The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-05-02

Fabulous sans of money are made in the
cattle business, as it can be started with
moderate capital, requires but small ex
penditures for labor and none whatever fol
feed, but hard winters are almost certain tt
bring heavy losses, as the cattle wander Of
to the mountains and perish in the snow.
made the acquaintance Of Mr.. VIM. Nc
Shane, enc of the lesser lights in the con
stellation of cattle Kings. He modestly
referred to his stock as ''a small drove o.
$4,000 head" He had been in the bust.
ness four years, and said if every one of his
cattle should die that night he would still
be better off than when he commenced the
business. for they had paid for themselves
over and over again. lie informed me that
the profit was from fifteen to twenty-eight
dollars per head, according to the age Of
the animals when sold. Another man told
me Of stock firm composed of four men,
who began business with five thousand
dollars capital. At the expiration of five
years they sold out and divided between
them two hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars.
These are big figures. | give them to you
as I received them, but do not doubt their
approximate, If not exact, accuracy.
On these plains sheep-rasing is less profit
able liz proportion to the capital invested.
because attended with greater risks and re-
quiring more men to care for them than do
cattle. During all the very cold days they
require shelter and food, and at all times a
herder is kept with them to guard against
attacks from dogs and wild animals.
Visited the sheep rancho OF Mr.. Thomas,
located nine miles south from Cheyenne.
He has five thousand sheep which he pas
lures upon government land, while he cuts
the hay from several hundred acres which he
owns. Long, low sheds surround large
yard (correls they are called here, in which
they are kept in cold and stormy weather,
and where they receive their extra food.
Warm stables are provided for the sick and
feeble ones, and separate place for those
afflicted with contagious diseases-a sort of
sleeps small pox hospital.
had read so many tales about the rude
life OF frontier ranchemen, went out ex-
pecting to see place, but one remove from
barbarism. l made.as large sized mistake
as 1 was ever guilty of. True the house was
only one-s story wooden structure without
any attempt at architectural ornamentatiOn,
in fact guess it wasn't even painted, but
mein host, Mr.. Thomas, proved to be very
handsome and cultivated gentleman, from
Cam bridge, near Boston. His parlor, into
which we we're invited, was not only sup
piled with all the articles necessary to fit
out respectable parlor, but ir had many
luxuries. The floor was covered with a
handsome carpet, and rugs made of the
skins of antelope and deer were scattered
about, the chairs were the best clipper
spring, upholstered with rich material a
center table was laden with magazines and
papers; fine steel-line engravings, mostly
from Landseer, decorated the walls; the
bookcase contained many of the publications
Of the best authors, and showed a range
of reading extending far wider than we
usually look for except among men whose
pursuits are of literary character. On a
table near the door was telegraphic ap-
paratus. was sufficiently curious to ask
if he had grown weary of his life
1o,,, he bo1 RI
to fit himself to make livelihood as a
telegraph operator. 'Oh, no." he re-
piled; ''my life here is admirably adapted
to my taste; have thai connected with the
wires in town, so can get the news with
out the trouble of driving in.''
We were shown over the house ant [ will
never again cry down man house keepers,
for everything was daintily clean, and the
table cloth and white napkins in the dining
room showed care of the smaller matters
of life, but which 60 some distance toward
making the wheels turn smoothly. We were
RECALLED with delicious cake and what our
host called milk, but recalling 1t in the light
of the stuff sold in the cities for milk, think
it must have been rich cream. Perhaps
it was milk if so there is sweet consolation
in the thought that if We keep Oh paying Ten
cents quart for water, ultimately the sup.
ply will get exhausted and there will not
be enough to Stake the thirst of those who
cheat us so numerically, much less enough
to ouench the fires.
Three miles from the rancho OF Mr.. Thorn
as is another, where Bostonian gathers his
flocks. The pet eve lamb this winter is his
pretty sister, who came out 'sto this dread
full place to make Ben. 90, back to his home
and to civilization" But Ben. didn't prove
easy to move, ana sissy's imperative elo-
quence lost some OF its power when she
found she had to deal with the same elegant
gentleman who left his home some years
ago; the same, yet not the same, for con-
tact with men of broad, liberal ideas. had
broadened his own conceptions of life, and
four years spent in sight of the grand
of northern Colorado, with good
books for his most intimate friends, had
frightened his intellectual powers wonder
derfully. So sissy hesitated and finally
wrote home that she would stay awhile
with Ben, land the good brother forthwith
ordered down handsome Steinway piano
for her to amuse herself with and pair of
handsome ponies and ph@ton were given her
Now the fond brothers only fear is that,
finding her western life so CHEEKY, she
will grow sufficiently contented to be will
ling to leave his fold for that of some Other
neighboring shepherd; and he may we'll fear
for he can spare ninety-and-nine better
than this one pet lamb.
Before our train reaches Che yenne, view
is had of Longs Peak, the highest mountain
in northern Colorado. 1t is more than sixty
miles away, but its two snow-capped peaks
stand out boldly against the blue sky. Explo
rers say it is one OF the most rugged of all the
mountains of Colorado, with deep canyons
side by side, with almost perpendicular walls
of rock /; gorges which seem to have no bot
tom, and caves which still remain a mys.
terry.
To the right we get a peep at the famous
Black Fills, two hundred miles distant
Many are the eager men who have Travelled
all these miles in pursuit Of gold, and many
have met their deaths at the very gales oil