, 1884-03-19
THE CATTLE TRADE.
A Quarter Century's Splendid
Showing.
Pleasing Progress Made Upon
the Plains.
The Three Great Western
Stock Belts.
An Imposing Array Of Valu-
able Statistics.


Editor OF the Democratic Leader.
New YORK, March Is, lSS4.-The
growth of the cattle trade of the United
States during the past twenty-five years
has been most wonderful, furnishing a
striking instance of the enormous proper
tons to which a business may be success
fully developed in. this country within a
comparatively short period. A few oxen
which had been abandoned by their
owner and left to perish near the present
site of Denver, Colorado, in the autumn
of 1859, were found fat and in good condi-
ton the following spring, and it was thus
first discovered that cattle could live
through the winter in that part of the
country without shelter and without other
food than the uncut, cured grass to be
found in the valleys. To-day there are
millions of cattle that roam the western
plains, where they are being raised and
fattened for the eastern markets.
There are three great cattle belts west
of the Mississippi river, the northern, the
middle and the southern. The first in
cludes Montana and Dakota and its tribu-
tary to the Northern Pacific railroad;
Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah and
the northwestern portion of Kansas, be-
long to the second, which is penetrated by
the Union Pacific and the Burlington and
Missouri River railroads, and the third
takes in all the territory south of the sec
ond, including the Indian Territory, New
Mexico, Arizona and Texas, and is tribu-
tary to the great southwestern system of
railways.
For many years Texas has been noted
for its large herds of cattle and its nutri-
tious grasses, but for a long time, for
want of ready access to market, the cattle
had little more than a nominal value
The success which attended the expert
ments of raising cattle on the western
plains, by the opening of the Union
Pacific railroad, led to the driving of vast
herds from Texas to Colorado, Wyoming
and adjacent territories, where they were
wintered prior to being shipped to the
eastern markets, and this practice is still
continued, although, since the opening of
the southwestern system of railways, there
is, of course, less driving and more ship
ping direct from the Texas ranges to the
northern markets. The present native
cattle of the west are a cross of the Texas
long-horns and the short-horns of Ken
lucky and other northern states. Within
a few years past the western cattle men
have organized associations for the gen.
eral management of their business. They
have secured the passage of stringent laws
prescribing severe punishment for stealing
cattle, and inspectors are employed at all
points where they are first unloaded after
leaving the plains.
Although large numbers of cattle are
received at Omaha, Kansas City and
st. Louis, especially at certain seasons of
the year, Chicago is the one great central
point to which range cattle are shipped
and where..the eastern and western dealers
meet. The following table indicates the
growth of the business at Chicago since
the beginning of 1866, when the yearly
receipts of all cattle were less than 100000
head. The table gives the receipts and
shipments of cattle alone, while the column
showing the total value covers the receipts
of all stock: