THE DAIRY QUESTION — THE COMING STYLE. 257 



which is destined to be more to Florida in the near future 

 than it is now to Texas, " the great cattle State." In South 

 Florida there are thousands of acres of the finest stock 

 ranges, lands fit for little if any thing else, and certainly 

 for nothing as profitable ; grazing lands well and always 

 supplied Avith an abundance of water, ranges over which 

 the AVestern stock-raisers go into ecstacies. Few persons 

 are aware that in the wild southern counties of Florida 

 there are "cattle kings" whose wealth can scarcely be 

 counted, most certainly not by themselves. 



An amusing^ incident in this connection occurred recently. 

 Two gentlemen, settlers in Sumter County, believing that 

 they could purchase cows to better advantage in Brevard 

 County than nearer home, went thither on horseback. 

 Beaching their destination they began to look around for 

 the desired cows ; in the course of their search they came 

 upon a tumble-down hut where they were greeted by its 

 master, the most ragged, unshaven, unshorn, and uncouth 

 specimen of humanity they had ever encountered. 



" Want to buy cattle, does ye?" he said. " Well, how 

 many neow? I've got a little bunch I might sell." 



Our friends looked doubtful ; surely this ragged individ- 

 ual could not own as many as they wanted, and they did 

 not care to purchase in driblets. 



" We want twenty good milch cows," they replied. 



"Hoot! Is that all? I'd sold ye a hundred or two, 

 but I don't never trade for no less than that." 



And, as he persisted, our friends rode on, wrathfuUy 

 muttering, " Such airs for a ragged wretch like that!" 



Subsequent inquiry, however, revealed the fact that the 

 " ragged wretch" was the owner of at least fifty thousand 

 head of cattle. "And all he knows what to do with his 

 money is to buy bacon and corn-meal," exclaimed their 

 informant. "Talk about the foreign missions, let the 



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