East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-10-22
CHEAP BEEF DAYS ARE PAST, SAYS
PRESIDENT Of TEXAS CATTLEMEN

There will be no more cheap beef.
Cheap range land is a thing of the
past Cheap cattle and cheap beef
must go with the cheap land" Col
onel Ike T. Pryor president of the
Cattleraisers' association OF Texas,
says in Southwestern Stockman the
people Of America must face the fore
going situation. The high price Of
beef Is not a temporary thing. 1t is
the result Of the cutting up OF the cat
tie ranges into farms. The consum-
er Of meat must pay big prices for
beef as a penalty for the breaking Of
the prairie and the settling Of the new
country.
Colonel Pryor lives in San Antonio,
but controls a commission company
at the Kansas City yards and spends
some of his time here each year.
He has been president of the Cat
tleralsers' association three years.
The organization Is composed Of $500
cattlemen in Texas. Oklahoma and
New Mexico. The members control
~
Texas Cattle Decreasing.
"The number of cattle in Texas is
decreasing temporarily" Colonel Pry-
or said. THE big ranches are cut up
into small ranches or farms. After
the farms have been improved the
farmers will raise more cattle In the
same territory than the ranchmen
raised. but they will be more eXpen-
sIve to raise. and must bring higher
prices than the range cattle.
ION a big ranch section of land
will take care of 80 or 40 head OF
cattle. When the land is turned into
a farm 1t will care for at least twice
as many. besides growing some other
farm products, but the farmer cam
not afford to sell his cattle for the
old price OF grass-fed cattle at
profit.
Calves Are Slaughtered.
"The best evidence of how the cat
tie supply in Texas Is cut down Is the
fact that last year more than a quar-
ter of million calves were sold for
slaughter at the Fort Worth stock
wards. Beautiful, white-faced heif-
or calves were slaughtered by the
thousands. and the carcasses shipped
cast with the hides on If there had
been plenty of range these calves
would have been saved to grow up.
"While many big ranches have
bocn cut up, not many have disap-
peared entirely Take n ranch or
100. 900 acres. for instance. The own
or sells 10000 acres to a SPECTATOR
who In turn. cuts the tract up and
sells Il to farmers In small tracts.
Then he sells another 10000 acres to
some one else. The result Is he still
has n ranch about half as big as he
had before, and, of course, cores
ponding reduction OF range cattle
must follow.
state Sells the Land.
"The first ranches cut up were
those where the ranchmen owned the
alternate sections. The state owned
the other section, and when the lease
expired the state sold the land, and
there was nothing for the ranchman
10 do but sell his alternate section.
The C. c. Slaughter ranches have
been cut as much as any. The cap
uol syndicate ranch has been cut In
two by the sale Of its land to farm
ers. You will remember that the
state capitol was built by a syndi-
cate that received 100000 acres of
land for erecting It, More than half
OF that land has been sold for farms
and small ranches
"Wonderful changes have been
made. I am yet a young man, but
I'VE driven cattle from Texas to Mon
tana when did not see a fence or a
settlers hut between the Arkansas |
river and the Platte. First we cross
ed Kansas as far east as Wellington |
and Ellsworth, then at the state line. |
Now when n Texas man wants to send |
cattle to Montana he sends them by |
rail.
Days of the Buffalo.
"Once when we intended to cross |
the Arkansas about Dodge City a |
herd of buffalo turned us from our |
course and we had to cross at Great |