The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-03
More and Larger Herds in West
ern Kansas Than Ever.
Long Horns by the Thousands
Shipped In.
One Difficulty is to Find Good Cattle
Mexico, Arizona and New
Mexico Furnish the
Bulk.
The Kansas City Star says:

This does not sound startling, as west
ern Kansas has gone into the cattle
business once beforehand gone out-Thls
time the business is being established
on different lines from those of the
first epoch-lines which guarantee per-
manence to the industry and success,
prosperity and wealth to those engaged
in it. Incidentally this means a still
greater commerce for Kansas City, as
here is the great natural gathering
point of the trade of the west.
The buffalo and the Indian were the
first occupants of western Kansas. Then
came the great herds of cattle from the
south, and with them the wild ana
woolly era in the life of the Kansas
border. TlSen came the railroads and
the man with the hoe, and the cattle
went out The railroads stayed on, but
the man with the hoe fingered not for
1t was dry in western Kansas even be-
fore the state went prohibition. The
man with the hoe was cute, however,
and made no tracks to the east until ne
had negotiated a loan upon his ranch
with some eastern company. Then he
loaded his wagon, taking with him eve
rything movable, even to the door of
his dugout, and hied him to a better
place. He left behind his prairie dog
house, the hot wind Whistling through
the buffalo grassland mortgage. In
time the mortgages came due, and the
loan companies took the land, for there
was nothing else to take, and loans in
western Kansas ceased to be popular
with eastern capitalists.
All this was years ago and things
have since been rather quiet in Kansas
west of Great Bend. But a marked
change has come over the spirit of the
plains in recent months. The old trails
which led out now all lead in. Since
early spring the below of cattle on the
drive has been heard to the south and
long-horned cattle by the thousands
pointed to the north, have trampled
the long grass which is once more do
ing business at its old stand on the
rolling lands of Kansas. 1t is called
the Short grass country" for want of
better name, but the stranger would
ask why so, for the grass is now as
long as in any mans country, water
stands in every hole, and the edge of
the great wheat field of Kansas has
crept westward far beyond the old time
boundary of the grain belt. The loan
companies have suddenly discovered
that they hold good value for their
money. They have fenced their lands
and leased them without trouble. The
lesses in turn have hired cowboys and
opened up in business. grazing cattle
for the southern catt1eman at 81 head
for the season.
OVER 100000 CATTLE HAVE COME
Over 100000 cattle have come from
New Mexico, Arizona and Old Mexico
since January, and are getting ready to
be put on the Kansas City market to be
sold in the fall to Kansas, Missouri, Ne
bras<a, Illinois and Iowa feeders and
help consume the big grain crop of the
country tributary to Kansas City.
Over 10000 cattle have gone into west
ern Kansas since January 1 to stay and
fulfill their part in building up great
and permanent industry. These are
stock cattle, mostly COWS, and $50 a head
has been paid for them for the pros
pectS of the cattle business for the next
five years are better than for Is years
past and there is big money in them for
the buyer at that figure. These cattle
are bought by the men who have gone
into western Kansas recently to stay.
Some of them perhaps have been there
for some years past taking chances on
the climate for a grain crop. They are
not misled by the big crop of the pres
ent year, for this only happens occa-
sionally in the semi-arid belt. They
have decided to humro nature and not
try to bulldoze her. They will take their
bunch of %, so or 100 COWS and herd
them carefully all the year round. They
will plant their tillable land in alfalfa,
cane, sorghum or kaff1r corn and feed
this roughness to the cattle in the win
ter. II is this feature of the new move
nlent in western Kansas in which lies
the guarantee of permanent prosperity
Each water hole will be marked by
ranch buildings. New water sources
Will be developed. Natural resources
will be utilized to the limit and coaxed
to greater development. Western Kan
sas has this year fallen into the pro-
csssson close behind the band wagon
with an epochmaking feature all her
own.
Business at the Kansas City stock
yards tells the story in undeniable fig
Ifes, for the pulse of the cattle market
of the west, existing as it does under
the roof of the Kansas City live stock
exchange, has quickened in response
Fhe attention of many of the traders is
now concentrated on this new develop
nent in the west, and the demand for
cattle from that direction has kept the
supply exha listed for several months
yes" said F. Siege1 of Siegel-San-
ders, to a reporter for The Star today,
There have been 100000 cattle put into
western Kansas this spring. have
handled over 10000 head myself at
Dodge City, the distributing point for
that section. They are being bought in
small punches, rarely over so TO one
man, and $40 a head for COWS is the rul-
ing price. They are buying cheap cat
tie from the south and grade bulls,
white faces at $50 a head, from the Kan
sas City market to improve the stock.
These cattle are either paid for in cash
or part down, and this cattle paper is
considered SO good that ii is in great
demand.
To Show you how profita BILE this bus
mess will be for these cattle raisers,'
he continued, Il will say that they can
contract all their calves for delivery
next fall at $3.50 a head, and they can
contract their yearlings for 500 1t is
no trouble at all to get these prices.
BY careful herding and such shelter
and feed as these small catuemen give
their stock the calf crop will be fully
90 per cent
1T IS A CATTLE MOVING COUNTRY
Western Kansas is not cattle feed
ing country. 1t is not country to grow
cattle in for the eastern feeders to buy,
and it seems this fact is now well I'M
derstood. I will say as well that west
ern Kansas was never in better shape
to hendle the cattle brought in than this
year. Grass in fine. By the time the
Kansas grass is dried up the buffalo
grass is ready for the stock, and no hot
winds do it any damage. L consider
the propects for western Kansas bright
er than ever before in the history of the
country. Cattle raising under the new
conditions is cheap, safe and profita BILE.
I would rather have a ranch in western
Kansas than in any state or territory in
the Union. 1t is near to markets and
transportat5ou,a nd possesses every posi-
bic advantage to a man with q bunch