The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1897-09-29
NEVADA CATTLE.

than those raised on Western ranges.
and Nevadas cattle are not portion of
the rear guard.
Nevada has the finest mountain ranges
Ill the world and produces feed for stock
which is excelled by no known country.
She has thousands OF square miles of
territory, capable OF feeding countless
herds of stock, and she has an enterpris-
ing, energetic people who take par
donable pride in their cattle and who
aim to keep them in demand in the
marts of cattle barter and trade.
Cattlemen of Nevada have of late
years been lifted from the mire by East
ern demands and Eastern buyers. For
years we were subject to the prices
made by the cattle buyers of California,
who hesitated at nothing to keep the
price of our cattle down and to control
our output of beef. In this they were
aided and abetted by the railroads, who
made such freight rates as shut our pro-
ducers out OF the Eastern markets.
Some two or three years ago however,
conditions were reversed and the East
ern markets were opened up to us by the
cooperation OF the railroad systems
from Ogden on. From that moment the
price of our cattle showed an upward
tendency and cattlemen OF this State
breathed freer air, for they no longer
felt the yoke Of the oxen buyer OF San
Francisco, grinding them down to
compulsory sale of their stock, at ridi-
culouly low figure as compared with the
prices obtainable elsewhere, compulsory
because it was either accept their offer
or face bankruptcy.
Since this condition has been inaugur-
ated, the spirit of Nevada cattlemen has
been reincarnate; a new interest has
taken hold of them, an independent liv-
ing is assured to them and they have been
quick to see and apprehend the possibil-
tiles attached. For tive years six train
loads Of cattle have been shipped to the
East, where one has found its way to
California. The railroads have further
encouraged US by giving us Tree trans
portation both ways with every three
cars of stock shipped, SO that at last we
see the opportunity to legitimately re-
cover from the blow which was so fatal
to us in the winter of '90-'9l.
1t must be remembered, however, that
universal law applies to the price of
cattle, as we'll as to that OF any other
commodity on earth. The price of cattle
is governed by the law of supply and
demand. No tariff law will ever effect
their value, uf or down the scale, SO
long as the demand for beef continues.
1t is our opinion that for several years
to come the price OF beef will yield abun-
dant return on investments made and
care exerted. The tariff law has raised
the value of wool and sheepmen
throughout the country will evince a
disposition to hold their sheep from
their markets for the product OF their
wool and the profits derivative there
from. This in the aggregate will natu-
rally withdraw good deal of mutton
from the markets and maintain the de-
mand for beef cattle. When sheep own
ers, however, begin to unload their NUT
ton, the demand for beef cattle will in
yersely decrease in like ratio and the.
price will accompany it proportionately.
Be that as II may, however, cattle will
always be good investment, for beef is
a necessity, and an absolute one; the
demand for it can never utterly cease,
for hungry mouths must ever be fed and
beans and potatoes will not alone sacrl-
fee.
With the increased advantages which
Eastern competition for our csttle has
brought us, we shall always be able to
make respectable show, and there is
no valid reason apparent why Nevada
should not lead the van as a cattle rails
ing country, for surely no better grazing
ground can be found than that which
graces the slopes OF our mountains and
grows SO readily in our valleys.
We have but one great fear; hard
winter, and even that is not 50 much
terror as OF yore, for cattle owners have
placed themselves in a position to feed
their cattle, should the emergency arise,
and we have no just reason to expect
that they will ever be Caught out"
again as they were in lS90-9l. That was
= losson ubareby they have all DrOftr1