The Penn's Grove record., 1886-01-09

herds of the far south. Every season
thousands of young cattle from half a
year or two years old are driven from
the southern country hundreds Of mites
north and distributed over our plains [,
grow stronger and fatter befortethey are
shipped to theIesstern markets. These
lmpQrf2tf6ns from the s)uth are Known
as "Dogies" among the cowboys. Their
most prominent characteristic is their
extent OF horns. The cattle born aud
bred in this territory are generally OF a
superior quality. They all have Texas
blood, but there Is al improvement i'll
the strain by the use of biooded bulls,
Herefords or Polled Angus. Every sea-
son they show better beef qualities.
Sometimes the better blood has so
changed the appearance Of the animals
that it is difficult to recognize sven the
most prominent traits OF the Texas cat
tie. These Improvements are a neces-
sary consequence of the increased of COM
petition in the business, the demand be-
ing constantly for a higher grade OF
stock and a better quality of beef. A
demand has also grown up in England
for American beef, and this has tended
still further to improve the stock of the
plains, it being desirable to retain and
to increase tins trade. The cattle, with
regBrd to their habits and peculiarities,
are not objects of special interest; in
fact, they are decidedly stupid, and have
the initiative faculty quite strongly de-
veloped. Their most troublesome pc
culiarity Is a habit of "stampeding" or
running away III a wild panic at any
unusual alarm, especially IN the night.
by which q herd sometimes becomes
scattered oven a district of country 100
miles square. Weeks sometimes are re-
quirei to collect it again, Buffalo grass
is the staple food of the cattle. 1t is a
short grass that grows in abundance
everywhere. IC is probable the most
nutritive heritage that grows. In the
dry atmosphere of this reg on the buffalo
grass curls itself on the ground. 1t is
thus as good food in winter as in sum
mer. Our plains are from 5000 to G, 900
feet above the level of the sea. Al
though the rams are abundant in the
spring and early summer, the latter part
OF the summer and the fall is dry. \
better hay climate could hardly be
imagined. At this time of the year the
ground is covered with a thick carpet of
~splendidly cured hay. heavy Indeed
must be the snow fall that can prevent
the cattle from feeding. Ttey have
learned that there is always grass be-
meath the snow and will scrape the
snowy covering away with their hoofs
and feed u abundantly il one ceasCu as
IN another. Only when n sIeet of snow
occurs, accompanied by rain, which
freezes as it falls. covering the ground
with 70, do the cattle suffer. Then the
vast herds of mig ATTITUDES yield before
the blast and travel due south some
times for more than a hundred miles.
Their unerring instinct leads them on
beyond the sweep of the blizzard, where
the grass is not frozen and showed up
beyond their reaen. The cattle bust.
ness, as / said before, constitutes the
wealth of this region. Under ordinary
circumstances the money invested is
perfectly safe. The gain after the third
year may be reasonably put down at
from twenty to thirty per cent. These
losses come from sickness, exposure,
straying; thefts and deaths on the rail
road tracks. The net profits may,
therefore, be set down as averaging
near 20 per cent, not a bad return for
investments anywhere, Cattle raising
and farming are incompatible. The two
cannot exist side by side, Fences OBJ.
ssruct the range. aud the habits of cat
tlemen and farmers are SO radically dit
ferent that the appearance OF the latter
in any locality Is a sure signal for the
disappearance OF the former. The con-
fiict between the two industries has Just
begun in this territory. Every day il
becomes more evident that the small
cattle owner and farmer are being
pvshed to the wall. Cattle raising on a
gigantic scale is destined TO rule in this
territory from nov on for a score OF
years until the press of immigration
compels a division in the great ranges.
The business promises to be generally
carried on by large companies, having
many thousands of acres OF land and
unlimited supplies OF money. There Is
now practically 20 free grazing, water
fronts being taken up whenever they
are of any value, and most Of the land
has been bought or in some way appro-
priated by the great companies. In ad-
dition to this fact. it is certainly true
that the companies having extensive
ranges and large herds have a great adj
vantage over the small capitalist, FROM
the fact that the large business is car
ried on at a smaller per cent. of ex-
Eense. No more herders or horses are
needed for 5000 cattle than for 1000, and
thus the large capitalist will have q
greater per cent. of profit over his less
wealthy neighbor, who will soon be
driven out Of the business.
Never sneak much of YOUR own per.