Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-18
than $4,000. And the decrease still con-
tinues all over the country, in spite of

tinues all over the country, in spite of
higher prices and greater demands.
All this would seem to indicate at
tirst glance very unsettled and un-
satisfactory condition of the cattle In
dustry, but the facts show quite the
contrary The cattle business has
never been more prosperous than 1t is
at this moment-indeed, its prosperity
is hardly short of amazing. 1t is just
at the edge OF a new era. The day of
the vast range herd is past, and the
day OF the small herd carefully bred
and judiciously fattened, has come. In
reply to a question as to the conditions
in Wyoming, Senator Francis E. War
rem, of that state, has this to say of
the cattle industry:
The live stock business in the west
was never on a more substantial basis.
The industry is rapidly passing from
large to small holdings. The big herds
which formerly ranged upon the open
plains are being divided into small ones,
and are now owned by many small
ranchmen in place of few large ones.
The cattle are ranged upon the free
grazing lands Of the plains during the
summer, and pastured and fed during
winter. This method of conducting the
business eliminates the risk and specu-
lative features which characterized the
earlier history of the live stock indus
try, and, combined with farming, makes
it one of the most substantial and prof
liable of the industries of the state"
The long horned, wild-eyed, gaunt
Texas steer, so familiar to the markets
a few years ago, is passing away, and
his place is being taken by the plump,
hornless, corn fed animal of Illinois,
Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. This
year there will be the largest crop of
corn in the history of the country. The
farmers of the corn states will raise
nearly 1000, 900 bushels of it, and the
value of it will exceed 500,000000. Corn
cannot be shipped the world over and
sold like wheat, and so it must be con-
verted into beef, pork and mutton, and
here is where the farmer makes his
great profits. In the fall he buys a
large number of cattle, brings them to
his farm, fattens them on his corn, and
sells them few months later at big
advance, and they have left behind the
| fertilizer which will make his fields pro-
duce another big crop. A single instance
will illustrate this business and it's
l
| farmer sent seventeen head of cattle to
/ the Chicago stock yards market. They
| ahd been fattened on corn, and they
averaged 1856 pounds. There was lively
bidding for them, and they finally sold
| for $3.50 hundred pounds-the highest
/ September price paid in fifteen years.
The average price per steer was. there
FORE Sl09.43, and they yielded large
/ profit TO the grower. In this way the
| farmer made his corn highly valuable.
| Indeed, so important has the business
of fattening become in the corn states
| that the stock raisers actually buy
poor grade cattle in the open stock
yards market at Chicago. ship them out
by rail. feed them we'll for three months
/ and bring them back at a considerable
| profit
/ Recently Chicago has been sending
! from $500 to 10000 cattle a week in this
way to the farms. Not only that, but
I Illinois and Indiana stock men have
actually been shipping cattle to the
west from Notwithstanding cattle tc
1 the food instead of sending the food t.
4 the cattle. This is a comparatively new
4 development of the industry. and at the
4 Ipresent high prices for beef 1t mean:
Immense profits to the actual producer
4 Few people have any realization o
4 the enormous volume of the cattle bus
! mess. or how many persons are affected
by an improvement in conditions. III
a general, every farmer is stock raiser
although possibly on small scale. on
january L. 1899, according to the stats
4 tician of the department of agriculture
the United States possessed nearl.
A 100000 head of cattle, of which abou
2 l6, 900 600 We're mich cows. AT valua
ton of S29.66 for the COWS and of $22.7
: for other cattle, the total propert.
would reach the enormous sum of owe
ST. 100 100000 OF this, Texas is tn,
heaviest sharer; then comes Iowa, ant
then Missouri Both corn and whea
raising are great industries, but the.
pale in comparison with the cattle bust
ness. A years crop of corn in the Unit
: ed States has a value of about 100000,
900. and that of wheat. $500, 900, 900, NOR
or less, but there is never full crop o
either on hand. because the consume
begins to eat the wheat and corn, ant
the exporter begins to send them out o
the country as soon as the harvest i
over. The value of both wheat and corr
on hand at any one time, then is only
livery small percentage of the value O
tn cattle on hand
1t will be seen. therefore. that the re
turn of good times to the stock-mal
means much wider distribution o
the fruits of prosperity throughout TIL
country-indeed, a much more favora
BILE condition all over the nation-tha
a single good wheat or corn or cotto
tcrop. And not only is the cattle-mal
himself profiting by the rise in prices
but the railroad man is doing nor
business. for after bringing the lea
cattle to market he may freight Their
' out to the farmer to be fattened, an
then back again to the market wherea
in ordinary times he might move Their
only once. In the same way the boon
in cattle means better business for tn
slaughterers and packers. and for tn
great numbers of men engaged in tn
business. In Chicago alone 10000 me
are employed in the packing houses
and the average annual output is val
ued at more than $685. 900. And tn
farther the price goes up, the NOR
money will flow into the country. for w
feed half the great nations of the cart
from our surplus. During 1898 we sen
abroad nearly 100000 head of cattle. t