The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1877-01-15
TWENTY MILLIONS IN BEEF.

The rrs aud Downs Of Cattle Raising on the
PlaInS---IIcrl4 ;irrat and small on the
DordrrS of the Grrni American Desert.
A good share Of the best beef in tho
Western markets comes from the plains
Of Colorado and Wyoming. Tie supply
is increauinS every yGar, ms the ship
mcnts from the cattle yards ut Cheyenne,
Denver, Deer Trail, Las Animas aud
other points sl,uw. The best ranges are
now largely occupied, and the valleys Of
the Platte, Republican aud Upper Ar
kansas fairly Ewnrln with cattle. Some
Of the best known Texas lr0vcrs have
removed their herbs from the Red river
country to the Platte. John Hittsun's
great ranch On the D;jou, tributary of
the Platte, where his hcrl Of 40, 900 head
are grazing, and the ranches of John W.
Ilil, J. I. Farmer. aSl other Seattle
kings" now located i'll Colorado, arc OK
iunples. The State auditors books show
TINT there arc half million head OF cat
tie In Colorado and over 200, 900 in Wy0-
ming AS lnrge number escape asscss-
ncnt by being transferred over the line,
back and forth, ut the proper season, it
would be n fur estimate to say That there
Gre II round million OF cattle grazing in
tho two Territories. They are worth
from S1O,O0O,O00 to $l9, 1000, 600, and
when marketed ut Kansas City or 0ma-
la, twice TINT SUN. Inst years ship
lnents from Colorado were estimated ut
10000 head, worth in market 81, zoo, ,O0O;
and the shipments from tho Laramie
plains in Wyoming over %, ,0O0-sllowing
in round numbers product Of about
$500, go in beef raisCd for market on
the western borders Of tie "Grcat
American desert"
The shipping season il generally from
August to November. Sometimes the
drovers hold buck, rs they did lust seg.
son, for better prices. resulting in Il
grcnt rush for the market III the latter
I half Of October and the first two weeks
in November, taxing the railroads be-
yond their capacity During 0cto-
Der there were AGO carloads taken East
ward from points on the UuioA Pacific
railroad, most Of them being l6aded ut
Cheyenne and Julcsburg, and coming
from the herds OH the LNrunic plililR
and the Platte valley. For the four
months ending with October, 1861 cur
loGds llal been shipped from these
points. The shipments by the Kansas
aciIic from Denver, Box Elder, River
Bend, Deer TrIl, Kit Carson and
Las Animas during two months have
been verv large. One hundred nud
hfty-thrGe carloads were shipped from
L?s Animas aloae during October The
tOhll shipments fr the season, from the
above stations, have probably been co.
900 head. The Atchison, Topeka md
Santa FC line hus Stockyartls at Pueblo
West Las Animas, Granada and one or
two other points within Colorado. Their
shipments have been considerable, hut I
could not obtain the fgTes. Last sea-
son they took 8,Q8 head from Las Ami
mas and S,074 from Grnnada. Large
numbers bound for the E"stern markets
wero driven out Of the StAte, feeding
lcisurcly along, and finally loaded Oh the
ezra ut Dodge City, Great Bend or Wi
chitu, from which stations there were
forwarded in four months 81, ,S75 head.
It ueems probable tllat there will lnve
been shipped out Of Colorado aud Wyo-
ming during this seasOn over one hun
dred mud twenty-five Thousand fat beeves
for tho markets Of the Missouri aild
Mississippi valleys. IInd better prices
prevailed. especially in October, the
exports would have been much greater.
Shipping dressed beef tOlmarket is car
rietl on ut two or three points, mud is. IL
business Of EOlnC magnitude. The
slaughter houses ut West Las AnimAs
put up Mlf sent into Eastern markets
over twenty thousand head in this way
last winter. The prospects are thnt very
large shipments will be made during the
winter months. 1t will depend on
the markets. Beef il HOW low, and all
who RrG not obliged to turn their lncves
into money will hold On ior better times.
Good steers bring but two and Oue-hulf
cents per pound on the llooi, from one
IialE to one cent less than last season.
Ordinary Texans rule 50 low TINT neither
buyer nor druvcr cares 10 market them.
The drovGru on the plains are giving n
good deal OF attention to breeding M. "
Large numbers OF thoroughbred bulls
have been introduced. Tic old TcxaB
stock is fast disappearing, and the young
/. improved half breeds, which nuke clloice
! bect md arc far more marketable, take
their place, AS u result there is mi ill.,
creasing demand for the plaills cattle.
The Texas herlers sec this, aud out Of
last seasons 'drives" from the Red
s'yer country Numbering about $50, 900
aaGa eI cattle, about oas.ihira, instead