Connecticut western news., 1875-11-12
ILIFF THE CATTLE KING.
A Colorado Cattle Rss@Ro One Huaa and Fl1ty-six Miles Long,. Dlsa sters | the Herd.


 A celsrndo Cattle RSSRe One Huna
 and Fl1ty.slx Miles Long,. Dlsa sters ts
 the Herd.
 l propose to givelsome account. of thl cattle king of tho West and the E"boss rancho ". of the country; says a core spondent of a Western paper. The cat
 tie king is none other than J. W. Tiff
 whose ranche is. in northern Colorado
 This ranche isione hundred and fifty
 six miles long and begins at Julesbure on the east, and extends to Greeley or the west. It includes bottom and upland ranges, and has several camps branches
 The chief rancho is nearly south of Sid
 ney and about forty miles from Jules
 burg. At this ranche there are houses and sheds, and some more, than two sec
 tions of land fenced in. All the cattle
 bought by MT. Tiff are turned over tc him and branded at this place. Here arc his private stock yards, with corrals chutes, and all the necessary conveniences | for handling cattle. It is on the South Platte river, and of course has fine watering facilities, while from the bot tom land adjacent plenty of hay may be cut for the use of the horses employed in herding. He cuts no hay for his cat tie. They live the entire year on the rich native grass on his range, and with the exception of severe. winter now and then, the percentage of loss is not very great. ,--.,., .,,,.- .--4 s.,,.
 Mr., Tiff is, thorough cattle man, and from his long experience hhs a, per feet knowledge of, the business.nJ He has bought and now owns some twenty thousand acres of his present ranges and will undoubtedly pqrehase more. land as soon as it comes into market, . He snow owns 26, 900 head of cattle, and will have this number after his sales for the present year are completed. The mum Der of calves branded this year ons@hiis rancho will be from 4, 500 to 5000 head, and his sales of three and four year old steers and fat COWS the present fall will probably amount to about the same mum Der. He told nae he expected to realize the sum of $33 per head net on his sales this year. At this rate 4, 500 head would bring him the snug little sum of $14S,- 300. To take care of this immense herd he employs from twelve, to thirty five men-very few usually in the winter and the largest number during the "round ups " in the spring. At the present time he has twenty-fou mon, employed and is cutting out of his herd the fouf-s year-old steers and fat COWS which he intends to ship. While engaged at this work the same men arc gathering the COWS with unbranded calves, which they put into the corals near by, and after. the calves are branded they are turned loose with the herd again. His herd is rapidly being graded up by the intro duction of thoroughbred Durham bulls {
 In addition to the cattle raised On his rancho, he deals largely in Texas and Indian cattle, and has now advertised for 20, 900 head of. Texas. cattle to be de7, livered at his ranche in July of next year. .Mr.sIlif estimates the increase of cattle from his home herd- outside of purchases and sales to be aboutseventy per cent. per year, and about equally divided as, to gender His shipping points are at Pine Bluffs and Julesburo on the Union Pacific, and at. Deer's Trail on the Kansas Pacific. Lest any one should come to the conclusion that this business is all, profit and that the expenses and losses do not amount to much, let me further state that Mir. Tiff s policy is to keep his expenses as low as possible, having the keeping and safety of his cattle constantly in view. Last year I think the expense of her1ing. etc., amounted to less than $15, 900, and will amount to a still less sum this year. But the losses from thefts and death | 'ome years are frightful. The winter, of | 71-2 I think was very severe. There | were deep snows over his range that re- | nained on the ground a long time, and he storms were incessant. Inthe midst | ,f these storms Mr. Tiff visited his [ 'anche and found his cattle literally lying by thousands.
 On the islands in the South Platte .iver he found and drove off into thel and hills on the south side, after great sxertion, some 2, 700 head, and of this | number less than half have since been 'ecoyered., Their, bleaching bones now Ehiten the plains in the vicinity where hey were frozen and Starved to- death, md those that were recovered were oun7 in two different States and four Territories in the Union.a More F han SPA ,000 were expended in trying o find them. Nor was this all. It was impossible to tell for & number of years HOW much the loss had been. His books howed nearly five thousand head 'un- accounted for. No trace of them be- 'ond skeletons could be found. md at last-in the spring of 1874, I. hink it was-this number was charged o profit and loss account, and the books balanced for new start. This arge number would probably have at least ss20 per head could they nave been sold the fall previous, and t this rate they would have amounted o $100, 1000. I estimate, his, capitalgin- 'ested in the cattle business at $500; coo, nd yet from it's very nature he0islliable o lose half of it during the coming eason.