The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1883-06-14

Il
:, ward all articles brought to us. Fol-
lowing this You will see instructions
from the State Board. We hope all
will do something, and let each one
try to make our county show up as
well or better than other counties.
Respectfully,
j. L. SHINN, Chm'n.
j. M. HARKEy,
G.. f. HOWELL,
J. 3. ERWIN,
Subcommittee OF Pope county,
Arkansas.
The Raid on Arkansas Cattle.
To the Editor Of The Gazette:
eOur information from trustwor-
thy sources relating to the cattle
movement is that the stock cattle
purchased from Arkansas farmers at
low figures command, on reaching
Texas or the Indian Territory, an
average price Of $25 per head. A
COW, calf, and one and two year
old, will readily sell for 500, These
cattle arc purchased on order, and
the net profit to buyers will proba-
bly, not fall below 100 per cent. 1t
occurs to the Gazette that our far
mers make serious mistake in
parting with their stock cattle"
am glad the Gazette called has
called the attention of our people to
the sales of cattle to Texas cattle
buyers, and italicized the vast differ
ence between what cattle are sold
for by our farmers and the price
they fetch in Texas, when shipped or
driven there. j know the Gazetae
IS exactly right as to the price. l
have known of thousands of stock
cattle sold even without inspection
at $25 perhead including the calves!
The stock raisers count that cattle
will net them, at that price, above
so per cent. per aunum beyond all
deaths and expenses OF caring for
them, even though there bc no ad-
vance IN price in the hext three
years.
Intelligent cattle men inform ne
that they can give 500 per head for
common Arkansas cows 3 years old.
and make money on them by keep
ing them to raise from, as calves rs
soon as they are weaned sell readily
In Texas as high as s15 per head.
1t is the custom of the cattle buyers
in Texas to visit all the small farms
there early in the spring and engage
all the calves they can; and they will
if desired, advance s. or IS per head
on them as soon rs they are dropped.
| have never seen any class OF men
make money SO fast as the small far
mers OF Texas, who combine stock
raising with farming.
There is no longer any money in
raising cotton and corn and selling
these products direct from .he farm,
but there is good money in agricul.
ture, taking that word in its fullest
and broadest sense. Corn was once
the great and only money crop Of the
farmers of the north, as cotton is to
day the main dependence OF the far
mers Of the south. Many years ago,
farmers who only cultivated corn for
market, were reduced to sbject pov
erty. The price of corn, by over
production, fell so low that corn was
sold by the ton, and was used by
steamboats, and steam mills as fuel,
The intelligent farmers Of that state
did not stop planting corn, but they
did stop selling it from their fields
and cribs. They fed it to cattle,
hogs, sheep, mules and horses, and
sold these at over 100 per cent. net
profit, and have made fortunes, and
now are by far the most prosperous
and happy class of people in that en-
terprising state.
Now, the farmers in Texas are do
ing precisely the same thing. The
farmers in the prairies have, as a
rule, double the number Of brood
mares that it takes to do their work,
fence every acre Of their land for
pasture, and plow one set OF mares
half Of one day and another set the
other half OF, the day; the mares
while not at work, are grazing and
sucking their colts. By this means
the farmers do not expend a cent for
food. Thus farmer who has four
mares runs only two horse farm,
and after years time has four fine
mules or horses to sell every year.
They Also have many cattle, sheep
and goats They do not raise much
corn, and less cotton, but q great
deal of oats. Many Of the best far
mers, | notice, SOW cats every two
Years. They cut the first sowing,
ami the amount of seed wasted II
sufficient TO insure good crop Oh
"voIunteer" oats. The oats come up
the fret wet spell in July or August,
and the grass and stubble protect It
from the severe frosts OF winter. The
oats thus make as fine winter graz
ing as the blue grass IN Kentucky
In the spring, the stock is taken of
the oats, which then grow rapidly,
and yield from fifty TO seventy five
bushels per acre, for having plenty
of stock, they can BY saving manure,
make every acre they cultivate in
tenscly rich. Nearly oil the prairie
farmers in Texas are getting rich by
agriculture.