The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-07-22
OUR BEEF PROSPECTS.
Facts and Figures Regarding Cattle In fh'
United states,

Ocu. Jdut5 l)llsDilI, WiltilIS iipui wa :
Keogh, says; While the manufacturing and
cereal and vegetable interests of the United
States have advanced fairly the stock inter
ests have comparatively stood still We are
today raising beef for only 100000 of pco-
pie whereas we should be raising beef for 80,
100000 The reasons for this are various,
chief OF which Is the fact Of the scarcity Of
land in the east. Farmers have found that II
heavily populated districts it does not pay
them to raise cattle. The large number OF
acras required for grazing purposes is incom.
patlble with small farms, and to stall.feed IN
large numbers is not practicable. So the east
ern farmer devotes his land to cereals and veg.
etables, and often buys his own beef. The dis
lance of the plains from the east and the dan.
ger from Indians have heretofore deferred
eastern capitalists from seeking investments
In stock .raising out west. Happily that diff
Guilty Is now removed. The railroads have
opened up the west, and the Indians, with q
few exceptions in Arizona have been conquer
ed. The pastoral lands of the west have never
been understood or appreciated by the
people of this country Of the government. The
day will come when the national treasury will
derive more taxes from the grazing country
than the best agricultural regions. These arid
plains so long considered worthless are the
natural meat producing lands of America. and
in a few years fifty million people will draw
their beet from them. Where are the great
grazing grounds do you ask? They are in
Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Dakota, Wyom-
ing, Montana, Washington and Idaho.
The whole United States contains 3,503, 1884
square miles, of which 100000 square miles
are set down as grazing lands. The best rang
es are on the Rio Grande, Nueces San Anto
Mo- Guadalupe, Colorado, BrazOs, Trinity,
Main Red Washita, Canadian, Cimaron, Ar
kansas, Smoky Hill, Saline, Solomon Fork,
Republican, North and South Plates, Loup
Forks, Nlobrara, White Earth, Big Cheyenne,
Little Missouri, Powder river, Tongue, Rose
bud, Big Horn, Wind rivers, Yellowstone,
Milk river Muscleshell, Marias, Jefferson,
Missouri, Madison, Gallatin, and Columbia,
OF the smaller streams on the eastern slope of
the Rocky Mountains we have the Blue Wa
ter, Cold Water, Hill Creek, Raw HIDE, Mud.
dy, Willow, Shawnee, Slate, Swcetwater, Ash,
Pumpkin, Laramie, Carter, Cottonwood,
Horseshoe, Elkham, Deer creek, Medicine
Bow, Rock creek, Douglas, Lodge Pole, Big
Pawnee, Crow, Lone Tree, Big Beaver Bijou,
Kiowa, Bar Creek, Big Thompson and Cache
la Poudre The grazing lands on the Plates,
Poudre and Tongue amount to over 10000 900
acres and are the best know of. For at least
ten years yet look for high prices IN beef
Eastern capital Is so conservative it Will be
slow to come west and ngage in stock raising,
and only eastern capital can raise beet in sui.
ficlent quantities on the plains to reduce the
price.
A good many cattle companies have been
formed of late years, and so far as l know, are
all doing well. We have several here in Mon.
tana, and they are able to declare AL annual
dividend of 25 per cent, besides reservlng
handsome surplus for increasing the herds.
1t Is remarkable fact that there is more Eng.
llsh capital at present invested in cattle grow
ing in the United States than American mon.
ey. This year the Englishmen are reaping
rich reward for their enterprise, and are selling
Americans beef at 6 cents per pound live
weight which cost them less than cents to
raise. There Is really no immediate occasion
for alarm about a cattle famine, as cattle are
not yet so scarce as to create any great stress
in the meat market. But the spectators have
got hold of the fact that there are too few cat
tie IN America for the population, and they
are using 1t to fill their pockets. We must
have more cattle, more cattle ralsers, and
more capital with which to raise cattle.
For the next ten years | believe cattle rails
ing will be one of the most lucrative callings
in the United States, and those who have the
good fortune to be able TO engage in 1t will
rapidly grow rich. The hest way is to assocl-
ate capital and raise cattle in large numbers
1t costs no more to raise three thousand steers
than 1t does one thousand, and the profits are
more than three times as large. In starting
1t is simply question of money to buy cows
and bulls for stock purposes. In 1910 there
wereH 1897, 900 mich cows in the United States;
in 1850 there were $685. 94 in 1860, S,72S-
$685. in 1870, 100000, and in 1880, 10000.
900. There cannot now be less than 100000
cows in America, and these, If properly han
died, will soon stock the country with suffi.
Gent beef to bring the price within the reach
of the poorest man and his family. The first
step is to stop killing female calves. Every
female calf should be saved. The western
stock men have begun this, and already it is
Impossible for butchers to purchase calves tor
veal. In the west 1t is not so difficult to raise
cattle for beef as it is IN the east. The cattle
run out all winter long, and no shelter or food
is required for them except that which nature
provides Every year the stock men start the
story east for the benefit of the "tenderfeet,"
that the business is overdOne, and the good
ranges all taken. This Is done to prevent new
men from going into the business. The stock
men know they have good thing, and wish
to keep it as long as possible. They would
like to see beet 81 per pound, and would ask
800 for steer worth $40 without the slight
est cOmpunctlOnS OF conscience II they
thought they could gel it. III had two or three
thousand head of cattle l doubt If would
write this letter, but unfortunately not having
any herd of my own, am only interested IN
getting beef as cheaply as possible from those
who have herds. l hope soon to see more
people and more capital engaged in cattle
raising, and beef brought to some reasonable
price by reason of It's abundance, and have
no hesitation in saying that associated capital
engaged IN beef raising out west will pay an
annual dividend of "a per cent. If 1t is at all
properly managed.