The Republican., 1897-01-21
A STRANGE STOCK FARM.
An Elk Ranch in the Mountains of Colo
RADIO,

Few people have eve heard of it. The |
man who took it into his head to start |
this oldest of all farms apparently un- |
dertook the work more for the love of |
doing something that no one else would |
care to attempt than for money-malling |
purposes. He has carried out his plans |
in a quiet, conservative manner. having |
some fear at first as to its ultimate |
success. But now that there is no long
er any question of a failure, and Capt. |
Marcus Coon has a farm with a herd on
it that people will go thousands of
miles to see, he has decided to let those
who cannot make a personal visit know
about it. This he has done in the state
ment which follows:
II own an elk farm. As far as | know
there is not another such farm in the
world. There may possibly be men who
hold elk in captivity, and who keep them
for breeding purposes to a certain eN-
tent; 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 cattle
| that is thing which l do not believe
| anyone has done before me.
Some idea of the extent to which
work my farm may be gained from the
fact that each year | raise for my elk
alone enough hay to bale up $50 tons
and garner from 300 to 500 bushels Of
grain.
''On this farm, which is $500 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 | have them
fenced in with five-strand barbed wire
fence.
in my time I have followed many
lines of work and farmed in different
parts of the country, but l have never
had such experience as am now pass
ing through. The elk is such a strange
animal, but in time they get to be just
as gentle as mich cows.
1T has been four years now since I
first took the notion of tanning the elk
and raising them just as other people
raise cattle. 1t took me a year to get
the farm in order, to capture the six
animals with which / started, and to
place them in the enclosed ranch. Up
to that time did not know whether the
idea was feasible; | was afraid that
should have a good deal of trouble in
demonstrating them.
''To be sure, the worst worry of my
life began from the moment | caught
the first elk for the herd 1t 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. In the matter of
feeding, too, | have to use the utmost
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
: -EfcIr Ioou 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 project. The num-
bers increased rapidly, and We're aug
mented from the neighboring forests
from time to time.
while wandering at will on their
native tracts, the elk of all sizes and
ages seem 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
of the herd, | have Contrived means
of regulating and controlling the horn )
growth This is done by means of a box
like wooden frame, light and easily car
ried by the elk. The horns are guided
in their growth by this frame, and it
also keeps the animal from getting into
bad places in the timber belt. Then.
too. when the horns are still in the milk,
they are very soft and easily damaged.
They have to be watched with the great
est caution, and iron rust must he
mixed with their food, as it has a
strengthening quality.
But, although under usual condi-
tions elk need no more care than cows,
there comes a time when this is changed.
After the second year of their life on
the farms the males sometimes get ugly
during the heated terms. This ugly
temper is liable to be communicated
through the herd unless each refractory
animal is at once removed and isolated.
So when any elk shows a disposition to
kill everything that comes within his
reach, we secure him with ropes and
cut off his horns. This renders him less
dangerous and takes some of the pride
out of him. When he has been placed in
the separate enclosure, as a general
thing we keep away and let him go
without food for several days. Already
| have had several elk killed by their
fellows, who were not taken from the
herd in time, and one of my men had
his leg broken while in the enclosure
uperintending the cutting off of horns.
But all the hard trials l have on the
farm with my strange herd are fully
counterbalanced by the pleasure | take
in watching the animals as they grow
from tiny calves to be great and power
| I =,