The Hickman courier., 1874-09-11
c,TTIE TRADE OF THE WEST.
The Increased Transportation of Trans
5fissfssippi stock.

CATTLE TRADE OF THE WEST.
rhe Increased Transportation of Trans
mississippi stock.
A large proportion of the cattle from
Texas are driven westward into the ter |
ritories. There they fatten for the mar
ket. and provide beef for the growing
cities and towns, mining regions, ana
military posts 1t is tn 'gAt that the
entire drive from Texas this year INTO
Kansas will number over 6O0,OOO head.
Perhaps one-fourth of these go into
Colorado and Wyoming and westward
10 Utah. while most of the balance seek
tba eastern market. At this season of
4be wear one viii be struck with the ap-
pearance of the numerous ana 1he-
looking herds grazing along the Arkan-
sas valley from Wichita rs far West as
Sargent. and thence scattered at inter
walls to the foot of the mountains. AS =
sonnDIe Of the size of these herds L
r1i,bt men+ionthat list of forty-three
herds in tI,a vicinity showed total OF
10 eO8 head of cattle. While it is claim
a6 that the driye TO Wichita this year
will not exceed160, 600 head, not much
over one-balf what it was last year,
some of the otter towns on the line OF
the railroad hving been found more
accessible for Shipment, yet it is notice
able that the osality of the stock is APP
narentlv muchbetter than that of form
er season. .,
The further the focks get westward
the greater their tendency to increase in
siza, In the vicinity Of Hugo, on the
Kansas Pacific about 100 miles beyond
| the eastern barders of Kansas, some of
the old plainD EN- have formed a stock
| company. ane ,4ntrol from 90, 900 to
| 30 600 head. E&ere are huge herds also
near EllswortsE Eld Bunker Hill. Down
on the Arka . near Fort Lynn, the
children Of EsMjaTson and one or two
| of his old StE les own herds of from
D OOO 70 < q E& ~ 4 1a0ssll 10. s---ie
- - .sg syattle: J. w. Ilifs
$4,000: L. SWhton, 5000; Taylor,
! GAYLORD & CSN 600. There are over
twenty herds, nbering from 1000 to
| 5000 each. 1.-The parks of Colorado
extensive fiocka viii also be found.
Throughout tx middle and southeast
ern portions oEKansas a large amount
of stock is now being driven eastward,
the e,ttle being allowed 70 Craze along
the way. Tie droyers viii soon be
hurrying forward their herds, however,
for feed is short, and it will cost too
much to winter stock in Kansas, owing
to the short corn crop. Where last
winter there were thousands of cattle
scattered Throughout Kansas, and the
winter before still greater numbers, II
fatten on tho surplus grain, this year
there viii befery few. The fnll corn
cribs of Misst1ri and Illinois tempt the
drover that way, and in the spring he
| viii be nearer the great markets. There
are various estimates of the numbers
that have been wintered in Kansas il
former seasons, but the range is from
100, 600 to 175, GOO
You viii at this time of the year. see
the Colorado spectators prying THEN
wav into the broad pastures or by-waye
Of Kansas and Nebraska, buying M
| here a few and there a few in an appa
rently indifferent way, as il the cattle
were hardly worth their care getting
them at low dom prices, and finally
marching with great herd back toward
the mountains todouble and quadruple
on their purchases. Just now stock al
some points rules fabulously low. You
can pick oft Texm heifers from a herd
at S6 TO So per lead, cows at SO, and
sheep at sixty celts. Beef cattle have
DEGu EOltl dA " AIIAAtA al ufC GElELS Del
pound on foot.
The Kansas city market has for the
past two or tbreeyears held a controll-
ing position with regard TO the Texas
cattle trade. This is a great 9istribut
ing point, and stock men seek it from
Illinois, Miss ouT, Iowa and Indiana
making it during the season their poini
for selecting and shipping stock into
their several states to feed, or TO tn,
Chicago and st. louis markets for beef
There are extensive yards into which
the various railroads run, aud good op
portunities for shipment. A large pack
ing interest has also sprung up here.
direct connection With Texas has lately
been obtained. andthe business of for
vVardineS stock. diesssly 3 from their native
pastures to this poht has been under
taken TO some extern. But this expert
ment has already. it is claimed, proved
unsatisfactory. Thecattle rarely attain
q good marketable condition in Texas
and when they do, raj transitover suci
long distances reduces them to a condi
tiOn unfit for market when they reacl
here. As the prodTtion of cattle j!
one of the main inteests of the grea
state of Texas, who's herds are counted
by millions, its pastures viii doubtless
for years continue TO furnish the ives
with beef. The cattle viii be driver
as formerly across the plains, fattenins
as they go, and reading the railroad
by the trails whichfor months have beer
alive with the g long horns, " and takel
to Kansas city for distribution into tn,
various states. The supplies which tn,
different markets reqnire, and the pro
portion going into the various states
may be calculated from the following
figures, which show the shipments o
cattle eastward fromKansas City during
last year: : Hannibal aud ST. Joe rail
road, 1888; st. Louis, Kansas Cit,
and n. railroad, S2,674; Missouri
Pacific railroad, 1912 driven out
As, AL. Shipments we're also made by
various other roads, showing total o
227, $50 head. Those via the Hanniba
and ST. Joe road went to the Chicago
market by the other railroads to tn,
st. Louis market while those driver
out were distributedto large extent Il
feed throughout Missouri and Illinois