Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-07-22
Domestic Animals in Texas.


If stranger, travelling in Texas, were
to arrive, for the first time, at large
cattle rancho, he would fix his mouth to
revel in fresh milk, genuine country but
ter and other produces of the dairy. He
would see cattle to the right of him,
cattle to the left of him, and also in
front and behind, but when it came to
actually luxuriating in the country pro-
ducts referred to, he might just as we'll
chang his mouth up on a nail" to use
the German smile, for if there is one
place in the world where fresh butter
and milk is scarce, it is at the rancho of
one of the cattle kings. If there is any
milk on the table at all, it is condensed
milk from New York, and the butter is
of the fragrant oleomargarine variety,
fresh from the diaries of st. Louis. If
there is any beef on the table, the
chances are that it is corned beef from
Kansas city.
We have received q letter from o
farmer in Wisconsin, asking what breeds
of cattle are best suited to Texas eli
mate, and that is how We came to write
on the subject. The Wisconsin farmer
will see that our cattle are very inferior,
indeed. They lack intelligence and
industry. The COW that is needed in
Texas is one that will not only come up
to be MIXED, but will also, without be-
ing told forty times, take the milk pail,
wash it out properly. and then, seating
herself on stool, milk herself until the
pail is full, after which she will hand it
to the cattle queen with polite bow.
That's the kind Of COW best suited to
the climate of Texas. If the COW has
sufficient intelligence to learn to churn,
make butter, take it to town and sell it
she would be highly appreciated. As
it is, the Texas COWS do nothing all day
long but to Craze and loaf around on
the prairie.
The Texas steer has also many dis
crepances. He is entirely too lazy. If
he was the right kind of an animal there
would be fresh beef more frequently
than there is at the table of the cattle
king. What is needed is steer who will
butcher himself, take off his own hide,
and having selected the choice parts of
his anatomy, bring them to the rancho
and hand them in OF the kitchen door
to the cattle king with his compliments.
OF course there would be no objection
to the beef coming into the kitchen and
broiling one of his own steaks for the
table of the cattle king, but we can
hardly expect that much intelligence
and accommodation from dumb brute.
That Texas has to send North for al.
most everything that is used, is not the
fault of the Texans at all, but is due to
the lack of intelligence and industry on
the part of our domestic animals. Why
do not the cattle tan their own hides
and thus obviate the necessity of i'm.
porting hides, and everything that is
made of leather? Why is it that the
Texas sheep have not got the capacity
to establish and manage a woolen fac
tory? As it is, the best they can do is
to raise the wool, which is shipped
North, and comes back as clothing, for
which we pay very high prices. It is
very evident that our breeds of domestic
animals are susceptible of improvement.
They have not got suffi cient energy and
intelligence, and consequently many of
the farmers, were it not for imported
condensed milk, oleomargarine and
corned beef. would almost starve to
death, and if it were not for the i'm.
ported clothing they would go bare
footed all the way up.-[Texas Siftings.