The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-10-18
Beef az q Bonanza,

vine becomes wonderful mass OF large
clusters OF luscious grapes from top to
bottom.
Beef as a Bonanza.
It Is estimated tina, the annual cattle
sales in the United States amount to
about 5000, Zoo, 900. This wealth has been
greatly increased by the large augmen.
tation of thoroughbred cattle. The
"American Herd Boo<' has been ex-
tended to twenty.three volumes: These
volumes are occupied with the record
and pedigree Of GD,,OO cows, and AZ ,NN)
bulls, and all of one class, namely, Dur
hams and shorthorns. The best beef
which finds its way to market is that of
graded Durham cattle. The Ayricultur-
al Review makes this COMMENT:
Zone not intimate with the subject
nigh, suppose that; with such an array
in numbers OF our shorthorns. the prices
of them would gradually diminish at
b tin the private and pnblic sails, now
so frequent and in such large numbers
in our state. Such, however, is not the
fact. Average sales are now equal to
prices at which they have ever been.
During the last five years the pubic
sales have annually averaged 5000 ami
mals-bulIs and cows and heifers-at an
average price of 1852 per head, while
probably an equal number have been
sold at private sales and at somewhat
;gher prices. Many O.. them have sold
for 81 .(hh, and up to even $lO,AU each,
so esteemed for pedigree and quality
are they by our enterprising breed:
ers. Much higher prices. indeed, have
been obtained in some past years, even
as high as $25 100 and upward for single
animals, from eminent English breeders
who have cone here after them; but
that was in time Of high excitement in
shorthorn rivalry, and need he Noted
only as one ot the extraordinary fuctua'
tons in their progress. The unfamiliar
reader may ask where is the great de-
nand tor these cattle? Where is the
annually produced? The question i
readily answered. Until recently herds
of cattle by hundreds of thousands
roamed over the broad ranches OF Texas
Few Mexico, Colorado, and California
of the descendants of the original Span
i>h nportatio into Mexico in the six
teenth century. Ranging over the vas
plains end palnpas of that wild climate
they increased muItiludinousIy. Texas
became Iull of them, New Nc Aico also
and since the incorporation Of these
! couKtles with ours, uncouth and ragged
as they were in their wild condition those
cattle have been brought to the subjec
ton of civilized stockmen arranged
into herds branded with the marks o
the owners, and at a marketable agt
driven through the indian Territory IN
t" Kansas, and thence TO Missouri ant
Chicago markets, either for immediate
| slaughter, as their conditions would af
ford, or sold to the lrazers and feeders
| for better market Eastward. These
wild cattle are unfit for choice beef, bu
| the cows, crossed on the ranches by
shortAorn bulls, produce tolerably eoel
steers, partaking strongly of the blood
and forms of their sires, and become
marketable animals with good pastur
! age and .rain topping of in the hand.
of the corn-growing graz-rs who pur
chased them. The grading up of the
cattle in the West and Southwest has
been going on rapidly within the las
ten years. 1t would be difficult to decide
whether Illinois or Kentucky is tin
centre of the shorthorned breeding in
terest in this country The centre
whatever it may be, IS movable one
The longhorned. half wild animal il fas
disappearing. Droves ofthese cattle arr
rarely seen. They have been displaced
bV better ones