Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1882-10-12
A CORNER ON BEEF.


: ! fifty fef cent. increase IN tfIce RfOn
able by Next January.
The San Francisco Er0miaer. in al
exhaustive article, discusses the con
dition of the California meat market
The point the price of beef may reacf
during the next twelve months is a mat
ter, says the Examiner, that lies entire
not only secured the entire supply OF
beef cattle available for California, but
by a combination of circumstances have
been enabled to shut out all chance OF
supply from outside sources they do not
control. The latest wholesale quotations
for beef cattle in San Francisco are seven
and half and eight cents for prime,
nine to nine and a h If cents for stall
! feed. six and half to seven cents for
second quality, and five and a half TO
six cents for the poorest beef in the
market. The opinion of those most
competent to judge is that before Feb
| ruarv fifteen cents will be asked for
prime, and from eight and a half to
twelve cents for inferior grades, and
that even these high prices will he still
farther advanced, unless the increase in
prices causes a large falling of in tie
consumption.
The advance in beef will he a good
thing for the Nevada cattle raisers, who
are rapidly building up a big business
in that line.
For years past the principal sources
of California's beef supply have been
Nevada and Idaho. Year by year the
value of land in California for agricul-
tural and fruit raising purposes has
gradually increased until, at the pres
ent time, there is but little land that can
be profitably used for:cattle raising. Vast
tracts of cheap lands in the valleys of
California are worthless for grazing pur-
poses on account of lack of rain, and it |
is only above the snow line, where !
grass can be relied upon every year,
that cattle can be fattened without tax
ing food to them Lux & Miller have
waists tracks of land in MERGED, Fresno
and Tulare counties, CAL, which will
barely support sheep, and on which cat
tie would starve to death; consequently
their practice has been to secure large
heards Of cattle in Nevada, Idaho, n few
Mexico and Texas, and simply use their
own lands for driving and fattening
stations.
Snow falls over nearly the whole of
Nevada and Idaho, and the lands,
though not we'll adapted for agricul-
.ure, are covered with nutricious grass
IS that make cattle raising their natur-
Il industry. The practice among the
,razers in this State has been to herd .
he cattle On the high ranges until the
'pproach of Winter, when they would
lrive a large number to the Winter
'anches and distribute the balance
long the line of railroad for shipment
9 California, where they are stall-fed
lstil slaughtered. There is no other
market than California for Idaho and
Nevada cattle g; consequently the large
upply here has kept the price of beef
rom four to seven cents per pound all
he year round. During the past ten
,earS the whole of FurODe has been
inging with the glad news that, owing
o many new inventions fer the trans
'ortation of cattle and beef, the vast t
'rairies of America would serve as a t
.razing ground for all, and beef would t
DON be as cheap in London and Berlin l
s it is in Texas S
The Wood Drive. .