PROOF PILED ON PROOF 771 



The Matador Land and Cattle Co. This corpo- 

 ration, one of the largest in the west, was organized 

 in 1882, and its holdings are now reputed to be 

 worth around $6,000,000, under the management of 

 John McBain. It began operations by purchasing 

 between 300,0000 and 350,000 acres of land, and 

 from time to time added to this until now it has 

 two divisions, one of about 500,000 acres and the 

 other comprising over 250,000 acres, both in the 

 " breaks" of the plains and mostly rough country. 

 Both ranches are well improved. Besides this the 

 company has on lease about 450,000 acres in Dakota 

 and 150,000 acres in Canada. 



The original herd consisted of about 40,000 head 

 of cattle but from year to year it was increased 

 until in 1891, when Mr. Murdo Mackenzie became 

 manager, it had about 65,000 head, the maximum 

 herd during Mr. Mackenzie's administration being 

 about 70,000 head. The cattle originally purchased 

 by the company were of the ordinary type prevail- 

 ing at that time in southern Texas, and were driven 

 from that section to the Matador range by A. M. 

 Britton and Henry Campbell. Later on the com- 

 pany purchased from 8,000 to 10,000 cattle from Mr. 

 Chisholm in the Pecos Valley. These cattle were 

 to some extent graded up by the infusion of Short- 

 horn, blood, but were not by any means what would 

 be considered good cattle today. Up to 1891 there 



his career with pronounced successful results. Indeed the sons 

 of Painter had much to do with the prowess of the LS calves 

 when exhibited at the Kansas City Royal ten and twelve years 

 ago, and attracted the attention of Landrigan Bros., then at 

 Eureka, Kans., who leased some 90,000 acres of the LS Ranch. 



