The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-05-13


tive of Indians, the figures run from 81 (
$40. The averages for the State of thes
four classes are, respectively, S3.1S, S5.2
S. l6, and $ll 81. The highest price re
turned in January for cows was $50 il
J Harris, and $50 in Collin. Ellis, and Mar
/. on. The lowest figures are S6 in Mason
| IS in Cherokee and Fayette, and 80 il
Live Oak. The State assessment of stocl
cattle is usually about 81, scarcely eve
reaching s.. My estimate of present rea
value is 81 80
The profit of well directed stock-grow
! ing enterprise in Texas has been large. evel
princely. 1t is claimed that it costs les
! TO raise an OK there than chicken on tn
Atlantic coast. While money is essential Il
large and immediate returns, it is, per
haps. true that in no other section of thu
country can an industrious poor man ar
rive at competency with so little effort
especially if engaged in stock-growing
! have an account of an old lady in MasoI
County, who started with several chick
ems, a pig, a COW, an old pony, and bon
Oftwelye years to assist her, and who, il
five years, attained an annual income O.
s.. 600 in gold.
Cattle do well in nearly all portions o.
Texas, from the salt flats ON the coast to
I the mountains, and from the Rio Grande
TO the cane bottoms of Red River. The
pine woods region of the east is less de-
sirable than other sections, having less
nutritious grasses. though they are quite
sufficient ior local requirements. The
black-wheat lands of the northern central
counties, at least twenty in number, are
more valuable for general culture than
mere grazing. Western Texas is the
chosen home of the grazier, from the
mouth of the Rio Grande to the northern
limit of 1.-THE Panhandle" near the south
ern line of ColOradO-a pasture eight de-
grees of latitude in length, with
out fencing or rental, now, as
heretofore, full of cattle, having
literally "milliOns in it." Yet all sec
lions are not equally full, immense tracts
having com parativelv few. The cattle
region is west of the BraZos, mostly west
of the Colorado, and the favOrite locations
are in the country drained by the Nueces
and Atascosa. The largest herds are in
the southern half of this western belt, the
more northern counties being subject to
incursiOns from Indians, as well as the
more distant and almost unknown divi-
sions, Preside, Ell PasO, and the PAN
handle, through which runs the Canadian
River. In all this region summer and
winter pasture is free to all, those who
own the cattle owning little or none of the
land, which belongs to the State of Texas.
The cost of raising stock Is practically eX-
pressed in full in the expense of branding,
watching, and gathering for sale. Drov-
ers are accustomed TO gather up droves of
800 to 900 cattle, three or four years old
for brief feeding for beef, and two years
Il .l- l.
Territories. lie takes power of attorney
from the owners, authorizing him to
drive and sell their cattle, and the hide
and cattle inspG ctOr takes notice of
every brand and ear mark, and classifies
them as to age and value, and the inspec-
ton is recorded in the County Clerks of
flee, constituting legal Indebtedness of
tie drOver for every animal thus taken.
The trade of drovers has been very
brisk since 1870. On the Old Chisholm
trail, from May to November II, 1872,
292 drOvers passed Caldwell, Kan, with
3i9, ,275 cattle, making the average per
drove very nearly 200. the largest droves
being-4, 500 by Little & Perryman, 3 GOO
by Brooks & Mulligan, 3,400 by &. Van
Wrinkle & Co., 1920 by Brooks & Gatten.
3,05S by Harden, 1900 by King d Staples !;
several at ., 800 TO $500, and two as low as
$50. This will illustrate fairly the size of
drOves from Texas to Kansas.
j have seen many statements Of the
size of herds in Kansas. 1t is impracticable
to attempt to name all the large cattle
ranches. 1 will mention few herds re
Gently reported in my correspondence.
On the Gulf coast Mr.. Kennedy has in
closed " Laureles" ranch. by running a
fence fifty miles, costing 100000, across a
neck of a peninsula, thus inclosing
by fence and water 10000 acres
The RQekport and Fulton Pasture Com
pany, OH N,tReeS Bay, incloses 115,000
acres, with asfew miles of fencing. on one
side. ROckport is the great attle-slipping
port for Western Texas. In Refugio
County there are large herds: John IL,
Woods, 1880; John Linny S, IL 800; +.
q Il. Dushel's, 5000; b. f. Gooch, in Ma
son, 30 600; BurreH Y0looroa, of Grayso
has 10000 scattered over several counties.
In San Patricio and other counties, Cole
man, MstheS & Fulton, of Reckport, esti-
mate their cattle at S5,000-25,000 in pas
ture, the remainder on the range. They
have made a single purchase of cattle TO
the amount of S130,000. The Peninsula
Company have, near Rockport, a pasture
of 81, 900 acres, inclosed by a cypress fence.
In Limestone County, Heaton d Harmer
have 5000 head. In Harris,s William
M'Faddon has $1,000, and George Butler
1900. | have a record of large number
owning 5000 to 10000, and there are many
more that own much larger herds, were
there time to collect and space to print
them.
Probably more than 100000 of Texas
cattle have been driven into Kansas since
the war. The drive of last year was not
so heavy as those the previous years,
but has been estimated as high as l75,000
The shipments of cattle over four Kansas
from January to August, 1873,
consisting mainly of cattle wintered over,
was l02, ,426; and for the same period in
1874, 122, 2,9l4, with $4,000 remaining to
ship. 1t was estimated that $4,000 more
wintered cattle were taken by Govern
ment contractors. The drives of one year
are either kept up on the Kansas or Ne
braska ranges till late in the fall, or win
tered over, before sending east.
A detailed account of this cattle move
ment, of the cost of driving and wintering,
of the contests with native stock owners
arising from fear of the Texas cattle dis
ease, and of the business generally of cat
tie growers, would more than fill the
space allotted to this chapter. Itis a busi-
ness of manifest importance in the future
Of the American meat supply.
j. r. DODGE.