New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-27

| PROFITS or CATTLE-RAIsING.
Rut to retura TO the ranch. Our host picketed his
horse dr,pped his sombreto and proceeded to light
n fire in the stove. While lie peeled tho potatoes
and fried tho pork for dinner he offered some gem
! eral explanations OF the business. Most OF the
cattle here were originally brought from Texas.
Formerly ST. was a fair prce, but now the cattle
herders pay from $50 or $50 for yearling to S3O
or $50 for q two-year-od or three-year-old steer
Tbey are fed on the rich Kansas grasses for from
| one TO three years according to their aye when
| bought When sold to the commission men they
bring from $lj to 500 Most OF the herders are
freely crossing their cattle with Durham and Here
ford stock and this results IN higher prices; from
| SG5 to 80. Taking the constant increase, the
| profits will be seen TO be very large. FroDaDly
there Is no business except mining IN when so largo
| fortunes have been made so rapidly a. III catte-
raising. This has become patent to foreign capital
lists The Prairie Cattle Company OF Colorado
said 70 have the largest herd under one ownership
in the world, is controlled by syndicate oil
Scotchmen. and the dividends last year were 80
| ner cent Many Englishmen here as well AS III
| Colorado have invested their capital, and the
| British Society of Kansas counts a large member
| ship When our young herder-turned cook hau
placed the repast on the table, ne began 10 lhio"
| cold water on the romantic yiews OF LIE ON the
| plains with which a morning gaop on the piaITles
| inspires Eastern man. lie spoke oil the lhcess1ht
and tedious watching OF the cattle nlght ana Jay
| throughout the year: the herders when on TIE
| range transporting theiI pre- visions IN il wagon,
cooking their own food. and at night relieving each
other in two. hour watches to Keep the caltle from
| stampednQ But his kndng eye hen he spoke
OF the round ups showed that the exctements OF
| his life held their fascination. In tue sprlig the
| cattle are driven together at some copVehIent
| point One by one the herders las5O ana throw
them or d. aw them up to post and the red nor IRON
stamps each the brand OF the owner. ~ Is s SOM
| thing worth seeing to witness sklliul hefder
throw the lasso. You ask bin to catch steer 10y
the hind leg. lie starts his pony on gallop cuts
steer out from the herd the pony BORROWING tho
turns of the animal ike q greyhound, then waving
his lasso around his head throws 1t 30 that the
loop falls just before the steers hlnd reg "mcl
enters il lust as the loop is pulled up. Ihe pony
keeps on for "a sudden stop would snap the pOhnel
of the saddle to which the larlat Is attached, but
despite the struggles of the steer it IS forced to De
the dust. The herder Will catch any neg OF urop
the rope the horns, and one especially sklliil
60 boy throw the loop over the hpfns ana win
another turn bring 1t no over the nose nlakipe d
complete halter while both pony and steer are run
ming mt the top of their speed
SELLING THE CATTLE.
The second general roundup takes place in the
fail when the cattle selected for market are cut
out and driven to the railway station. Then all
through the year the herds are continually being
l,unled-up, when they become scattered, stray
cattle are cut out and other rebrandcd. The sales
of cattle are altogether in the hands OF commission
men who control the stock-yards of Kansas City
and Chicago. If n cattleOwner here shoHld send
his cattle to Kansas City aud endeavcr to sell them
himself he would meet with long delays, resulting
| in depreciatIOn of his stock and possible failure.
| The commission men, keeping on intimate relations
| with Eastern buyers form rings which practically
| exclude outsiders from selling cattle unless the
stool, passes through their hands And this com
mission means an addition to the cost oil bect 10 inc
| consumer The high price OF beef at present Is
nroving an additional inducement to enter the
| cattle-raising business, although those who are
Gaming in often forget that the price will fall, and
| that they must suffer by that fall soon after they
| have made their start. Cattle-Taisng is the bust
ness of all others in Kansas demanding capital. AS
an old stock raiser said to me: " With $1,000
| sheep with 81 .O00-cattle You need less money
for sheep and get quicker returns. man should
| nave n rouni sum to start with cattle, bnt when
the profits do come they are enormous"
| Not "A cent would young cowboy host accept
for dinner THAT isn't in line he said.
You're welcome to come here any time and stay
AS long as YOU like and the boys would say the same
at any cattle camp" Nor would he even accept
cigar saying that he neither smoked nor drank ana
that his chief pleasure in reading. winch is
again calculated to cause the Eastern eye to regard
the cowboy from different focus. Noun ting our
ponies we rode nOrthward INTO vast stretch OF
deserted plains. Mile after mile passed away over
one long low swell after another the summit oI
| each divide showing another Just beyond, not u
mouse nor living creature in slgnt, nothlhg ouI
snace inmcnSity the endless reach of the prarles
| everywhere touching the horizon, ana the silence
and loneliness almost appalling once we came 10
q deserted dugout "a turf house with only the
roof above ground and the main part dug out like a
cellar and entered by low door. Near by was a
Hrll. DsmOunting idly dropped stone down.
At once there rose a venoInouS hsS.anu u DiOOd-
curdling rattle Ny companion. laughing at my
start back peered down into the well and pointed
out a huge rattlcsnake cooled on board IN the
shallow pool Mt the bottom. HIS snakeshlp mad
fallen IN and was unwlllingly personliylnR truth.
| GallOping on crd something white twlnkleu IN ne
sunlight ahead. and graceful antelope bounded
| OH down the wind, stopping occaelonaiy 10 look
back then with Nhlsk OF his whlte tail leaplI ~
onw ard at Il rate to rouse envy in the breast OF Il
| lack rabbit Rising from depression a herd OF
four wild horses came in sight and instantly
plunged oil. neighiug shTlly their names ana now,
: ing tails streaming IN the Wlnu as tneN aichcu
their beuttul necks ami fairly dcvOured the space
| that lay between them ana the horizon III Is
rarely that they are seen 80 near the railroad,
although forty miles to the north thcre are large
herds and their capture forms the chef occupation
| of many hunters But my ride has led me ava"
from cattle Perhaps the tale of visit to n typical
ranch will suttice. At knsloy | met a young
| New-Yorker who with his brother has been here
for ten years. Beginning with less than 100 cattle
they have now abont 5000, the average value
being about $40. Sixty miles south 0t hlnsley Il
, | Harvard graduate watches the increase OF MS
riches in "a herd of 5000. | hear no complaints of
country or climate This free untrainmelled HE
exerts a potent fascination dlihcult to resist ana
one who has once lived on the planS II seldom
, cuntented with the restraints OF city. The fact
that none of the cattle ralserS own their lald, OF
| at most not more than land enough along stream
| TO insure water privilege perhaps adds To heir
horses with the endless spalns before them, they
can but feel that the whole boundless universe Is
theirs with to dispute their right to the coun-
try that has known no masters save tho Duuao, tne
| Indian and themselves
| AIR ROFEELS ACCOUNT or THE KELLY