The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-06-26

SalaOle. linen the farmer came. Farm
ing began to rapidly take the place
of cattle raising and it began to dawn
on the cowman that his rendezvous
must be developed into a farming
country-taat he must be showed far
ther west. The truth was sad and
painful but persistent nevertheless.
With the farmer came a rise in land
values, Texas began to grow uncomfor
tably large il amount The farmer
was still winning and an easy victory
is already in sight.
Some three years ago the X. 1. T.
ranch that had held supremacy among
Texas ranches for so many years be-
gan to be sliced. Level portions here
and there were surveyed off and sold
to anxious buyers at goodly prices.
The owners realized big money from
these sales, especially when it was re-
fiected hat taxes had grown so large
that grazing Ian a come to be poor
property. For two years h Chicago
ans at the head of this ranch grudg-
i1gly contented themselves with "slic-
ing" on a grand scale. Last winter o
ever, the enterprising owners sold out
the last of their took of cattle, survey
ed the remainder of their big tract of
land in $50 acre tracts and placed the
whole of it upon the market. Almost
the whole of it a been sold, most of
it at h fair price of SO per acre.
Thousands of busy farmers are now
tilling the soil and converting the
land into a smiling garden. The steer
has gone westward to other ranches
or eastward to the slaughter houses.
With him goes the memory of the
X /. T. ranch.
The Matador ranch almost as large
is another good example. 1t is made
up, however, of three distinct tracts
or pastures. The principal one lies
north and west of Paducah, taking in
goodly portions of Cottle, Dickens,
Motley, King I counties on the west
This ranch in the counties named has
been fearfully sliced. Every year the
wners come over from Scotland on
a visit only to return with the convic-
ton deeper seated that their property
is slipping from their hands. Pros
porous farms now dot this tract of
land at frequent intervals.
Another Ranch Divided.
No better example of a quick meta
morphosis from a ranch to a tract of
quick farms could be found than in
the Moon" ranch, beginning n mile
east of here covering the entire east
ern half of the county and extending
eve into Foard county on the east.
Owners of this big ranch held out
successfully for many years against
the entertainments of the hester"
seeing MAN. of their fellow cowmen.
90 to the wall. But their time came
at length. Last year the whole of
this ranch of sever thousands of oc-
res was placed on the market at the
low price of SO al acre. This price
obtained whether $50 acres-the SINAI
lest tract sold-or the entire ranch
were taken. Buyers came in by me
dozens and at present some fifty
farms are ii course of cultivation
within sight of his town. wher IL
months ago was only rolling prairie
on which browsed herds of cattle.
One of the owners of this ranch has
himself gone into the farming bust
ness. erecting tea miles out one of the
most beautiful country residences of
the country, surrounded by a %cultivat-
ed farm of several hundred acres.
The land is rapidly being sold, and
two years from now, if not sooner,
the famous Moon" ranch will be a
thing of the past.
Another proof of the passing of
these features of the wild and woody"
west is to be found in the o X. ranch.
beginning some ten miles northwest
of Paducah and covering a consider
able area of Cottle, CAildress n
Hardeman counties. Twelve miles
from this town there mas been laid
out on his ranch a townsite to be
after a Dallas man who is part
of the ranch. This new town
on the Paducah-C hildress mail hack
line, has already been staked off and
the sale of lots is now going On. Farms
dot the entire ranch and the placing
of the land on the market is expected
at any time.
Ranch is Being colonized.
w. @. Richards. owner of the Sd
ranch, touching this county on the
southeast and covering a goodly por-
ton Of Foard county, is trying the
colonization scheme. This meal that
Mr.. Richards oes not intend to sell
land for some time yet, but that
is TO go out of the cattle raising
business. His plan is to divide his
land into 160-acre tracts and rent these
10 tenants who win pay a part of their
to him As the landlord. Last