The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-26
CATTLE FED BY THOUSANDS.
How the Greatest Industry of the
Kind In Nebraska, and Perhaps
I'm the UnfOn Ia Carried On

0O" Aho WEcateAt INDUSTRY Oh the
Kind In Nebraska, and Perhaps
In the Union, Is Carried On.
Omaha (Neb.} World-Herald.
The T. B. Hord feeding industry at
Central City. Neb., We believe. repre-
SCENTS the largest feeding enterprise in
the state under one management. and
possibly the largest in the United States.
Twenty thousand acres of rich hay and
agricultural lands are utilized In the oper.
alton of this enterprise
The extent of the feeding enterprise
cannot be fully realized by reading the
figures, 1850 cattle, IA. 600 sheep, and 10000
hogs. Only those who are accustomed to
seeing large herds and fIoeks can cernpre-
bend what these figures really mean
when applied In the enumeration of AMI
mails to be placed in feed lots, to be- fed
and cared for.
MIR. Hord has on his lands eleven feed
ing stations Or ranches. Each feeding
station has its yards, buildings. etc.. com
plete, with its foreman or manager and
his assistants to carry on the work of
that particular division or ranch and the
handling of the stock placed on It.
The cattle feed lots range in size from
ten to fifteen acres. are laid off In
squares, and are arranged for conven-
fence In handling the feed III IT'S relation
to the cribs and storage buildings on the
ranch. In each feed lot is well, with
pump and wind power, which supplies the
stock with drinking water, In large tanks.
conveniently arranged for use These
water supplies are always in operation,
when there Is wind to run the mills
The overflow from the cattle tanks is
piped into hog trough for use of the
hogs. and the surplus from these Is car
rfed by waste bitches out of the yards.
Hay, straw, ana other rough feeds are
fed In long upright racks or cribs, where
two days supply may be placed for
the cattle to go to at Will.
The grain feed Is given In feed hunks
made to accommodate eight to ten head
of cattle. In these hunks is placed, twice
each day, just such an amount of grain
Shelled corn, or what constitutes the ra-
ton being used as the cattle will eat up
clean. IF a little Is left over, the man
ager sees that the feed is reduced suf-
ficient to permit OF noosurpIus In the feed
hunks when the cattle have finished
their next meal Thus every animal
comes to the feed with an appetite every
time feed Is PLACID IN the boxes, and no
waste of unpalatabIe feed is permitted
This system Of gauging the feed to the
eating capacity Of the animals Is carried
on throughout every department.
I The open or outdoor feeding method
has been adopted by Mr. Hord as most
successful under all conditions. His feed
yards contain no sheds, barns, or shell
tering for the cattle. except what protec-
ton the hay stacks or cribs, offer. In
some instances tight board fence Is
built on the north side of the feed lot to
serve as g wind break. In each feed lot
Is a hog large enough to shelter from
storm all the hogs that will at any time
be turned in to follow the cattle.
Each feeding ranch or station Is
equipped with residence for foreman
and boarding and lodging accommoda-
lions for the required help in operating
the business, Office, scales. horse barns,
cribs for corn, etc.
The sanitary measures adopted at
these ranches is a feature that de.
serves special notice, and in a measure
is responsible, no doubt, for the great
success attending the efforts Of Mr.. Hord
| In cattle feeding. The feed lots ars
plowed up each spring, every foot of the
ground Is planted to corn and thorough y
titled. A big crop Is raised as result.
This cultivation purifies the top soii
and removes all Of the filthy conditions
usual to the old feed lot. The COIN Is
harvested in the fall and removed from
the lot, and the new bunch of feeding
steers comes into the feed lot on fresh
ground.
In addition to the feeding ranches or
fattening stations described, this enter
prise has two large growing and srazfna
ranches where young steers are placed
to be grown ready for full feed at a
later date. The age at which Mr.. Hofd
prefers cattle to go into the yards Oh
full feed is three years. He says he
prefers the steers to be practically
through the growing stage, ready to take
on flesh and fat rapidly. At this age he
encounters but little trouble in making
satisfactory gains, even with the classes
| of cattle that are usually Disseminated
against by feeders because they are not
high grades of beef breeds. The margin
between the high grade feeding steers
and those less favorably bred is so much
greater than exists when the two animals
come together In fat market that the
palmer steer, properly bought, offers a
good profit in the feed yard
Summer feeding, OF feeding On grass. Is
not so extensively carried on at the
Hord feeding stations as the winter fee +
ing. there being only an average of about
| 1000 head summer fed These steers re-
ceive a soaked corn ration OF one-thffo OF
a busheI to the head per day.
The method of feeding, or system usu-
ally employed by Mr.. Hord, is to COM
mence In the fall, when cattle are hrst
put in the feed lots, by taking snapped
corn and crushed snapped corn. from
this they are gradually brought on to
full feed of shelled corn, which Is the
main grain ration used n the fattening
process. MilIfeeds, bran and shers are
used to consider able extent as variety
| Mr.. Hord has intro duced the proht-shar-
| ing system into the management Oh MS
feeding operations, whereby employees o.
/ cupyfng reasonable positions are given a
| per cent of the profit accruing from the
| business under their charge, in additlon
| TO their salaries Private telephone lice
connect the various ranches with his or
| flee and residence In Central City, whers
he. at stated hours through the day, con-
suits with his foreman and managers on
| the ranches in all matters pertaining TO
| the business of each. There are at pres
| emit on feed representatives OF the SOUTH
| Georgia. Alabama, Tennessee and Iexass
/ of the Southwest, New Mexico and All
| IONA: OF the West, Colorado and titan,
| of the Northwest, Wyoming and Montana,
| and the home product of Nebraska. These
| various classes of cattle, made so by
/ breeding and climatic influences, AFFORD
| an interesting study for the observing
/ and critical student in live stock fnfor-
| nation. While there is clearly outlined
| q supremacy for the beef breeds IN peef
| produ0ion there are grounds for care
| full consideration of the extreme preJu-
| dice that exists against the palmer cat
] tie.