MEXICO. 587 



They handle the cattle roughly, even killing them at times in running 

 them over the range. In this manner the cattle become wild and fail 

 to make that tlesh which they otherwise would. 



LOUIS H. SCOTT. 



Consul. 

 UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 



Chihuahua, Mexico, November 1, 1883. 



CATTLE IN THE STATE OF NUEVO LEON. 



REPORT BY CONSUL CAMPBELL, OF MONTEREY. 

 DIFFICULTY OF OBTAINING STATISTICS. 



I have the honor to transmit a report on cattle in the State of Nuevo 

 Leon, Mexico, as per instructions from the Department of State July 

 18, 1883. 



Owing to the great difficulty of procuring exact and reliable infor- 

 mation as to facts relative to cattle in this State my report will be nec- 

 essarily meager. 



I have interviewed numbers of the most intelligent and reliable gen- 

 tlemen of the city, many stockmen of different parts of the State, be- 

 sides more than a dozen butchers of Monterey, from all of whom it 

 has been impossible to elicit the desired information. Some of them 

 had only a general vague idea, and most of them none at all. The 

 butchers could not tell the average weight of any class of live-stock, 

 nor the difference between the net weight and live weight. 



After boiling down the many conflicting guesses, and mixing in my 

 own observation, which of necessity has been limited, I have gathered 

 together a few facts which I think can be relied on. 



THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE STATE OF NUEVO LEON. 



There is comparatively a small portion of the State utilized for stock- 

 ranges. The northern part is generally too dry and poorly watered by 

 earns, besides being covered with the stubby and thorny chaparral 

 which overshadows the grass to such an extent as to render it unfit for 

 grazing cattle. The middle and western, and a large part of the south 

 of the State are divided by mountain ranges into narrow valleys, which 

 are used for the purpose of cultivation, leaving the eastern and south- 

 eastern portions for raising cattle to any extent. 



There are very few extensive ranches in the State, and even the lands 

 in these divisions devoted to grazing purposes are generally overgrown 

 by chaparral, rendering it extremely difficult for stockmen to corral 

 their cattle in order to count and brand them. 



THE CATTLE OF NUEVO LEON. 



Breed. The breed of cattle is almost entirely of the old Spanish or 

 Mexican blood. They have large frames, are of various colors and are 

 hardy, good rustlers. 



Meat. The net weight of beef slaughtered for market, I would judge, 

 is about the same as cattle of the same grade and ;ige in the western 

 part of Texas, and the meat is tender, juicy, and of good flavor. The 



