El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-18
THOROUGHBRED BLOOD
General On Texas Ranches,
And Fancy Prices the
Rule Rather Than the
Exception.

| FORT WORTH, Tex, Jan. 18.-The
National Live Stock convention this
morning discussed the leasing of graz
| ing lands in the west. There is much
opposition to the measure from western
sheep men.
Important papers were read on an
| intern stionai exhi bition of live stock
this year.
"The potency of Hereford blood,''
was paper read by S. B. Sotham, of
Missouri.
"What shorthorns have done for
the country" was bead by j. P. Picke-
rell. secretary of the American Short
horn association.
"The Bekshire hog."is the title of
a paper read by Reuben Gentry, OF
North Carolina.
Col. Hobbs, of New York, will proba-
bly.be selected as commissioner.to the
Paris exposition.
G. F. Martin, secretary of the Nation.
al Live Stock association said in dis
cussing the outlook sor the livestock
industry:
''The livestock industry In the
United States never was in a more
prosperous condition than it is at the
present time. With prime export cat
tie bringing s7.30 on the great central
markets and average beef cattle $3.50
| to S6. 5O-which means from $50 to SI10
per head to the seller; hogs bringing
S4 to So on all the markets west of
Chicago: grass fed beef steers selling
| in the Denver market for S95: Texas
| feeders from S15 to $40 for yearling
steers; muttons from 81 to 81 per head,
| feeders and lambs from 81 to So 80, and
wool at Ito to Zoe, the livestock men of
| the country can ask for no greater
blessing thar continuation of these
conditions.
"That they will do 60 for a number
OF years to come there seems to be lit
| tie or no doubt. There are several
| reasons for this belief. In the fret
place there were 100000 less cattle
in the United States on Jan. l. 1899,
than there we're on the same date in
1898: there were 1.5OO, 600 less swine
and 1,OOO,OO more sheep. In former
years beef cattle were not sent to mar
ket until they were 3, 4, and 5 years of
| age; now they go at 2 years old, the
demand for baby beef making it more
profitable to sell at this age than to
hold.
"The shortage caused by the de-
preston in the live stock industry for
several years following 1888, when
animals would hardly bring enough at
the markets to pay the freight, forced
stockmen to spay their heifers in order
to prevent an increase, and dispose of
all steers above 2 years of age. This
policy was continued until the industry
frightened in 1896, when it was dis
covered that there were hardly any
marketable animals west of the Mis-
souri, river above 2 years old, and NO
female cattle to speak of. While the
market receipts may show as many
head as In previous years, these ami.
mails are short in weight as they are
in age, and it is at the butchers block
where the shortage is apparent.
"There are several other conditions
besides this which will tend to keen
up prices, and thereby benefit the
stockmen. The American people are
reasonably prosperous, and when in
that condition eat meat at least once Q
day. The war demands will be great
for some time to come, which with the
possibility OF our country maintaining
armies in Cuba and the Philippines,
will increase the demand. The popu-
lation OF the United States at the pres
ent time Is increasing more rapidly
than livestock, and this in itself will
consume any surplus.
"Thorcughbr blood has been in
troduced in all the herds and the couu-
try west of the Mississippi River,
which once sent to market only the
lonRhorn' ia now producing stock az
desirable and which bring as fancy.
prices on the market as any from ii.
linois or Ohio.''