Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-03-24
wh.r. Ar. IN. ca,,,..

Frank wilkeson, in Harper's Magazine tor
April.
The cattle-growers who Craze their herds
on the northern range have kept the fact Of
their being engaged In that business 90 con.
stantiy before the public that they have ere
ated the impression that the larger portion
of the cattle in the country Craze on the arid
plains or in the Rocky Mountain valleys and
parks This is mistake.
Given a country where corn thrives, there
will be found cattle aud hogs in large num-
bers All intelligent sgricuiturists know that
the Mississippi valley is divided into great
belts Of land, each distinguished by some
marked popularity of soil and climate that
determines the use to which il is devoted.
The upper Mississippi valley is wheat land /;
the lower upper, corn land the upper lower,
cotton land and the lower so-called sugar
land. 1t Is true that corn can be raised In
the wheat and in the cotton belt and even In
the sugar belt but il is not corn as the W est
ern corn-growers use the word. The corn
belt proper includes Illinois, Iowa, Mis-
souri,, and Eastern Kansas and Nebraska
Portions of Ohio, Indiana, kentucky. and
Tennessee properly belong in this belt But
use the first division Tor convenience OF IL
lustration. Where corn grows to perfection
there is always plenty of feed for cattle. Mill
let will grow and yield bountiful crops
throughout the region. The same is true of
| o ITS and wheat, though not a sure crop in
the corn belt is extensively sown.
In 1870 there were 22,5Ol,337 domestic
horned cattle in the United States. In 1890
the census shows that there were SO, $40
cattle in the couutry-sn increase of II, 430,-
1888 during the decade. OF this increase 81
o., e6S were in the five corn states of Illinois,
Iowa. Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska
When the last census was taken, more than
one-fourth of the cattle in the country were
| I'm those states. In lss0 our production of
| corn WAS l,75+, $40 bushels. The five corn
states produced l,GI SOS, ,3i4 bushels-more
| than half the crop 1t Is plainly seen that
where the land yields large crops of corr,
| there the cattle naturally gravitate.
In 1880 there were in all that extensive
area composed of Montana, Wyoming, Colo.
RADIO, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho,
| Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, 1,7S6, 2s2
cattle or 594, . IA less than there were in ILL
| nois, and but 35l, 974 more than there was in
1 the young state of Kansas New York,
| which is never spoken of as a cattle growing
state, contained in l7S0 2S00,0SS cattle--6l3,.
S26 more than then graZed on the whole oil
| the arid belt, the much vaunted grazing
grounds of the West In my opinion the
| census OF 1890 will show that there will be
| more cat lie in the three corn-growing states
OF Illinois, Iowa. and Missouri than in the
| entire plain region, excepting Texas, ol
course. And there will not be as much acute
| suffering, nor as many miserable deaths from
| starvation and cold, in the three states a.
| there will be among the cattle existing
through the winter in single county in the
| so-called cattle country,
In 1850 there were j, ,y94, l02 cattle in Texas
| The Texas cattlemen so thoroughly under.
| stand their business and the state is 50 well
| adapted to raising cattle, that nothing need
| be said of them or their lands. All Texas
| cattle-growers realize that they must not
| overstock their range, now fully stock ed.
| Those at all familiar with Texas know tina,
| as long as grass grows and water runs tba,
state can be relied upon to supply from $50.
| 600 to 100000 cattle annually; cows can
| raise calves on the Texas ranges and live,
and the same il true OF New Mexico and
| Arizona and portions of the Indian territory