254 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



locks were annually required to consume the wealth 

 of grass produced on the estate, but it unfortunately 

 became impossible to buy these direct from the farm- 

 ers of Illinois, Iowa or Missouri. Believing, neverthe- 

 less, that it was the duty of those who occupied a 

 conspicuous position in the agricultural community 

 to set a proper example in this regard, pedigreed 

 cattle were steadily maintained in addition to the 

 extensive feeding operations carried on, and the herd 

 which had been the first to be founded in the state 

 continued to be a dependable source of supply for 

 those who appreciated the importance of good cattle 

 as an essential adjunct to proper soil conservation in 

 the middle west. 



For forty years WILLIAM BROWN was a regular 

 buyer of feeding cattle in the Chicago market. 

 From 1870 until about 1890 the plan was to buy 

 three-year-old steers each autumn and graze them 

 for twelve months, no grain whatever being used. 

 It became apparent latterly, however, that it would 

 not pay on such high-priced land to compete with 

 the range on grass-fed beef, and so the plow was 

 put through some of the richest blue-grass sod 

 ever seen in the west and preparations made to 

 grow and feed corn. After grain-finished bullocks 

 began to be produced the number carried was 



