The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-09-29
Stock-Rafsfng in the West.


The freedom to pasture cattle on ex-
cellent grazing land, together with an
accessible market, are the main reasons
why at present stock-farming is particu-
Iarly profitable. The first of these con-
ditions is precarious, and it is evident
that in ten years there will not be much
good free range left east of the Missouri
river. When immigration to that extent
shall have shut him off from free pastur-
age, the stock man can either sell his
farm at probably four times its present
value, and move to Dakota or Montana,
or else turn his attention to fattening
stock on grain for other parties.
For instance, as practical case, there
is a cattle man of Council Bluffs who is
said to own 10000 head of cattle in
Idaho. He has range of sixty square
miles of land not worth a cent to the
acre for agriculture, yet affording excel
lent pasture for cattle. He has ten men
employed at wages varying from $24 to
$40 per month to look after the stock.
These men require 200 ponies to handle
the cattle. An overseer is hired at
81 200 a year. During the winter, how
ever, four men can do all the work re-
quired, which is mainly breaking the ice
in the streams that the cattle may have
water. Streams serve as the great checks
upon the cattle straying away, for they
never will go far from water. In the
spring of the year the cattle men of the
plains have grand Ground up (as it
is called), the stock is picked out by
means of the brand. and those cattle
that are meant for the Eastern market
are started for Omaha. They travel
about ten miles a day, and gen.
orally take the whole season in
the journey from the winter
ground to the Missouri bottom. At
Omaha the cattle are put on the train
and shipped nominally to Chicago, but
really to different points along the road,
to be handed over to farmers for fatten-
ing. Mr.. Stewart delivered over l, 300
head to farmers last fall, and of these
only eight were lost during the winter.
The parties who receive the cattle agree
to fatten them at the rate of 5 cents for
every extra pound of weight they add to
| the animal This seems small at first
sight, but when cattle put on $50 extra
| pounds during winter, and where two
| hogs are fed from the refuse of each OK,
| the farmer finds that the result to him is
| equivalent to selling his corn at 100 per
cent. profit. The large cattle-raisers, of
course, have their inspectors, who travel
from farm to farm to look after their
property, and gather it together in the
spring for shipment to Chicago, where
they are either slaughtered or shipped
to Europe. The cattle men have great
advantage over mere farmers, in that
they are to a great extent Independent
of railways. If they are badly treated
by one corporation, they have a simple
remedy in driving their stock few miles
to the next road.-Harper's Magazine
ruth About the Dog.
As a matter of fact, the dog has all
seasons for his own, and goes mad just
when he pleases. It is a mistake te
contine his suppression and limit the
bounty on him to any month in the
year. With very few and rare excep
tions he is useless. There should be {
bounty on him all the year round. Out
side the sausage he serves no purpose
and in the belief of many he is not al
together digestible there. He does no
even catch his own feas. He radiates
them rather. Of course, they catcl
birds, butt the bird doesn't bite or g
mad why not keep the birds and abol
ish the dog? Occasionally q dog save
somebody from drowning, but if figures
could be had we would venture to sa,
they never saved anybody from drown
ing who did not turn out to be predes
tined to some other death. No doub
the st. Bernard dogs have saved som
people from perishing in the snow, bu
history furnishes no record of anythin!
in particular that has been done for tn
benefit of the race by the persons saved
and it is more than likely that the,
would have had an easier exit if the res
cuing dogs had left them alone than the
did have finally. We do not recall Al
instance where dog has vindicated hi
reason for being. The friendly dog
always too demonstrative the unfrlendl
dog is dangerous nuisance, and the do
that is neither one nor the other onl
occupies space and generates feas
There are persons who keep blunt-nose
dogs that sit on the piazzas or crouch i
front of you in the path looking unuttel
able things and emitting low growls ths
white teeth only. too easily translate
and they tell you, "Oh, he's a goo
dog; perfectly harmless minds m
whenever I speak TO him." Shall W
tell you what to do with such a dog
Shun his owner. They're both DANCE
Gus the owner more than the dog.
But good dogs, like good Indians, al
+ dead Not to invite controversy, "
make special exception of each particl
, lar dog whose owner feels called upon
take issue with us. And we do belle,
|, that the quaint Connecticut philosophe
, Mr. Elias Cottrell, was more than ha
+ right when he said, "There are mo-
. than five hundred dogs in this town, an
i two hundred and fifty could do all Il
= business. IN Y Tribune.