El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-27
An Improved Cattle Industry

/ Texas stock and Farm Journal.
The value of every industry depends
largely upon the uniformity of its pro-
duct and upon the permanence of its
existence. The industry of breeding
and rearing cattle Is a permanent one,
for 1t is one on which there must be q
i demand continuous with human exist
ence, but on the rangers where q very
4 important portiC Il of the supply is pro-
duced the production has not been uni
form.
| This lack of uniformity grows, to a
great extent, out of natural conditions
| which man cannot control, though he
might have done much to minimize
their hurtful effect. In the early days
any market was difficult, expensive
and insecure. The animals themselvs
| had little value. These and other con-
ditions attending the industry made
| the old range methods the only meth
DDS that promised anything at all of
profit.
Today any of the several great mar
kets can be reached in u few days at
small expense, with an approximately
correct knowledge of what each ship
ment will bring. AS result of the
enormous expenditure for the improve
ment of our cattle that has been going
on for years, the average value Of
Texas cattle has been very great
lv advanced. Owners cannot af
ford to treat them as the form
er range herds were treated.
1t is worth while to raise feeding crops
to carry such cattle as those
of today through the storms of
winter. 1t is worth while to SO i'm
prove methods of pastursge as to in
crease the grazing capacity of the land.
It is worth while to furnish shelter,
whenever needed, during winter, to at
least the pure bred and high grade
animals. 1t is worth while to provide
an abundant supply of good, pure wa
of the pasturage. And soon it will be
considered worth while to provide
shade here and there to protect the
stock from the fierce rays of the Texas
summer sun.
In other words, with the highly
graded and valuable cattle now so ex-
tensively produced upon the grazing
areas in all the pastural regions of
Texas, 1t is worth while to convert the
ranches to live stock farms, and this
is change that is already going on in
many places throughout the state, and
Is inevitable pretty much everywhere
east of Pecos river re
This Is development of the cattle |
industry that will make it more invit- |
ing by insuring to very great extent !
uniformity in les results. Nothing |
should be permitted to retard this |
change already being made.
Fee simple title to the land is essen |
tial to the promotion of this improve |
ment Of an industry that has the i'm |
Portance OF being not only immense, |
but the only industry to which many |
thousands OF square miles of Texas |
territory are adapted. In the estab- /
lishment of a stock farm there must |
be much work done that cannot be If
forded except under the tenure of own
ership. Wells and tanks must be sup
piled, and trees should be grown l
about them for shade. Fields must be !
fenced and cultivated. Barns must be |
built for storage of crops and sheds and |
feeding pens. Though feeding crops |
will be raised there must long remain |
much dependence upon the native |
grasses and these must be economical |
by the subdivision Of pastures. Lands |
that receive such application of labor |
utilization of the districts where stock ]
farming is practicable are possible I
only in connection with ownership of
the land.
Very many Of the men now engaged |
in cattle raising see the change that /
has set in and are becoming impressed |
with the Importance of securing per-
manence of tenure of the area necessa-
ry to their holdings Of live stock.
The legislature has seen
fit to limit areas of pur-
chase. A wiser legislation would |
seek to adapt itself to conditions, and |
there should be the least interference |
with such development of any industry |
as grows naturally from the conditions |
attending it.