Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-08-02
Reviving Confidence in CattIe---The Out
 look in the West.
IF. sotham, in Breeders Gazette

l. F. SOtnalil5 Ill Breeders Gazette.
 l have been out here few days looking up the cattle business, and am gratified beyond measure by the confident feeling everywhere strong among the cattlemen. From Michigan to Colorado, everywhere the cattle raisers are satisfied that the steady growth ln values so markedly mo- ticeable will be sustained.
 had the pleasure yesterday of meet ing Major w. A. Towers. who for twenty years has been a prominent rangeman and one of the largest owners of range cattle. Major Towers has been in New Mexico the last two months receiving and branding young steer cattle, which he is transferring to his Montana ranges In reply to my inquiry, 'Is there any short age in breeding stock or matured steers for feeding?" he said:
 'ln all my travels over New Mexico. Arizona, Wyoming and Montana, census statistics to the contrary notwithstanding l have found large decrease in cows. have never known as few on the range since 1873 While statistics show an in crease, l might believe the statistician conscientious, but nothing could induce me to believe him correct As to three and four-year-old steers, there is absolute ly none on the ranges; eastern feeders have secured the ranges for them"
 Major Towers has recently purchased l5,00O yearling and two-year-old steers, and is now shipping them north and in the inevitable outcome of the markets his firm Is sure of $180000 clear profit on their holdings. The great cattle district has had a diarrhea, lasting three years during which it has expelled everything fit to ship and thousands unfit for market Now the keen-sighted stockmen have coolly bought up the steer product of the southern breeding districts, and I am sure | 100000 have passed north; but as I stated before, they are young and of the range class that will not be suitable for feeding inside of two years.
 | In coming here I was amazed at the great change ill western Kansas, Nebras- ka and Colorado Where heretofore have roamed great herds the claims of the farmer dot the plains; the range is abso luteiy gone and gone forever. I did no see single bunch of cattle exceeding fifty in number, While the reduced ca pacity for production of cattle is evident 1 could not help thinking that this vas domain leased for range would be of fal more use than under blow for the sorry crops that can now be seen. I was alst surprised at the lack of feeding cattle a; 1 passed through Illinois. Iowa, Missouri Eastern Kansas and Nebraska. I cam, through on the Rock Island and I say only one bunch of matured steers corn feeding and very few stock cattle. II speaking of this to Major Towers he saiC that early this spring he passed between Kansas City and Chicago by variou routes and never saw more than two lot of matured feeding cattle on any of tn rords.
 With Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska anC Dakota entirely devoid of range districts with tremendous northwest losses, witt Pacific coast butchers buying freely anC shipping cattle by train loads from as ia east as Omaha to supply their trade, witt the unloading by drouth of the entir stocks of Minnesota, Iowa and Illinoi three years ago, with the wholesal slaughter of calves both east and west with the steady marketing of the stocl throughout the entire breeding districts with the constantly increasing home COT sumption-l say with ali these variou and manifold influences which hay worked and are still working to decreas the supply and augment the demand fo beef cattle, 1t does not take wise man t foretell that the memorable law of suppl and demand will very soon send the price of prime beef as high CT higher than eve known.
 Self-styled conservatives would adm that better prices are imminent, but ca never be as high as heretofore Why ca not they? It was only few years az that sheep in Colorado were worth jul, what their belts were worth and no nor, which was very little. Now some leaC ing agricultural papers recommen abandoning all other pursuits and turl ing Colorado into one vast sheep farr thereby increasing heincome of the stat
 Why can not cattle sell as high as evt known? There is but one valid obje' ton and that is they may not have tn quality.
 How is all this to affect the breeder
 prime beef breeds? Obviously we are 2, ing to suddenly find out there is shor age ill beef cattle generally and of tn;
 superior class now so scarce and in sue f demand for export we are going to fin
 none Then as the country resumes u improvement of its herds, where it le , off in 1885, the demand for good bulls
 such as we knew ten years ago. I trus f however, that in the resumption of tt
 use of improved blood distinction will
 made between the excellent and the il | feriOr