PROGRESS OF THE RANGE BUSINESS 35 



were confined to twos and threes. The manner in which 

 these young southern steers "spread out" under the in- 

 fluence of the luxuriant northern grasses was surpris- 

 ing. Steers that under ordinary conditions in the South 

 w r ould never have weighed more than 900 pounds reached 

 Chicago tipping the beam at 1,250 pounds. The writer 

 has seen shipments of his own steers miserable little 

 runty affairs^ sent up from Arizona, unloaded in the 

 Chicago yards. After two winters in Montana, they had 

 become great full-ribbed broad-backed fellows which but 

 for the brand and ear-mark he never could have believed 

 were the same animals. They were sold in Arizona for 

 $12.50 each and brought in Chicago more than $75 per 

 head, netting the company owning them about $40 each. 

 Once they reached the ranges there was very little loss 

 on these two-year-olds from either weather conditions 

 or other causes. The most severe losses were incurred 

 during the shipment from the southern ranges. In order 

 to reach the northern ranges early enough the steers 

 were started on their journey in April and May when 

 they were thin and weak. If cold storms were encoun- 

 tered on the road the cattle were easily chilled, and died 

 like flies. In 1894 one shipment which I recall lost 25 

 per cent of the bunch one night in the Cheyenne yards, 

 owing to a cold sleety rain which chilled them to the bone. 

 Hundreds died even with plenty of hay before them 

 Curtailment of Northern Movement. Since 1906 this 

 trade in southern steers has fallen oi to a very great 

 extent, due to several causes, the principal one being the 

 curtailment of the open ranges in the North through va- 

 rious reasons settlers and the inroads of the sheepmen 

 until the annual shipments do not amount to one-fifth 

 of what they once were. 



