The Arizona champion. [volume] (Peach Springs, Mohave County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1883-1891, 1888-10-27
A Future for sCar,ie, -,sr'

"A gentleman VINO possesses unu
sual facilities for acquiring accurat,
information touching the range cat
tie interest remarked in our hear
ing few days ago from the best
data he had been able to gather h.
was satisfied that the production O
cattle on the range had fallen a
least sixty per cent. within the pas
three years. He remarked in thi,
connection that the reason why
this great reduction in the produc,
Of the range country had not Al
ready affected the market for beef
was found in the fact that the sup
ply of three-year-old steers bad not
been very greatly lessened; it was
when the range product--the
calves Of this and the proceeding
two years-begun to come into the
market that the reduced supply
would be felt. And then he began
to speculate on the probable effect
of this reduced range supply upon
the general cattle interests of the
country. Our friend argued that
the production of cattle on a large
scale on free ranges was practically
a thing of the past; and that hence
forth both food and shelter must be
provided, excepting in few es-
pecially favored localities. lie
added that alfalfa, produced by
means of irrigation in the valleys;
must be the chief source of winter
food, but that when it came to this
most of the advantages which these
cattlemen had hitherto enjoyed over
those of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri
would be gone, It seemed TO be
his settled opinion that the country
would wake up to the fact in year
or two more that little short of
beef famine was upon us and that
ultimately the production of beef
would be relegated to the great corn
and grass producing regions of the
central west Us the place where
beef viii be permanently produced
more cheaply than in any other
part of the United States.
1t appears TO US that there is d
good deal of solid truth and hard
common sense in our friends sug-
gestion, and that the farmers OF
our country who have become S,
discouraged over the competition o.
the free ranges during the past yea.
as to practically give ~ the busi
ness of raising and feeding steer
may again embark in it with pros.
pect Of remunerativa prices in the
very near future. 1t seems to b,
generally conceded that the raisin
of cattle in any considerable nun
hers without q winter food supply
OF some sort can no longer be car
ried on successfully, and this stat,
of things points to the fact that the
cattle industry must be reconstruct
ed to meet the changed conditions.
There is also a silver lining
the daik elcud that has for a yeal
or two past hung over the breeder.
of the best strains of ped e eed
cattle. While cattle breeding wa,
languishing among general farmer.
ON account of competition from the
free ranges the latter furnished
strong market for all the well-Lred
bulls that could be produced, albeit
the purchasers were nos always a,
discriminating as they should have
been as to purity of blood and in
lividual merit. That market wa
largely fallen oil, but revival OF
the business Of raising and feedin.
steers by the general farmers of oui
country will cause a large HON,
iemand for bulls of the best blood,
and these home buyers will as
rule be much more discriminating
n their purchases than were the
'roprietors of the immense western
anges.-Breedsrs Gazette.