The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-02-03
MISSOURI CATTLE.
This State to BE a Ripening
Ground for the Southwest.

lcuiuS ccCtiOu Oh the w est are now
most excellent, owing to the steps t4-
ken by number of range owners in
Colorado, Nebraska an New Mexico.
Charles Staples of Trinidad, N. NJ,
has just been in st. Louis after hav.
ing spent several weeks in Central and
southwestern Missouri, where he has
been investigating The situation on
behalf OF an association of cattle rails
ers who are about to eng ige exclusive.
ly in the shipment OF beef to Europe.
"Our plan is" said Mr.. Staples, "to
use the ranges as breeding grounds
AMI ripen our stock in Missouri. We
have looked carefully over all the avail
able territory and find none so sui;ed
to our purposes as some parts of this
State.
ADVANTAGES OF MISSOURI.
''For cattle bred on the northern
plains Iowa is a good ripening ground,
but the winters are liable 10 be too
severe for southern bred stock. Our
Colorado and New Mexico cattle ma
ture rapidly as far as frame and
matronizing power is concerned, but
our grasses do rot seem 10 have a fat
tening effect, a~d our stock does not
lay on fish as it should. The north.
ern grasses have more matchmaking
power, but the cold winters proven!
rapid growth of young c,ttle, aud
there is heavy loss every year among
the calves. For long iime our
practice has been to sell our yearlings
and year-olls 10 Wyoming
aud Dakoto r4nchmen, who
fattened them on their ranges
and thea sold them. MANY of
these men never bred any cattle a..
all, relying On us to furnish their
stock. There are several roasoDs Why
this method of doing business is no
longer desirable. The trail has been
closed. and we can no longer drive,
but are Obliged to ship, and the ex-
peLse of th 8 reduces the profits 10
almost nothing. Then the northern
ranches are reducing their stocks and
do not wish 10 buy extensively from
us. But the principal cause for the
change of base is that we can do much
better for ourselves bv sending our
cattle to be ripened in Missouri.
CORN AND GRASS FEEDING.
SIN the first place it is on the way
are IOwef, DeCausJ NC PIaUIICaIIy sIIp
direct, with stoppsge for ripening
purposes in transit. Then six months
ON corn are better than two years on
the best buffalo grass that ever grew.
The winters are not severe, and our
southern bred cattle do not suffer as
they do in the blizzard region. By
sending them in the summer or fall
to Missouri, and then shipping them
in the following summer, We can put
mo: e weigh, on them than is possible
by two years grazing in the north,
while we avoid the dangers
of severe winters. The farm
ers are beginning to see
tlat they can Iipen our cattle more
pro6tably than they can raise their
own. Until steer is 2 years old it
makes little difference what it is fed
on so long as 1t has plenty of food OF
some kind. The difference between a
grass fed and a corn fed yearling is
surprisingly small, and is not infre.
quently in favor of the grass fed
animals raised in warm climate, and
with free range, as the frame, and
therefore the meat-carrying power is
likely to be more fully developed. 1t
is only after this that corn feeding
begins to have its full effect, and then
it puts flesh on very fast.
FATTENING BEEyEs,
''It is q mere waste to feed corn to
young cattle, and this fodder could be
far more profitably employed in put.
ting meat ON range-brvd stock. We
have entered into contracts which will
enable us to put at least 10, 900 head
on Missouri farms this year, room b.
ing obtained for many of them by
the farmers selling off their breeders
and old stock. 1t was difficult at first
to induce the farmers TO join iD with
us, but the results already accomplish
ed with the catt'e sent to this state
from the Indian territory opened their
eyes, and We are now in position to
state that Missouri will be the great
fattening glouLd for Colorado and
New Mexico cattle. 1t should be
remembered that every pound
added after certain point is SO much
clear beef, the skeleton and refuse not
increasing, but being about the same
for fat and lean stock. What We
have done is only a starter, as the