The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-09-16
The Cattle Situation


years since cattle prices have been
comparatively low we have urged our
| breeder and farmer readers to strength
en- their breeding herds of cattle by
keeping 'Na hest he.fers and wedding
out some Of The poorest of the old
cows There is golden harvest
ahead for the man with a good herd
of pure-bred cattle. 1t cannot be
otherwise. The signs all point in
that direction. He who allows him
self to get discouraged now and sells
out at sacrifice, as many are doing
and have done, will rue his action in
side OF two or three years. Now is
| the time to go into the pure-bred
cattle business-not the time for go
ing out. For those who have STAYED
by the business it will be a good plan
to increase their efforts for the COM
ing demand which will unquestion-
ably be unprecedented, and it's COM
ing is as sure as death and taxes.
For years the ranges have been fill
ing up with settlers at rate such as
no section OF our country has ever
seen before. People seem to have
been land crazy during the past five
or six years. Not only have they
gone into the West and Southwest to
get cheap land, but in their mad rush
for land they have actually passed
over millions of comparatively cheap
but good land in order to get into
'new" country. They have compelled
the big cattle outfits to disperse their
great breeding herds and to 60 out of
the cattle raising business. Stock
yard receipts have testified to that
for several years. So much SO that
last year it was thought that range
cattle receipts would fall off mater
tally. This did not do, however.
Prices were so good that ranchmen
sold closer than they would have done
had the market looked less attractive
to them. Now to cap the climax we
have had dry year and the home
steaders who had accumulated small
breeding herds have been compelled
on account of lack Of forage and in
many instances lack Of water for
drinking purposes, to sell what might
have helped tomake up for the loss
OF cattle to the country wher the
bulk of, the big outfits reduced their
immense herds to small proportions.
The result is that the range country
will again yield a big run of cattle
this year. Young breeding cows and
calves are daily coming from the
ranges in big droves with heavy run
of steer both young and old. Practi-
cally speaking, the ranges are depleted
Of cattle or will be this fall.
Breeding cattle are being marketed
as brood sows were in the fall of 1907.
You know what the hog liquidation
three years ago has meant and you
have pretty good idea what it will
continue to mean for at least year
or two more-a doubling of the value
OF pork. A SOW multiplies from five
TO lO-fold in year. a COW never more
than one-fold. Start breeding hogs
with five sows, and by careful man.
agement you will soon have more than
you can care for. Not so with cattle;
with five COWS to start with it will
take years to build up large herd.
Ii you will take these things into
consideration, which you understand
as well as anybody, you will readily
appreciate why we urge SO strongly
the desirability of preparing for the
coming scarcity of cattle which is
destined to become much. more acuate
than our present hog scarcity is and
it will certainly extend over longer
period of time.
Remember also this one other i'm
portant point: While our cattle have
decreased in numbers our population
has kept on growing steadily at the
OLD rate of doubling itself every 30
years. While this rate may not con-
tlnue from now on, we have added
approximately Is million people ac-
cording to the census returns for the
past decade. We firmly believe that
inside of three years the choicest
specimens of pure-bred COWS will
bring prices that will make past high
marks look small 1t doesn't make
much difference what kind of cattle
you may own-dairy or beef-just SO
they are choice; all will be in demand
With these things in mind let US
urge you once more to save all the
ronghage you possibly can. Save your
straw; save your corn stalks; put up
silage if you can: and prepare to SOW
lot of clover and alfalfa next year.
Raise fodder corn, sugar cane, and
such other forage plants as may suit
your locality best. Endeaver to raise
big tonnage of feed for cattle as
we'll as for hogs. Let your herd of
/ cattle grow if Won cannot coll to ad