Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-12-06

A COLORADO certain extent; but to have regular farm, where there are nothing but elk, where they are looked after, kept in condition, and treated just the same as any eattle-that is thing which I do not believe anyone has done before me.
 Ny farm is in one of the most pie turesque parts of Colorado, in a valley 16 miles east of Meeker. It is 163 acres in extent, and through the length of it runs splendid trout stream, well known throughout the surrounding states under the name of the Big Beaver. My farm is in the very heart of the White river country, tract which is not excelled in the United States for the variety of it's big game. Indeed, 1t is often called the Paradise of the Sports man.
 Some idea of the extent to which l work my farm may be gained from the fact that each year 1 raise for my elk alone enough hay to bale up 15o tons. and garner from 300 to 500 bushels of grain.
 "0n this farm, which is 6,5o0 feet above the level of the sea, the elk roam through the timber land and across the rolling meadows just as though they were not captive. But they are safe enough, nevertheless, for l have them fenced in with five strand barb wire fence.
 Tn my time 1 have followed many lines of work and farmed in different parts of the country, but I have never had any such experience as am now passing through. The elk is such a strange animal; but in time they get to be just as gentle as milk cows.
 Tt has been four years now since l first took the notion of tanning the elk and raising them just as other people raise cattle. 1t took me year to get the farm in order, to capture the six animals with which I started, and to place them in the inclosed ranch. Up to that time l did not know whether the idea was feasible; l was afraid that should have great deal of trouble in domesticating the animals.
 ''To be sure, the worst worry of my life began from the moment I caught the first elk for the herd It was not that they were wild and unruly; on the contrary, they were too tame. AL though the farm is large enough, the animals seemed to know by instinct that they were prisoners. They have to be petted like children. Tn the matter of feeding, too, have to use the ut most care. In the summer it is easy enough, for they may wander at will and pick up suitable food from stubble field and timber land. But, during the winter, their food must be especially prepared-chopPed and sometimes sweetened when they do not readily take to it. But from the first year everything seemed to favor my prof ect. The numbers increased rapidly, and were augmented from the neigh boring forests from time to time, as my men were able to secure the finer speci- mems.
 While wandering at will on their native tracts, the elk of all sizes and ages seemed to be perfectly able to take care of themselves and their horns. But when once they get on farm they seem to forget all this. The young steers, especially, get into no end of trouble, and break their horns in the most distressing manner. As these broken horns and badly-spreading prongs injure the general appearance or the herd, I have eontrived a means of regulating and controlling the horns growth. This is done by means of a box-like wooden frame, light and easily carried by the elk. The horns are guided in their growth by this frame, and it also keeps the animal from get nng into bad places in the timber belt. Then, too, when the horns are still in the milk they are very soft and easily oamaged. They have to be watched with the greatest caution, and iron rust must be mixed with their food, as it has Strengthening quality.
 But, although under usual conditions FIX need no more care than cows. there comes time when this is changed. a-ter the second year of their life on the }arm the bulls sometimes get very ugly