The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-27

Notice that the receipts of '95 We're
almost double those of 49,, and that 1897
receipts were almost three times those
of 's2. and Kansas City is only one of
the many markets Of the country.
We know that the supply of sheep Is
increasing at a tremondus rate. Their
popularity as a food is gaining ground
all the time. Then they do we'll on
land that will not carry cattle. and the
percentage of sheep feeders in the coun-
try is increasing lat an alarming rate"
from the beef producers standpoint.
Good fed sheep hat are proftably sold
at from s3.75 to 81 per 100 pounds will do
more to keep the price of beef down
than all the bugbear combinations the
Big Four can make.
Out here I'm the West there Is an idea
prevalent that there is a great shortage
of cattle. am satisfied that there are
less cattle than three years ago in
certain states like Arizona. New Mex
leo, Utah. Nevada. Idaho and Wyoming,
but so far as the available total supply
of cattle, taking the country as a whole.
is concerned. / believe we will find IL
sufficient for all demands with plenty of
cattle ready for market. To show how
easy IL Is to get a misconception of con-
ditlons, l will mention two transactions
which came under my observation last
spring. One. the sale of 1000 mixed
BUICK cattle LOT lnt eureka SDrplZS
Stock company of Wilcox. Ariz., and the
other the sale of about 1000 similar cat
tie, being the Promontory herd of
P~romontory. Utah. for W. l.. White.
These two large herds of cattle raj out
on the range the year round. and IL Is
conservative to say their loss was not
less thar Is per cent Now. what be-
came of these cattle when sold? In the
first place, from actual knowledge. l
Han CAV that loss than = nor nant haNa
up to this time been converted into beef.
They were all bought by a s~peculator,
who in turn retailed them to small farm
ers and others. For example. the cows
and calves from the Promontory herd
went to Garden City, Kan. into the feed
lot. where the calves will be matured
without loss in one year as against
three years On their native range. The
young steers went to the Nebraska feed
lots. and the young helfers to Wray.
Colo. A similar history could be given
of the Arizona herd mentioned above.
All these cattle have a better chance
to live than they had on their native
range. They will be matured earlier.
and three cattle handled in the new
method Of small ownership will equal
as much. IL not more. than four in ac-
tual beef pounds had they been market
ed direct from their home range i'm Utah
or Arizona. From this you will see that
these cattle are yet a potent factor in
the visible supply. The man who lives
in Promontory. Utah, or Wilcox, Ariz.,
however. will claim there is a shortage,
because the P~romontories or .Eurekas
are gone from his home range and out
of his sight. The business for the past
year has covered a great many such
transactions, footing up thousands of
cattle. From this IL seems that the
movement of cattle a largely been a
smaller ownership. That under new con-
ditions the element of loss is almost to-
tally eliminated. and hat the final re-
suit from these same cattle will be a
fourth more beef pounds available at
least IL months earlier under the new
conditions than under the old. and that
the shortage idea has been started by
the ma who has sold out, or his neigh
Dor. Is natural enough.
i sha not undertake to explain what
produced the period of high-priced
stocker and feeder cattle. Perhaps the
great crops of corn, hay and grain of
1887, cheap money and plenty OF 1t. and
the general feeling of better times and
restored confidence explains most Of IL.
Certainly the price of beef at market.
or h daily receipts. did not justify
such a boom. The n men who
raised the cattle were the only people
who made a profit out of the high prices.
1t Is true that IS per cent. of the men
who bought n fed those high-priced
cattle lost money. In many cases they
got absolutely nothing for the feed put
the cattle. This element n the
big runs going to market have caused
the present decline. II Is my opinion
that the market will do well to old the
present prices for good native feeding
cattle. and that there win be absolutely
TO movement of the common southern
cattle at anything like the prices pail
during the spring OF 1885. This il I'M
the unpopular side of the