The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-02-09
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the number of inhabitants will bear
almost exactly the same proportion to
each other as they did in 1880, q
people to the head of cattle. The
question then, is will they continue to
decrease. 1t seems to me after a
careful study of the subject that they
will, and these are some of my rea-
sons:
1st. The great ranges where a
steer could be raised to three years
old for 500 and often good deal less.
have been and are being taken up for
homesteads.
2ud. Another and the prirc,ral
reason IL that il has become unprOfi-
Ia ole and has been for ten years.
Bird. Stock raissrs have been for
the last six years selling off the
calves in unprecedented numbers.
Another reason why cattle have de-
creased and are likely To contine so,
is that u good many farmers have
turned their attention 10 raising
horses, mules and sheep. The
increase in horses last year
aver 1892 being 70S,G62 caus-
ing reduction in price OF
1915 per head. Mules increased 49,
400 and suffered a decrease of 81 per
head. 1 mention this as bearing on
the reduction in the number of cattle
as showing that it is likely to contin-
ue.
Another thing that will keep the
production down is that many farmers
are just keeping enough cattle to eat
up the rough feed that is unstable,
selling their hay that would otherwise
he used to grow cattle if it was
profitable, while others fatten their
calves and sell them at few weeks
old.
Should our export trade in fat cat
tie continue it will help to reduce our
surplus. Should, however the tariff
OH cattle he removed it will help to
depress the already glutted mar
ket.
RECAPITULATION.
In 1870 there were two and eight.
fiftecnths people to each head of cattle
or a trifle over %. In 1880, two and
eight twenty. firsts or little over p
people to each head of cattle In 1882
two and seven twenty-thirds or less
than 3. Up to the latter year it paid
to raise cattle. In 1883 the year of
the great increase, the average of in
habitants TO each head of cattle was
one and thirteen -fourteenths little
less than two people to each head.
Then it did not pay and has not
since. In 1892 the proportion of pop
ulation to each head of cattle reached
it's lowest when it was / 1887 or a
little less than one and seven ninths,
and also records the lowest average
price of cattle Sl5.l6.
The next year 1893 with a decrease
in the number of cattle of l, 697 ,043 the
proportion arose to l 81 with corress-
ponding increase in price OF .OS a head.
CONCLUSIONS.
From the investigation given above
1 draw these conclusions:
LIST. That where the number of peO-
pie to each head of cattle is less than
q it does not pay to raise cattle.
End. That when there is less than
2 people to each head cattle are raised
at a loss.
3rd. Should cattle decrease ut the
rate they did in 1898, 1857, 0i3 for five
years, and population increase at the
same rate per year it has for twenty
years, l, 2S5, 900 the number of people
to each head of cattle will be the
same as it was i'm 1880 little over q
when it will be a paying business
again.
Should, however, the farmers turn
their attention to growing cattle
again instead of horses, mules and
sheep as there seems a tendency to,
because of their appropriateness, the
present glut. of the cattle market will
continue.
L have endeavored to Civ, nothing
in the foregoing but what is borne out
by the facts.
OF the conjectures for the future any
one can make his own. The number
and price of the cattle given i'm any
case is the number given to the assess-
ors to pay taxes on and the price fixed
by them. l.. Il. PEARSON.