Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-11-16
Texas as a Stock Growing State.

Texas Correspondent Chicago Tribune.
"From Maine to Mexico, the only
men, as a class. l have found In q
prospecting condition and satisfied with
their business are the wool and beef
growers especially i'll the South and
Southwest, where the cost of raising a
bullock or mule above interest account
does not reach IS.
stIn Texas l notice much more at
tention of late is given to private pas.
lures. In four years past at least half
of many counties west of the San An
tonic River has been inclosed in i'm
mense pastures by the post and plank
fences. All pastures and no corn.
Then the small stock men are growing
smaller and fewer, while large stocks
are growing much larger. Few of your
readers have any idea of the extent to
which a single man or firm will carry
this business.
81 will give one instance{to show the
immense profits of this business when
they can Craze all the year round. Il
withhold the names, as it is not my
province to make public the details of
any mans private business.) Four years
ago, certain friends of mine discussed
discussed the pasturage question, and
began to buy and fence in cheap lands.
"They have now 23O, 900 acres of pas
ture, are systematic in all their bust.
ness, and opened 4 ''stock CATTLE &C.
count, separate from beef account,
debited it with all purchases Of "stock
CATTLE (all ages), and credited it with
all sales from said stock from the
prices ruling there. The account now
Shows $4lO, 900 paid out in four years
for stock cattle of all ages, and $3.50,
600 sales from said stock, with llO,OW
cattle on hand, worth SIS per head, OF
$500, 900, and the amount out OF debt
making $4,000 profits in four years
and. perhaps, did not use over $35, 0Ol
cash in these purchases. Some others
have done as well, or even better on d
smaller scale.
"The wool.growers arr equally well
satisfied with their business in the
past, though wool is declining, while
cattle are growing scarcer and higher
every year (for people will eat), and the
vast grazing plains are gradually, but
surely taken up by small farmers emf
grating to the Southwest.
"Vast as these profits are in Texas,
am satisfied that 4 few localities il
Mississippi and Louisiana will pay
much better although on smaller
scale.
"True, there are but few locations IL
Mississippi and Louisiana flee from
overflow where 5000 to 10000 head OF
cattle could be safely handled ever,
year, but when such locations arr
found, are vastly more profitable ant
with less labor than in Texas. Ont
must watch the inevitable ''nlgger,
or he will occasionally kill a beef, bu
the droyers and branders OF Texas arr
far more to be feared.
els it not strange that with these ad
vantages for raising stock here, mel
are to be found wanting to trade theil
farms for stocks of merchandise ! Ant
yet this is often offered me. There il
no money in planting cotton at 10 cts
however, and few or none here know
anything about stCck-raising.
SHARES will increase IS per cent will
attention, cows 80. ewes 100, and SOW
900 with care. induced a northern
man to experiment in hogs. lie bough
seven pigs in Indiana and brough
them to Mississippi, at a cost of $19
He had a good range and never fe'
them. | saw his stock nine month
afterward, and, at Illinois prices 70
stock hogs, estimated them to be wort
$3.50. He had, meanwhile, lost fo,l
filters of pigs from carelessness. Thi
was over 100 per cent on his inves
ment in less than one year. Still thi
country buys all it's pork, and BEEF
and mules, and flour, and most Of il
corn.