Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-18
Beet Production,-We and East

The short supply of beef which we are in
few months to realize may oonduce to our
national prosperity by making us vegetarians.
But as there threatens to be an over supply
of horses, | think upon due reflection farm
ers must see the necessity of turning from
the breeding of horses to that of beef. |
predict that in few months those farmers
who are feeding horses instead of cattle will
see the mistake they have already made
The whole situation of the cattle business
wears a phenomenal aspect. The great buff
falo plains around the mountains of the west
for time furnished grazing ground of un-
precedented richness and cheapness. Calves
were bred in Texas and were spread out up
on these great and luxuriant plains, like the
locusts of Egypt; and in fifteen years they
had upset all previous arrangements in beef
producing Indeed, this period was tie
reign of the cattle king" But all is now
changed. The parchng sirocco
came from the south scorching
the grapes on the plains leaving scanty food
for stock then came down old Boreas from
the icy north with unprecedented fury and
pierced the aching heart of the wild OK Of
the plains with shafts more deadly than the
the huntsmans steel, and his bones lie
bleaching upon the plains,
The central west has turned its attention
from cattle growing to grain growing ard
they cannot with profit change back, from
the fact that an inverted prairie sod will rot
carry cattle. The great plains cannot be re-
stocked because they are Just coming under
private ownership and there is
no longer highway thousand
miles wide upon which to swarm
from Texas to Montana. And even while
the way was open the risk proved so great as
/ to hup e,
whole thing is stupendous failure.
Had it only resulted in the financial ruin of
the ranchmen their general distrust would
not have followed so thick and fast but this
Bankruptcy of stockmen is widespread and
almost universal, until a man who holds live
stock anywhere is looked upon much as is a
private individual with an elephant on his
hands.
To those who have had the courag. to pur-
sue the even tenor of their way until now,
would say, by way of encouragement, h Id
on, don't give up the ship. There is no
place upon this green earth where cattle can
be made to thrive better than in this old Nv
England. Even the old state of Maine is the
best home the domestic OK ever knew.
The wild OK of the plains is out of he
contest, and we can bid defiance to all co a.
petitors. Grazing lands in Maine are CHEAPER
barbed wire makes the cost of enclosure
almost nominal. High prices for beef are
sure to prevail and improved machin, ry
lessons by one half the cost of gather ng
winter forage, and warm barns for sto K,
further lessen the cost of wintering. Let us
grasp the tomahawk of civilization, and W. ge
unreenting warfare against the
mnltifarious bushes growing upon our rocky
hillsides. The gallant warrior is always az
gressive and seldom goes into winter quart
ers, and if any one should want to know
when is the best time to cut bushes, | v ill
say, emphatically, that now is already the
time. But if the snow should happen to be
too deep, then tarn your attention at once to
the cattle in the barn; see that you are no,
carrying load Of lice, or that scourge he
barn itch. and see also that old Boreas is not
pinching your cattle from some unsuspec'e ed
quarter. II. Il.
lB1usfC.