Part 22 (1/2)

The earlier cattle-growing was carried on in a somewhat primitive manner; the cattle herded on open lands, wandering from one range to another, wherever the grazing might be good. The owners.h.i.+p of the cattle was determined by the brand the animal bore,[53] and the herds were ”rounded up” twice a year to be sorted; at the round-up the ”mavericks,”

or unmarked calves and yearlings, were branded. In time the ranges became greatly overstocked; the winter losses by starvation were so heavy that a better system became imperative. ”Rustling,” or cattle-stealing, also became a factor in improving the methods of cattle-ranching. The cautious rustler would purchase a few head of cattle and add to the number by capturing stray mavericks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A DESERT REGION--TOO DRY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FOOD-STUFFS]

[Ill.u.s.tration: OPEN GRAZING RANGES, IN WESTERN HIGHLANDS]

Both the legitimate graziers and the rustlers at first were bitterly opposed to fencing the land. In time, however, the grazier was compelled to do this, and also to grow alfalfa for winter foddering. The great open ranges have therefore been broken up and fenced wholly or in part.

The fencing, moreover, has kept a dozen or more of the largest wire-mills in the world turning out a product that is at once s.h.i.+pped West. As a rule, the top wire is set on insulators and used for telephone connection.[54] This method of cattle-growing has improved the business in every way. The cattle are better kept; the loss by winter killing is very small; the ”long-horn” cattle have given place to the best breeds of ”meaters,” which are heavier, and mature more quickly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Copyright, 1901, by Detroit Photographic Co._

ON A TEXAS CATTLE RANCH]

The success of stock-growing in this region is largely a question of climate. The spa.r.s.e rainfall permits the growth of several species of gra.s.s that retain nutrition and vitality after turning brown under the fierce summer heat. Ordinary turf-gra.s.s will not live in this region, nor will it retain its nutrition after turning brown if rain falls upon it. The native gra.s.s is not materially affected by a shower or two; it is fairly good fodder even when buried under the winter's snow. The existence of this industry, therefore, turns on a very delicate climatic balance.

Of the beef grown in the United States the export product is derived mainly from this region. Nearly four hundred thousand animals are s.h.i.+pped alive; about three hundred million pounds of fresh beef are s.h.i.+pped to the Atlantic seaboard in refrigerator-cars and then transferred to refrigerator-steams.h.i.+ps. Two-thirds of the cattle and fresh beef exported are s.h.i.+pped from New York and Boston.

Upward of one hundred and fifty million pounds of canned and pickled beef are also exported. All but a very small part of this product is consumed in Great Britain, France, and Germany. The cattle are collected for transportation at various stations and sidings along the railways that traverse this region. _Cheyenne_ is one of the largest cattle-markets in the world.

Wool has become a very valuable product, and the sheep grown in this region number about one-half the total in the United States. The growing of macaroni-wheat is extending to lands that fail to produce crops of ordinary wheat.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

In what ways does the basin of the Great Lakes facilitate the commerce of the United States?

How has the topography of the Mississippi Valley affected the evolution of farming-machinery?

Why are s.h.i.+ppers willing in many cases to pay an all-rail rate on wheat sent to the Atlantic seaboard, nearly three times as great as the lake and ca.n.a.l rates?

The acre-product of wheat in the United States is about twelve bushels; in western Europe it varies from twenty-five to more than forty bushels; to what is the difference due?

What is meant by sea-island cotton?--for what reasons is cotton imported from Egypt and Peru into the United States?

In what manner is cotton used in the manufacture of pneumatic tires, and why is it thus used?

What are refrigerator-cars?--refrigerator-steams.h.i.+ps? Name some of the regulations required in s.h.i.+pping cattle.

Why have American meats been debarred at times from European markets?

Find the value of cotton and meat exported to the following-named countries: Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, China.

FOR COLLATERAL READING AND REFERENCE

The Wheat Problem--pp. 191 _et seq._

Statistical Abstract.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DIFFICULT RAILROADING--LAS ANIMAS CAnON]