Connecticut western news., 1883-08-01

range for water. The daily drive of a herd of Texas cattle, and they are by far the best travellers of all cattle, IS limited to fifteen miles. The animals will about hold their flesh when travelling that dis tance per day. If pushed to twenty miles they rapidly lose flesh. This be- ing so, it is plain that native cattle. that are notoriously poor travellers, cannot walk more than fifteen miles per day and keep in good condition. If the feeding grounds are more than eight miles from water, the cattle will not grow fat. If they are ten miles from water the ani- malls will lose flesh. The limited capac- ity of the stock to travel bars them out of extensive ranges.
 Certain men, who have been success ful in cattle raising, are seized by the coat collar and dangled before the eyes of the Eastern public as remarkable ex- amples of what industry and paying close attention to horned stock will &C., complish for any young man who has the pluck to go West and work faith fully. If the stories are to be believed, these successful men always came West penniless. They arrived at certain towns astride of spawned, ringboned horse. This worthless animal they traded for spotted heifer. This heifer is represented as the foundation of the herd. They worked, and every cent they earned they put into female cattle. gradually they became rich. That is the regulation tale. The truth is that they invested considerable money in cat tie. They branded all the calves they could catch. When their herd was filled with steers fit for the butcher, they op- ened butcher shop in the nearest town and drove the other butchers, who did not own herds of cattle, to despair by the low prices of the beef they sold and finally drove them, out of the busi- ness. This accomplished they promptly increased the price of beef until there was 800 per centum profit in it. They kept the price up until the other shops resumed business. Then down went the price of beef, until the other butchers could not afford to dull their knives and saws in cutting roasts and steaks. Again they shut up their shops. That very instant the blackleg and other kindred diseases broke out in the Eastern States, and skyward went the price of beef. For fourteen years have seen this game played in the West. Another exceed ingly profitable branch of the cattle business was, and is, the supplying of Indians with beef An Indian beef con- tract is prize; it is fortuna for any Western cattle bfeeaers saai tssaasss wag Texan steer, that has been reduced by hard driving and alkaline water until it is doubtful if he will tip the scales at 600 pounds, staggers off of the platform under the weight of 1900 pounds of beef. It is astonishing how heavy a steer is when an employee of the Depart ment of the Interior weighs him.
 As the business of cattle breeding ages, it tends to separate into different branches. At present some of the men who handle stock on the high plains re. fuse to own any COWS. They have tried raising cattle and abandoned it as un- profitable. These men procure three year old steers from Oregon and Wash ington. These animals are bought in the early spring, and are slowly driven to the Wyoming or Colorado ranges, ar irving there in October. They are turned loose on the range and allowed to shift for themselves. In my opinion this is the safest branch of the cattle business. The young steers have not obtained their full growth. They are hearty and strong. It is seldom thai any of them die. They are held ove1 the winter until the next fall. They grow in size and weight, and, of course in value.
 Another branch vf the business is tht fattening of cattle on hay. Again three year old steers are selected. They ar, driven into corral, and there get al the hay they can eat. The mountail hay is so nutritious that the steers be come as fat as corn-fed animals in tn Eastern States. It has been the custom for several years to ship beef during tn winter, when cattle are thin on tn range, from Kansas city to Denver. Tn beef so shipped is of good quality This spring saw better beef-that is fatter beef-hanging ill butcher sho in Laramie city, w., than I saw i Denver. This choice beef was fattene on hay cut on the Little Laramie rive1 The business of winter feeding steers O the plains promises to increase rapidl in the near future. It is perfectly sal
 business, and very profitable. As it il creases, so will the value of the ha lands obtained under the Desert Lan
 act. FRANK WILKEsoN. | -------
 Satisfied.
 "Yes," said the farmer to the keep.
 of tha stOra in his vil1aua oe Io ,,o ,,