The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-07-09
4 Talk with a Texan About Cattle
Raising.

Kansas City Times j. G.. Reed, OF
Fort Worth, Texas, registered at the
Pacific Hotel yesterday. n Times
man got his name within his horizon
of vision, and knowing him to be a
wcll-known cattle man of the Lone
Star State, proceeded to seek All intro
duction. This was accomplished
without the ceremony of a card, and
Mr.. Reed and the Times got into
breeze outside the Delaware front,
and went to blowing about long-horn-
ed cattle from Texas.
"HOw will the cattle drive be this
season from Texas 2" was the first
query.
"Not so large by great deal as last
year. In fact there will be a less
number of cattle driven North than
any year since 1870, when | first went
into business" was Mr.. Reeds reply.
GLOW do you account for this p
"Well, the fact is, there is a market
for cattle in Texas, and it don't pay to
drive them up North. -pssides, there
rf--ifSt as many cattle M me Styte as
there used to be. The ranges are be-
coming circumscribed, and settlers are
being brought in by the railroads, es-
pecially in Northern Texas, and they
are taking up land for farming pur-
poses that used to be devoted TO stock
ranging.
about what number are to be driv-
Ell North this year, or are on the
trail ?"
81 should say about 10000. though
some claim that 100000 are on the
drive
"For what points are they mostly
destined ?"
The larger number viii come oven
the western rml by Fort Griffin, and
will be taken to Fort Dodge, Kansas.
Some go to Ogallala, on the Union
Pacific road in Nebraska, and a few
will be driven into Colorado. Some
beef cattle will be driven to Baldwell,
Kansas, over the ChrishOlm trail. OF
the cattle on the trail, only about co.
900 are for open market, the rest being
contracted for
"Who has the biggest heard this
year?"
John Lyle, 1 think, is driving out
about 10000.
GLOW was last winter on stock in
Texas?"
at was the severest winter | ever
experienced i'll the State, after thirty
two years residence. At first We
feared it would be pretty hard to stock,
but at the spring roundup we found
that the loss was not beyond the usual
figure. The cattle drifted or scattered
badly, but no more than usual died"
"What class Of cattle are in the
drive 2"
''Never better. They are in good
condition and are coming up i'll fine
shape. The range in Texas was never
better, and the cattle got good send
off,
"Well, what is the general prospect
in Texas for cattle supplies?'
ut is great stock country, and the
range in the southern part Of the
country is yet unmolested by settlers.
There will be a big supply i'll the
State, but from year to year there
will be fewer cattle driven North, UNI
til that business will be abandoned
altogether. Texas will become the
cattle market, and even now we are
getting our own price there"
Regarding the losses of cattle win
tered North, Mr.. Reed was not posted.
He had heard conflicting rumors about
the losses, and from all he had learned
he felt safe in saying that the losses
by the severe winter had doubtless
been exaggerated. just at this juno
ture the storm came down so furious
ly that it washed the Times man and
Mr.. Reed so far apart that their voices
would not reach each other.