Arizona citizen., 1876-12-09
Cattle Kings of Texas.

X recent letter thus speaks: In Texas notice much more attention of
 late is given to private pastures. In four years at least half of many coun-
 lies west of the San Antonio river have
 been incloSed in immense pastures by
 post and plank fences. All Lastures
 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 single
 man. or firm. will carry this business.
 For their wonderment, 1 will give few
 stocks and pastures which l have seen,
 with names and figures. Allen & Son,
 east of lhe Brazos, have 10000 acres
 inclOsed, j0,000 head of cattle, and ship annually, including purchases,
 about 10000 beeves. Foster Dyer,
 west of the BraZos. has 12,000 acres in-
 closed, and 46,000 head of cattle. He
 bought of one party last Spring 5000
 each. Carulhers & Bro, north of Aus
 lin, have 60,000 head of cattle on the
 Plains. O'Brien, on the Guadalupe,
 has 5000 Mir Love, west of the San
 Antonio river, has p,000 acres in pas
 turage and l20,000 head of cattle. A
 widow further west has 10000 cattle on the Plains, and sells annually 15,- 900 beeves. Mathews, Coleman & Ma thews, ROckp0rt, Texas have 100000 acres of pasturage and l30,000 cattle
 They ship annually, including pur- chaSes, 30,000 beeves. Duvuse & Ellis On, San Antonio, drove last spring to Kansas 66,000 and must have at least double that number nn the Plains. Mir.
 King, west of the Nueces river, drove to Kansas 33,000 beeves from his own ranch, and sold at S33 per head. He has 100000 acres of pasture. 16O,OOOI cattle and 100000 horses and mules
 NJ. Kennedy, his neighbOr, has l90,- 900 acres of pasture, 5000 horses and mules and 130,0OO cattle. There are many others, whose stocks are as large, that l have not Seel, to say nothing ot| the 10000 to 30,000 stocks; but this will suffice. This seems incredible 10 an Eastern, or even Northwestern man, and yet in round numbers is very near lY correct. And shll there is very large diminution of the cattle on the plains in five years past. 1 will give you one of the many instances to show the immense profits or this business. when they can graZe all the year round q withhold the names, as it is not my province to make public the details of any mans private bu>iness). Four years ago certain friends of mine dis cusscd the pas,urage question, and be- gan to buy and fence in cheap lands. They have now 230000 acres ot pas ture, are systematic in all their busi- ness, and opened stock cattle ac- count, separate from beef account, l deblted it with all purchases of stock | cattle Gall ages), and credited it with all sales from said stocks at the ,JrlceS | rnling there. The account shows now $4lO,O00 paid out in four years for stock cattle of all ages, and $520.000 | sales from said st'rk, with 10000 | cattle on hand, wonh S6 per head, or $6G0 900 and the account of the debt, l S770,000 pr.Eits in four years, and perhaps did net use over S35, 5,000 cash in these purchases. Some others | have done as well, or even better on smaller scale. The wool-growers age equally as we'll satisfied with their business in the past, though wool is declining, while cattle are growing scarcer and higher every year for peO- pie will eat), and the vast grazing plains are being gradually but surely taken up by small farmers emigratinG 10 the Southwest.