity for cutting and
curing and stacking; the hay-making
of the East is scarcely known here.
The line of demarcation between the
dead and rotten grasses of the older
states and the live, realy-cured hay of |
Northern Colorado, is plainly to be dis
cerned as you travel on the Kansas
Pacific Railway AS soon rs You step
beyond the Colorado eastern boundary,
you step beyond the ctherial atmosphere
of the savNnu1s into the more humid
one of the continental, and then as you
approach the Atlantic sea-board, the
ocean atmosphere. Over this line of
demarcation, the humidity of the atmos-
phere rots the grass, and, unless cut,
cured, and properly taken care of, it is
valueless for feed.
For our water we rely, like our neigh
bors in Southern Colorado, mainly on
the waters of the streams for our irriga- |
than south of the Divide. Here, the |
sod Of grass is thicker, it grows higher,
and is equal in nutrition to the most
highly-favored portion of the known
world The shelter for our cattle is
ample, ard the great stock-men choose
our northern plains inpreference to any
other portion of Colorado. Go to the
Estes Park beneath the shadow of that
old primeval monarch of the ages,
Longs Peak; there George W. Brown,
Esq, our former banker, is wintering
his 900 head of fine cattle, without
the cost and trouble of cutting and cur
ing hay; from thence through Boulder,
Weld, and Arrapahoe Counties, are
countless herds in the valleys of the
Platte, Cherry, Box Elder, Kiowa, the
three Biious, and Beaver Greek, down
to the head-waters of the Republican
River Stretching along that distance
we hear incidentally of the following
herds, most of which here to-day have
their representatives: John Hitson, A.
900; Major George, 1000; J. W. Lief,
:, 200; Brown N Lathrop, 900; }. 5.
1900; L. II. Cole, 1000;
Samuel Hartzell, 700; w. w. Roberts, s
700 j. L. Brush, ], 800; Wilson Bros,
), 500; Bartels & Co., 1000; j. M. Will ,
son, 600 Hughes & Kerr, 1000; e. :
". Whitcomb, 1000; w. H. Cranmer, ,
|, 400; James Hart, 1900; Capt. May,
300, besides the hundreds of smaller
nerds ranging from 100 to 400. +
There has not been day since last {
April when our countless heards of cat |
lie could not, on the native hills, pre- c
serve their full weight and excellent |
The grass now is much l
nore nutritious than the new young
yrass in early Spring. Here, with us,
here is distinction between the up
and and bottom grass The upland is
iner and more nutritious, and runs to /
at and muscle the bottom product is :
and fetches a less price in the
market. The latter is like the Kentucky Z
,lue-joint the former composed of the !,
buffalo and gramma grasses, are un- =
,qualed for nutrition among the most .
cultivated clovers and grasses of the
,lder settled portions of the globe. The v
rice of hay in the Denvermarket varies /
rom SIS to 500 per ton. The Colorado Il
tock-man scarcely cuts pound of hay, d
ven if he has five thousand head, unless .
e has pony or horse which he houses a
nd keeps continually in use. !,
Northern Colorado has the advantage C
,ver any other portion of this section t
# country in her magnificent railroad d
ystem, and the easy access to market O
nd for shipment to the far east We Fl
AVE the Kansas Pacific Railway, through G
o the Missouri the Denver Pacific Il
connecting us with the Union
Pacific Railway; the Colorado Central
hallway, connecting lis with the Central
-old and silver region the Boulder
ALLEY Railroad, opening the coal-felds S
f that region to us; the Rio Grande e
nd New Mexico Railway, bringing the V
,roducts of Southern Colorado to the a
narkets here in our midst, and three u
thers in course of construction, all q
making n focal distributing point at 2
Denver, the metropolis of Colorado. p
And, Mr.. President and gentlemen of 4
he Stock growers Associatian of Col \
RADIO, you have a country and a range B