The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-05
What CattIemen Have Done
in the Craze.
LITTLE CHANCE OF SLUMP
Why Dealers Say There Can
be no Drop.

trip TO Texas and New Mexico where he
went to buy up a lot of cattle. He says
the craze in the cattle business is not one
whit abated in Kansas, Nebraska. nor in
any Of the western cattle states. He pass
ed through Wichita on his way home.
i know Of men who have doubled
money almost.in the last year." he said,
in buying and selling calves and i'm
ported cattle"
Southwestern Kansas is experiencing
-evivaI of the cattle industry that is al
I most equal TO the famous craze of a third
of a century ago, when the ranges Of
this part of the state We're covered with
the herds that came UP from Texas. Now
the herds are not coming by the slow
method of driving over the cattle trails,
but are hurried in special trains. The
rush for cattle began about year ago
last November and is now at its height.
The herds that are shipped into this state
and Nebraska are bought up rapidly. The
farmers take them at prices that were
two years ago thought beyond the pOssi-
bilities, and the banks in many instances
loan more on them than the same stock
would have sold for at that time. The
great cause of this craze has been the
high price for beef and the large amount
of corn and feed that has been produced
on the plains and has been worth q small
price a year or two ago. When corn sold
for 10 to y cents last winter the farmers
saw how they could do better than that
by handling cattle and selling the grain
IN beef, and they began to ask for feed
ers. The supply was ready, and it has
SO far kept up with the demand. While
Texas has furnished the larger part of
this feeding stock, there has been
great portion come from New Mexico and
the reports that have come from the
ranges from time to time that the young
stock was getting thinned out has not had
any effeet on the shipments.
The men who had made the most
money out Of the business have been the
shippers, and next to them those VINO
have bought the young stock and rough
fed them for while, then turned them
off without feeding them much grain.
The shippers have bought the cattle on
the range and retailed them to the farm
ers, who are so eager to get them that
they will willingly pay a large price for
the stock. They have made it so profit
able for the shippers that they have in
this making a very nice profit for few
sdays' handling of trafs load
II know Of one man in Kingman cOun-
ty. who, though he has been in strait
ened circumstances for years, got in on
the rise in cattle and cleared $500 on one
bunch of calves.
kansas, however, is not getting all the
cattle that are coming from Texas and
New Mexico. Thousands of car loads are
going through TO the stations of Nebraska
where they are to be fed on the corn
that has in some places been stored for
two years, awaiting a favorable time for
the marketing of the crop. The statistics
of the state just given out say that the
farmers in every county Of Nebraska re
port that they are buying largely of the
Texas stock, and that there viii be no
shortage Of the cattle in that state. This
is the first year that the feeding business
with the range cattle of the far south
west has been tried extensively. and the
outcome is very satisfactory.
Some thought that the
new stock would not be able to stand the
severe weather Of that latitude. The
stockmen declare that thus far the cattle
have been fattening rapidly on range
grass alone. They have considerable diff
ficulty to teach the Texas longhorns to
eat corn. In view Of the splendid condi-
ton OF the range and the abundance of
other feed they believe that they will be
able 20 get through To grass without
much loss. II this experiment proves
profitable there Will be more Of this bust
ness done next season. The state was
to a large extent cleared of its native
stock during the past year. and the for
eign shipments are about the only ones
that are now available. Calves are very
high. and young stock Of any kind is hard
TO obtain. Even the most common stock
is held at high price. Auctioneers of /
Clark, Comanche and Barber counties
have Just sold lot Of common blood
cows for SAC TO $50 cash, and there was
spirited bidding to get them at that.
I'm 1871. when about 60ooo9 head of cattle
were driven north over the trails 70 Kan
sas. and as there came just then a scare
In regard to the danger of eating Texas
beef and the prices fell off in the eastern
markets. a large portion Of them were
put on the range to wait the turn of the
tide. The western Kansas plains were
covered with them. and without provision
for the winter that IT was hoped would
be mild In the middle of December came
a storm of sleet and high wind with
which the poor cattle drifted until they
came up against the kindly shelter of a
creek bank. They died by the thousands. /
and with them went the ponies and even
the cattle herders- Wherever they stop
ped and laid down the cattle were frozen |
stiff. and the herd owners found that
from one-thrd to one-half OF their pos
sessions were gone. From one railroad
station 2oo1o. from another 5000, and
from another 5000 hides taken from
the dead animals were shipped after the
storm. one firm put $3.50 head on the
range, and IN the spring could find but
10 OF them. This sort OF q loss ruined !
many Of the heaviest dealers. and the !
cattle trade received blow from which |
It has never recovered entirely.
There are those who predict that there
viii come big drop to the cattle indus |
try. and that large losses Will follow. But /
for the present there seems no danger in /
the minds of men who are interested. |
They point TO the fact that half dozen |
western states are controlling the meat |
product OF the country, and that with the |
other varied industries to which they are /
giving attention they claim that there is /
no danger that they viii overdo the mat
ter OF cattle feeding or raising. The 1
cheapness Of corn production and The high 1
rates OF freight on corn in the raw state |
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