Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-07-21
Texas Pasture Fields.

n COrT6SpOQU0ub III bQ6 DalGlnOr0
american, who is visiting the immense
cattle pastures, describes a visit to the
one of these, the Fulton and Coleman
Companies grazing lands in Texas.
eve left Fulton after an early break
fast, on the morning of the 31st of May,
and were soon out on the open prairie,
approaching the lands of the Peninsula
Pasture Company, which are but short
distance from Rockport. There were
but six in our party, four Of whom were
ladies, with Col. George w. Fulton as
pilot. Eight miles from Rockport we
passed through the gates of the Big
Pasture of the Coleman-Fulton Pasture
Company, and entered on its broad
domain of $4,000 acres, or 206 square
miles, of what is regarded as the very
best pasture land in Texas We were
to stop at the ranch, the herdsmen's
headquarters, ten miles from the gate,
for dinner, and to rest horses, and after
wards to continue our journey to Mr..
Coleman's mansion, eleven miles fur
ther on-making twenty-one miles from
the gate to the house.
"When fairly on our journey inside of
the Big Pasture, on casting the eye
around, the horizon was seen to be as
sharply defined in every direction as it
is at sea. There were few small motifs
of liye-oak trees, and some scattered
cattle browsing on the plain, but moth
ing else, not even fences, obstructed the
view. By the Impractical eye there
was really no road to be seen, but dur
ing this and subsequent drives both
Colonel Fulton and Mr.. Coleman
seemed to know every cowpath. These
cowpaths are made by the cattle going
to the lakes for water, as on such occa-
sions they always walk in single file,
and pursue the same course day after
day. This was the case before the new
pasture system was adopted, when an
instinct seemed to guide the cattle in
the pursuit of water. Then there were
no artificial lakes, with the winter rains
stored in them for the use of the cattle,
as is now the case, and it often hap
pened that the distance between water
and the grazing grounds was twenty
miles or more. In dry season thou
sands of them would die from burning
thirst, and leave their bones along the
cow-tracks, or, on reaching the water,
drink to such excess that death was
sure to follow. Now there are five or
six of these lakes on this great pasture,
one of them three miles in length and
from fifty to five hundred yards in width,
while the Chiltopin river forms its
northern boundary.
"The Coleman-F Fulton Pasture Com
pany's lands are by careful estimate
capable of sustaining at all seasons of
the year about $4,000 head of cattle
and horses, though at the present time
there is not more than half this number
there. Duriog the past year the stock
of cattle was reduced to about one-half
the full complement, and the grass
allowed to renew itself by seeding. The
pastures are consequently now covered
with a heavy coat Of mesquite grass,
and the company are filling up the
pastures with cattle purchased from
Texas and largely from Mexico. During
our sojourn lot of 1900 head arrived
from Mexico, and despatch announced
that 1000 head more, purchased by
their agents at Sc, 80 and $12 per head,
were on their way, this price including
their delivery in good order in the pas
ture. When they arrive the beeves will
be fattened, and shipped to New Orleans
as soon as in condition for market, the
COWS will be driven to the Barada pas
ture of $4,000 acres, used for breeding
graded stock, and the male yearlings
driven to the Big Pasture of 10000
acres, which is devoted to beeves and
stock for the market. The sorting and
separating of the cattle require expert
ence and good Judgment, and vast
force Of men and horses. The prospects
of the company were never SO good as
at present, they having just declared a
cash dividend of per cent. for the past
six months, while they are very conf
dent Of increasing it to - per cent. per
annum.