The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-07-22
TIE TRUTH CONCERNING THE ca TILE
RANGER ON TIE IVES TERN PLAINS.

| Dtspeiiias she 0iamssr or Cattle Rsissas-
Ths Bosks versws the Hsrds--llow Cast.
saitsts are Taken In-lfow the 0svsru-
nest 10 Rsbbed OF its Dess Land.
MEDICINE Bow, July l2.--Tho high price
Of beef has greatly stimulated the business Of
cattle breeding. English and Eastern capital
eagerly seeks investment In Western cattle
ranches. Il has been estimated that about
$50 900. 600 Of English and Eastern money has
bcen Invested in the region extending from the
Rio Grands River to the northern boundary
| line during the past three years. This 10 prob
| ably an over estimate. The brands. that arc
supposed to represent ownership Of horned
| stock. are bought without a thorough examlna-
| tion Of the herds that sanguine investors sup
poso are represented by the piles OF branding
irons lying around corrals. or sketched In books
OF record In county offices. At present the ex-
element about cattle approaches In inten-
| sity mining craze. The writer's for the
press and illustrated magazines are In
. great measure. responsible for calling
public attention to the Western plains and the
Rocky Mountain valleys as desirable localities
for cattle breeding. Tho majority OF these
writer's know absolutely nothing about tho
breeding and successful! handling Of cattle.
| They could not distinguish Durham steer
| from a scalawng Texan. Their knowledge 10
| obtained from the fraudulently kept stock
books and lying statements made by ranch
| men. who are anxious to unload on English
aud Eastern investors. The impression con-
| veyed by these writer's 10 that the Western
plains and mountain valleys teem with herds
Of cattle feeding on the nutritious grasses. and
that certain wealth awaits all men who will pay
| attention to their herds. Descriptions Of ifo
| on tho plains and In the mountains abound in
those writings. The pictures arc attractive. but
are they truer
The census Of 1880 shows land the figures for
1880 are approximately correct for 1881 that
| In the strictly pastoral region embraced within
| the lines Of New Mexico Colorado. Wyoming.
| Dakota. Montana. Nevada. Utah. Washington.
| and Oregon there we're 1.923,li3 cattle. or
A1G.573 less than In the State OF New York.
Kansas and Nebraska. States that extend from
the Missouri River westward into the arid
| belt. Craze more cattle than all the so-calied
| cattle country" excepting Texas. Colorado
has been pulled more extensively than any
other State as q desirable location for cattle
| breeders. For years cattle have been driven
from Texas to Colorado. In 1880 there were
SAG. 739 cattle In Colorado. South Carolina. q
| State never spoken OF as cattle country pos
sesssd 363 709 cattle in 1880. Arkansas. where
the mon are falsely supposed to spend their
time lying in wait behind corn cribs for their
personal zoos. contained 70S.243 cattle. or
| 351. 5U4 more than Colorado. In 1880 Florida
| gragsd 467.370 cattle. over 10000 more than
| Colorado.
| The cattle country contains. not including
Texas. about 100000 square miles. The fact
| that bufIaloes once grazed over most Of the
land IL strongly dwslt upon BY the cattle
breeders. Throughout this vast range cattle
are expected to pick ND their living during
| the winter 1t Is asserted that tho loss OF stock
Is very small on these natural breeding
| grounds. With oil these advantages the cattle
States do not Craze rs much stock as New
York. State containing but 47.OOO square
| miles, and where the cattle aro fed hay and
grain for six months every year. The losses
| In New York by freezing aud starving will not
equal the loss in any OF the cattle States OF the
far West In ono blizzard In the latter portion
| Of the winter.
All men who have travelled over the Col
orado plains know that that country Is fully
| stocked with cattle. Many well-informed men
assert that the southern portion OF the State
| that borders on the Arkansas River is over
| stocked. ind that the grass has been greatly
injured by close feeding and the stock travelling
| over 1t as they walked to and fro from tho up
lands to the river for water. Wyoming. Da-
kota. and Montana are not fully stocked STILL
the cattle have been driven out Of some por-
| tlous VI those coupuTdtlNely neW uuu unSTHLeu
ranges. notably from tho Laramie plains Ia
Wyoming. though in this case 1t Is certain that
the pressure exerted by tho sheep herders had
. marked influence on the cattle owners.
Cattle raising in the West is lifo ON the from
| tier. 1t IL n life OF ceaseless monotony. There
| Is but little danger OF tho Indians being at
tracted away from Government rations In
before the rifles OF the white robe hunters has
solved the Indian question. The ranges that
growers ride. There IL nothing fascinating in
the life Of q cowboy. or In thnt OF an owner OF n
| small herd: 1t eau be summed up in % fow
weeks' hard riding in, the spring. during the
branding roundup, and n few weeks moro riding
OF the year is spent in watching the horns ' Of
cattle grow. In counting the rings on the base
s md % IN f2ss
life is varied by men who have families aud
~ Lying in s9%s Little ssuald
hangs heavily on the hands Of sa"R
Intellectual a@uscment by Suing on WA" an
empty dry goods box and pounding their boot
heels against the rc.oundiny sidos, while die
hsss %hose s
arc apparently wrapped UP ~ absorbing
uting points in tho Eastern states. or US to
whether Clnrk's ban.na.tuled., one.-horned
e c;", the go ono With the diamond brand on her
seven or eight years old There Is some hunt
ing don. by these men. but the greater portion
| OF them do not hunt. They loaf. they sleep.
they lie on blankets. they sat poor food wretch
eddy cooked. A bright, nervous. intellectual
young man would abandon the business, as ii
Is generally conducted In less than u week.
He would turn his horse's head toward the
nearest railroad station. and getting on the
and the Lex cabin standing on the sirocco-swept
plain. and hasten TO his father and confess that
no had made mistake. He would frankly nc
| knowledge that he could not live without the
society OF his fellows.
The phrase 1t is q cattle country" means
much more than Eastern men suppose. To
Western mon, and by Western mean west OF
the Tooth meridian 1t conveys the impression
OF u country .! c.treme ardness, Of rolling
plains furrowed At wide intervRls4by sluggish
streams OF alkaline water Across the plains
waves of heat roll In tho summer. causing the
air to trembe. and through which heated mo-
dun all objects are distorted to tho vision. In
| the winter arctic storms sweep out Of the
| north. The snow flies horizontally through
the air. The furious wind drives 1t Into the
ravlnes. thVre not being enough vegetation on
tho levels to hold the snow particles. In the
cattle country there are no trees. no good
water. unless in mountain valleys. Tho grass
becomes brown and dry In late June or early
July. Every, drop Of rain that falls after the
grass has died for want OF water Injuries
the feed by washing nutriment out OF
i. This early death Of the grass is explained
to strangers In an airy manner. The cattle
| breeder inlicutoS an extensive of rid