The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-12-13
Western Beef Finds
 Good Eastern Market

Western beef is coming into it's own. , Not over a decade ago eastern buyers purchased range-bred steers only when they were unable to fill their feed pens from other sources. and us ually offered a much lower price for this class of stock than they were will ling to pay for that secured from oth- CT places.
 Experience has taught these buyers. however, that western range-bred steers are usually in the very best of health. They have. a splendid frame upon which to bull. are well muscled and boned. and being accustomed to the rigors of the western climate. con- feed pens when cattle from other sec tions being fed under identical con- ditions, are losing flesh on account cf the indictment weather conditions. This western steer only demands that he be given plenty of good fresh wa ter and sufficient feed so that he may never be hungry and he will al- ways give a good account of himself the feeder when he is sold for the block in the spring.
 These steers shed early under fa- vorable conditions. and when they have reached the stockyards they show an exterior finish that other cattle. lacking the same health and rugged ness fail to show This makes the western steers ready sellers on the market. and after they have been butchered the percentage of the weight of the dressed carcass over that of other steers under the same conditions is so perceptible as to i'm meciately attract the attention of those keen. far-sighted men who han dle the yard end of the business.
 The settlement of the West is ra- pidly reducing the amount of avail able range and is forcing the cattle to go higher and higher into the hills Sw. ar--Atn n increasing the importance of freely utilizing the ranges within the Nation al Forests and every endeayor is De- ing made by the Forest Service to open hitherto inaccessible ranges by th reconstruction of trails and bridges. and unused arid ranges by the devel- opn,ent of water. In these higher ele- vatfons the grass is usually much 1n- CT in quality and more nutritious. while the climate is much more rig orous; both of which conditions re- suit in the animals being in better health and having more solid flesh when placed on the feeder markets in the fall This fall has seen large numbers of the range-bred steers. most of which come from ranges within Ma tional Forests. topping the feeder markets at all points where feeder
 So great has become the demand for cattle of the quality mentioned that hundreds of stOckmen throughout the West are selling their DuncneS or stock cattle and are beginning to han dle steers exclusively. On the old ranges where few years ago one was accustomed to see large herds of cows and calves, you will find today equally large punches made up en- tfrely of steers, some of which may perhaps have come from Old Mexico. some from Texas, while Arizona and New Mexico usually furnish their quota These steers are brought in to these western ranges at from eigh- teen months to two years old They become acclimated the first year. while in the second and third years they become sufficiently matured so that they may be taken to market
 The demand for cattle of this kind is greater than the supply and as In aII other cases where the demand Is greater than the supply the prices re- ceived on sale must constantly in crease. That this is true of the steer busfness one can easily ascertain through conversation with any one of the western stockmen who make this d business They will tell you that they have made more money in the last two or three years in handling steers than they made in ten years in handling strictly stock cattle