Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-18
THE LAND BOARD.
speeches Of Messrs. Brown, Daushertv
and Temple Houston.
Rights OF Citizens Under the lawvs
The Rulings of Onlcials.
The Stock Interests Of Texas Oupht To
BE Fostcred.
porte 4 Specially for The oo,e,,o

| @'A tilt NlEtItp.
Tho c,,,o,,, AUSTIN, Aprill7.
luil delivered Cefore the land boord
yester',ay, protesting against the Inf,
action of the board: ' i"''
JUDGE q. a. BROWN OF poNrrv
Gentlemen Of the Board;
KNOW 1t has been charged bv soma
thoughtiess accuser that nn,,l,,.
ing for the school lands al ronr aH5
| I'VE cents per acre Is n bull-dozmy
scheme ON the part of stockne,, : .
scare the land board into rescindino lts
resolution raising the minimum Srico
Tor lease from four to eight and twenty
cents.
| vii say TO you, gentlemen. nm,
here the authorized attorney and ron.
resentative of some thrty.llvo anni;.
cants for these lands, in the Ponhsdle
vi texas, at four and five cents, but |
most earnestly disavow any desire ia
influence this board, If could, to do
any act IT does not deem just and pru-
ueht, ana mad gone on the hunt for
some one TO bull ,doze, ii is quite
certain should not have Sc.
iected Inc men before me, and
would have impressed upon you that
we nave come not To dictate but to
demonstrate.
While l have my own opinion as TO
the authority of theb board under the law
10 increase the minimum or reduce the
tenure prescribed by the act of 1883,
YET. l consider you capable of reading
and constituting for yourselves, and will
not insult your intelligence by arguing
the legality of your action. Further,
Knowing AS | do the men who com.
pose the board, am driven to the
conclusion that you have acted con-
scientiously in what you believe TO he
the interest of the trust you represent
and that too without desiring or in.
tending to Cypress any one. do be-
lieve, however, that the board
has acted in this matter with
out correctly understanding or
estimating the cost of operating small
ranches, and the consequent result OF
the rule under consideration upon the
smaller stock men of the state, Hop.
ing that may be able to give the
board some idea in this connection, /
have prepared two statements, based,
in part, upon my own knowledge
derived from actual experience, and in
part upon information obtained from
practical and successful stock men who
have given their lives to the business.
Following are the statements:
Statement of the cost OF operating
breeding herd of 1000 cat.,e which
should consist of $50 cows, 1875 two
year-old heifers, 125 one-year-old
heifers and fifty bulls, estimating an
annual increase of rs per cent. of
calves from the cows and 20 per cent.
of calves from two-year-old heifers or
a total yield of 5SS calves per year.
Counting ten acres of grass per head,
we have ,63S acres of land one half of
which 1.-THE alternate sections owned
by private Individually must be pur-
chased ut a cost of 81 per acre-it be-
ing impossible to lease these private
lands for any term of years.
STATEMENT.
LOO she cattle at $50 s2j eco
Fifty graded bulls at $50 .,............. 1850
slCO acres of decided land nj s2,.,,,,,,,,. l6 $50
Twenty-Five miles of fence ut ~ 0........ $3.50
House and furniture...-.... ........,........ 500
Branding pens and horse 10 s............... 500
IanKs.,....... ouh
Six horses at s75..................-.... 40
Wagon and harness-"...-.,......."... Ito
Total invested In business .......,.... So, $50
PRODUCING ANNUALLY.
$50 yearlings ut sI5...................... $3.50
AT an annual cost OF two men at
$50
nrovislons anu lceu.,..;''"'. ihU
Tax on property owned.....,...... 300
$3.50 acres school lands at 10 cents $40
Wear and tear on improvements,
horses and wagons 10 per cent 1S9 -sS, $50
Yielding a net profit of......... sl,scl
Which will be seen is II fraction
over per cent. on the investment.
If you estimate that you lease the
entire at n medium of ten cents per
acre, it will increase your profits TO
about II per cent.
Statement Of operating beef herd
of !, goo head, beginning with yearling
steers and holding two years, esti-
mating fifteen acresi of grass per
head, all leased Mt ten cents per acre.
STATEMENT.
coo year ling steers at sl5...,.....,."-..sl 5000
1900 acres of land ut ten cents, two ~
Twenty miles offence AT $50. 5000
House and furniture. soo
branding pens ana horse lots............ so
Sin hoi SEES al S75. .............,.,...,.. $50
Tanks ....,,...,................. G0J
Wagon and harness ..............,........,... 1Vi
Two men two years -. .............,...... 2iC0
Pro, isiuns and feed two years 80. ...... 1900
Tax on property, owned two years.. 2l5
Wear. tear and decay on improve
mems, horses and wagon two years,
Total amount expended so,C75
PROPERTY ON HAND.
LOCO steers ut ........-...-..-e 30Oo0
Improvements, horses and wagons. 1850
TOTAL. .''''.''-.."''to', wy
REcAPITULATfoS.
Business debtor and creditor viz. 10
amount expended ''..''.-''' ''-'."''sSgo.o
To amount ON hand "'ooo
Total profit in two years. ......"..---..." t6s'5
Equal to about fifteen per cent.
compounding interest from the time
the respective payments were actually
made.
These estimates contemplate no
losses by death or escape. II ranch
men are fortunate enough to be sur
rounded by others who mutually
share the cost of division fences
their profits will be increased in that
proportion, but the annual cost OF
opeiating a ranch OF the Size stated
will not fall short ofthe statements.
I know these statements will seem
unreasonable to those who have re-
ceiyed their ideas from the earlier
DAYS of stock-raislng In Texas, when
every man who had a small herd OF
cat ie was considered on the high
road to fortune. But we must
not forget that in those days 1t cost
absolutely nothing to raise cattle. The
range was free and unoccupied, there
being room for all and more. Stock
men had pick and choice OF localities,
GOOD. better and best. Ranches were
Selected with view TO their comfort
and convenience. There was no ne
oass;tv for cattle TO wander of in