The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-15
CATTLE RAISING
IN THE PANHANDLE
Millions of Acres of Land in
Northwest Texas Devoted Sole
= ly to the Vast Herds that Sup
ply the Great Markets of the
Union. -
HOW THE LONG-HORN
HAS BEEN REPLACED
Blooded Stock Imported at Heavy
Expense Until the Grade of Cat
tie Has Been Vastly Improved
Nutritious Grasses Of the Sec
ton. .r..-
Special to The Journal.

IN ue1 4V4OuS vi e1ooCo VI 'AAS wv
ton. %.-.-
Special to The Journal.
Amarillo, Texas, Dec. 13-The section
of Texas known as the Panhandle has
cattle regions in the whole country;
Long before the pioneer ranchmen Went
there it's fine grasses made 1t one Of the
favorite, haunts of the buffalo nf;ne ana
also to be found in large numbers, but
| the incoming of the settlers has grad
ually caused their disappearance. The
nutritious grasses. though, are growing
are three varieties which are considered
the most valuable of all as food-the
true buffalo grass, the curly mesquite
and the grama grass.
The buffalo grass grows to five or
six inches in height, and when the dry
season comes it cures on its roots, just
in the North, dried after it is cut. thus
forming forage in the winter, as well as
an endless supply for grazing during the
rest of the year. = 80 800 :,
abundant throughout the Panhandle, and
| is very similar to the buffalo grass, grow
ing to about the same height and with
the same habit of forming perfect hay
| on it's roots. It seems to have remark
able rejuvenating powers, for after a
| long, dry season, or even a bad drouth,
| it will become green in the space OF a
very few hours when washed by warm
| rain. l..
Two varieties of the grama grass, the
blue and the white. are especially fine
| for grazing purposes and winter forage.
They will both Withstand the trampl1nE
! of the cattle unusually well.
In 1874 the first ranch was located In
the Panhandle, about forty miles south
east Of the present town of Amarillo. the
county seat of Porter county From
that time on the ranchmen drifted grad
ually into this section, and it came to be
recognized as an exclusively cattle coun-
but they were not fenced in, and the
cattle roamed at will over the seemingly
endless pastures. The usual allowance
was ten acres of pasturage for each
scarcity of water in many regions, for
these early ranchmen never realized
that beneath the surface of these rolling
prairies was an inexhaustible supply,
| abundantly for the, needs of even the
| largest herds.
The Annual Roundup.
Periodically the cattle were rounded
| up by the ranchmen, who secured the
plains rs for miles around to aheE in all
certain portion of the cattle, usually those
| about years old, would be separated
| from the others, and driven to sections
where water was abundant and the graz
could be fattened sufficiently to be sent
| to market. Sometimes they were even
sent as far north as the ranges of Dakota
and We're then IS shipped d to TO- market 9eA''i'
Since the day when the fencing OF
| the ranches with barbed wire began, in
dicating as it did the increasing value
of the land, the vast ranches have been
gradually disintegrating and in a few
years, when the old leases expire, they
will have disappeared entirely. However.
accustomed to the size Of earlier hold
ings seems enormous to people of older
states, where a few hundred acres is
considered a large amount of farming
or three thousand acres are commonly
found in the Panhandle and other Sec
tions of Texas today, though, of course,
there are many holdings much smaller.
! The famous x. I. T. ranch covers five
| counties in the northwestern part of the
Panhandle and is the tract which was
given by the state to the syndicate which
Austin. costing 100000. This ranch
contains three millions of acres. ! On
the great naked plains lies the largest
ranch ow ne by single Individual It
about 100000 acres. In the Panhandle
there are now only about a hundred
ranches, each of which approximates
twenty-five miles square.
Improving Grades OF Cattle.
These wealthy ranch owners have done
dustry of Texas, for they spend their
| money with lavish hand in experiments
which work toward the raising of the
standard excellence in the breeding and
rearing Of cattle for market: Ten thou
sand dollars Or more is oftentimes the
| sum paid for fine specimen of pure
blooded Hereford bull, and they will
oughbred Aberdeen-A Angus, Herefords, or
| Durhams for breeding purposes with as
| little consideration, apparently, Of the
outlay Of money involved as the ordinary
| man takes in purcasing a cigar
what do you think Of the future of cat
| tie raising in the Panhandle?" was asked
Of man who had settled near Amarillo
fifteen years ago, and who had seen his
during the last five or six years. He
| was a conservative man. but thoroughly
conversant with ranching and cattle rails
| ing in all its recent developments.
| Country Of Richest Possibilities.
| He hesitated moment before replying.
fear you would say that l am exaggerat-
| ing. To my mind the Panhandle holds
the richest possibilities that one can i'm
.agine for the rancher and for the man
a comparatively limited scale. The nat
ural wealth of the entire section in
grasses that cannot be excelled for graz
ing purposes l. the abundant supply, of wa
| boring from fifty to $50 feet; the in
creasing number of farmers who till the
| soil and raise alfalfa and grains of the
various sorts which are excellent for fat
tening cattle-all these make the future
! of the cattle industry one of the greatest
| promise. The droughts which carried
away large numbers Of cattle in years
| The old difficulties in marketing the herds
are likewise gone; the railroads and the
| packing-houses at Fort Worth bring the
| market almost to the very doors Of the
ranchmen of the Panhandle. Each year
the stock raisers see the quality of their
cattle being made better, finer, by the in
PRODUCTION of the pure blooded thorough
market values rise correspondingly.
Along all lines there is progress, and
there is nothing to indicate anything diff
| ferent for the future" .... -. - i
| What is the position of the Cattle
| Ra1sers' association of Texas in this on
| ward movement>of the cattle industry ?''
| well, it appeals to me very much in
"AH of the cattlemen Of any Importance
belong to it, and its offices are held by
| men of great ability and energy The
| headquarters are at Forth Worth, but it's
| members come from the entire state Its
| object is to guard and further the inter :
| ests of the cattle industry in every pos
sible way. Through its powerful inlu-
ence the railroads are held in check and
forced to give just rates and adequate
service: The buyers also have felt the
heavy hand of this organization. compelI-
| ing fair treatment in the marketing OF
| the cattle; Through inspectors at the va
| flous market centers every effort is made
| to prevent the sale of stolen cattle./ There
i Is hardly an item of interest to stock
! r41SRrS which ic for fo,