The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-08-19
CATTLE IN KANSAS.

| Large Profits in Fattening Stock for the Eastern Market--A Rapidly Growing Industry-The Unfortunate New Yorker-Alfalfa as Fodder. A new era has begun out here in the western counties of the state. There is no more of the old-time trust in the rather captious favor of the rainfall. The people are starting into the cattle business on a scale that may mean a revival of the vests once promising conditions.
 The west is in the cattle business in earnest Thousands and tens of thou sands of Mexican and Texas longhorns have been driven up to the sites of the farms deserted by settlers, and the loan companies that were compelled to take | in the lands by foreclosure are finding l that they have profitable property on l their hands. They have leased the | farms to the cattlemen, who in turn l have hired the cowboys to herd the stock at two dollars head for the sea- | son. Since the first of the year fully l two hundred thousand head of feeders have come into western Kansas and half as many more are there for breed ing purposes. These stock cattle have I The men, who brought these cattle up l from the ranches of the southwest have made big money at it. One young deal CT started out with no knowledge of the business, but because of his striking the right lead he has cleared forty thou sand dollars by the six months work. The feeders that were brought up this spring will be shipped to the Kansas City market in the fall and the settlers and speculators will make money on them.
 Cattle are getting short on the ranges" said a cattle dealer the other day. and those who get them now will be in luck. There Is no reason why the prices should fall for at least five years, for it will take at least that long to get the supply up to the needs of the ,na- ton. The cattlemen are pre- -emptng western Kansas at a rate that will soon make it one of the busiest parts of the | west, and the cattle will make it pro- ductive of wealth.
 The methods by which this has been brought about and by which the hold CTS of western Kansas lands have been relieved are worth understanding. The cattle are sold from the cars and bring from twenty to thirty dollars a head with the white-faced bulls at twice as much. Dealers at Kansas City and Omaha will contract to take all the calves at twelve dollars and half or the yearlings at twenty dollars head Then, with the long summers and the | fact that there is no need to feed for more than two months in the winter they can raise about ninety per cent. of the calves and double their herds twice in three years.
 Western Kansas, however, is not SC much cattle-growing country as it is a cattle-moving country. It is the idea place to fit the stock for the market and the stock that comes up from the hot southwest for this purpose are put on the yards in better shape than are those that the ranchers try to fit fol beef themselves. It is solving the ques- tion for the landholders, and as the cat tie go out in small punches there is nc chance for any very large losses except where it can we'll be afforded
 One man who came out from New York to find out about this section ot land that he had acquired by the pro. cess of foreclosure discovered that il "eho III tHc iiiuSI OI d IeI-SeCllO1 TaHSe surrounded by barbed wire and occu- pied by bunch of cattle. He went te the ranch house and asked for the pro. prietor
 Say" he began, when that worthy appeared, do you know that you have fenced in my land in your pasture?"
 Guess 1 have got somebody's; is il yours?"
 Yes, it is mine, and I want to sell il to you.''
 "Oh can't afford to buy it-I do not really need it.''