The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-08-31
The cattle-Kiug of the Plains.
New York " orld.


The experience of Mr.. Lift, the "Cattle-
King OF tne Plains," whose great ranch
III Northern Colorado Includes hundreds
OF square miles of bottom and upland
ranges, is typical OF the whole. During
he severe winter Of 1S71-72 there were
|deep SHOWS that remained q long time,
ana the storms were incessant. In the
midst Of them Mr.. Lift ylsitel his ranch
ana leund MS cattle dying and scattered
by thousands. In spite of all ne could
do, less than half of them were recOv-
cred, and those had strayed at spring
time into two different States and four
different Territor,e
more than $20,OU0 were expended in
efforts to find Them. At last, in the
sprlng of 1874, 5000 undiscovered head
were charged 10 profit and loss. Could
these nave been solu the previous fall
they would nave brought at least SIS a
head, a total OF $4,000. Yet the Cattle
hlng, anu many catLle princes beside
hIm, make money from cattle raising on
The plains, Tor tAey learn much by ex.
perience, and the demand is great
enough to warrant all their risks. Mr..
II Il has now mure than 10000 head OF
cattle of all ages, sizes anu conditions,
Nearly i've thousand calves were
branded on his rancn last year, and he
sold about the same number of fUur-year
old steers and tat COWS. AT The average
selling price OF S32 head net, four
thousand head brought him SIPS 600. He
employs from twelve to thlrty-ive men
to take care Of his immense herds In
summer. By the Introduction. OF thor
oughbred Durham bulls The herds are
rapidly graded up, and he estimates the
increase, outside of purchases and
sales, TO he about seventy per cent. per
year.
Besides the cattle raised on his ranch
ne deals largely in Texas and Indian
cattle, aud last season advertised for
10000 head of Texas cattle to be deliv-
cred during the driving months of 1875.
Ii he does not obtain this number from
Texas he expects to supply The deticien-
cy With The Oregon Ianu Montana cattle,
which are beginning to come East. The
Laramie Plains, higher up, among the
mountains, are a paradise Tor stock. eS.
pecIaily sheep, and away over the noun
Lalns toward the Pacific, there
are stock ranches that throw
even lifts in the shade, In
tue HUMBOLDT Valley, some $50 miles
east from San Francisco one cattle firm,
Dunphy u Hildreth, have 10000 acres
fenced In. 1t is seven miles across rom
The fences, made of redwood posts
and Oregon pine boards, cost about $500
a mile, and there are twenty miles OF
Unem. The firm own 10000 head OF cat
tie, which are mostly shipped to San
Francisco. The stock is all of good quar-
ity, and some of the best blooded ami
mails in the country are annually pur-
chased to improve the grades. The snow
here seldom tails deep, does not stay
long, and tue grass makes its appearance
early in the spring. Grass, though, does
not seem essential to life well.6eing OF
some of the latest cattle on the conti-
nent. Further down the Humboldt Val
ley, where nothing else but sage-brush,
grease-Wood and alkali dust is to be
seen, the Central Pacific trains have to
slacken speed to avoid manning heavy
herds, for which the green grease-wood
bush 10 alleged to furnish abundant
pr0Vender. l,'