The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-11-10
THE CATTLE BUSINESS.
Bonanza Kings Are Now Very Few
in Number and Herds Are Get
Ing Smaller.

On the boundless cattle ranges in
the western part of North Dakota and
eastern Montana the spectacular beef
|round-ups are and have been in prog
ress since early summer, and will con-
time until late in the fall. All is done
with the regularity of clockwork.
Regular recruits are drawn. A fore
man superintends the whole. Central
places are designated, and here the
cowboys drive the herds, where all
marketable cattle are separated and
driven to the nearest railway station
and shipped, while the defective and
unmatured are turned back to the
hills.
How many cattle are in a large
range herd? Between 1900 and 1000.
How many cattle are on the western
ranges? About $4,000 head. Within
these figures are history and romance
Here is life in its primeval state. The
drawing-room man is not conspicuous
by his absence. Here the uncouth COW
crack of the rifle makes sweet music
to his ear. But the glamour is ro r.d y
passing. The below and roar e.
trampling herds will soon cease. Now
all is concentrated life and activity.
No longer the sun rises and sets on a
hundred scattered herds browsing
contentedly upon theplains. The des-
ert splendor changes anew and the
Nirgilian cowboys ride on in the pam
oramic round-ups. Bronzed faces glow
and voices rise in cadence from morn
to morn, from noon to night. The
wales are dark and the hills are light.
Around the appointed mess wagons
the exhausted sons of the saddle eat
the supper, smoke the pipe, tell the
story and drop off to sleep.
The bonanza cattle business is dy-
ing, De Mores, who was recently muir
dered in Africa, tried it to his finite
pleasure and infinite sorrow. His
ranch is the fixed star in the bonanza
geography. There is neither glory
nor profit nor the natural induce
ments to make it a success any longer.
Energetic ranchers have been emf
grating and settling for the last ter
years in the fertile creek valleys and
watering places, preempting the rich
est places, fencing off the best spring
ranging grounds for hay, and other
wise restricting and debarring extern
sive operations. But the harvest has
been golden and bounteous. For 20
years the bonanza kings have been I'M
molested; they have had their prince
y Golfers filled to overlooking, but
their knell has been sounded and
their dream is vanishing.
Four kings WELD the scepter now,
but before another year passes there
may possibly be only one left. Pierre
WiDauX, Frenchman who has about
$4,000 head of cattle. The other COM
binations are known as the Three
Stevens" the COX" and the Seven
Bar-Seven." Their combined property
is valued at $2,00O.O00. The last three
are closing out their herds prepare
tory to quitting the ranges. The in
f1uX of the small rancher and sheep
farmer has given them their CONNER
cial death sentence.
Where no heavy life loss occurs an
average profit of about 500 head on
steers is realized. When railroads are
extended in this region it will be a
paradise for individual efforts. Mon
tana and North Dakota are noted for
their boreal mildness, and the natu-
raj shelter afforded by the configura-
ton of the Bad Lands makes the win
tering of cattle inexpensive and safe.
What will be the result of the depar-
ture of these immense interests?
Business depression. higher tax and
progress temporarily checked. But
the future will profit By it. A hundred
small ranchers, owning a hundred
head each, and cultivating a certain
defined territorial sphere, will change
dssolate Sahara to blooming gar
dem Y. Sun.