GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 255 



sands and tens of thousands annually to the Pacific slope, and there is still an all-absorb- 

 ing home demand to stock our thousands of valleys. 



The future. — As every country in the West receives a new emigrant, and his plow 

 turns the grass under, that corn and wheat may grow in its stead, the range of the 

 stock-grower is that much contracted and the area of grazing lessened. By reason of 

 the high value of lands for grain-growing purposes the people of the country east of 

 the Mississippi River are already coming to us for beef and mutton. Chicago and New 

 York people are enjoying the juicy steaks from cattle fattened on our nutritious grasses 

 that grow in our valleys and on our mountain sides, close up to the perpetual snows of 

 the Rocky Mountains. 



As immigration takes up more and more of the pastures east of us for grain, drovers 

 will be obliged more and more to come to us for beef. Texas, the great hive of cattle, 

 has received three hundred thousand settlers this season. The grazing area of that 

 State has been lessened at least a million acres thereby. Everywhere events point to 

 this Trans-Missouri country as the future dependence of the east for wool, beef, mutton, 

 and horses. 



H. LATHAM, 

 Surgeon Union Pacific Railroad. 



TEXAS CATTLE. 



The following article from Dr. Latham on the cattle of Texas is very 

 interesting, and may be appropriately inserted here : 



Texas is truly the cattle hive of North America. While New York, with her 4,000,000 

 inhabitants, and her settlemeuts two and a half centuries old, has 748,000 oxen and 

 stock cattle; while Pennsylvania, with more than 3,000,000 people, has 721,000 cattle; 

 while Ohio, with 3,000,000 people, has 749,000 cattle ; while Illinois, with 2,800,000 

 people, has 867,000 cattle; and while Iowa, with 1,200,000 people, has 686,000 cattle, 

 Texas, and forty years of age, and with her 500,000 people, had 2,000,000 head of oxen 

 and other cattle, exclusive of cows, in 1867, as shown by the returns of the county as- 

 sessors. In 1870, allowing for the difference between the actual number of cattle owned 

 and the number returned for taxation, there must be fully 3,000,000 head of beeves and 

 stock cattle. This is exclusive of cows, which, at the same time, are reported at 600,000 

 head. In 1870, they must number 800,000, making a grand total of 3,800,000 head of 

 cattle in Texas. One-fourth of these are beeves, one-fourth are cows, and the other 

 two-fourths are yearlings and two-year-olds. There would, therefore, be 950,000 beeves, 

 950,000 cows, and 1,900,000 young cattle. 



There are annually raised and branded 750,000 calves. 



These cattle are raised on the great plains of Texas, which contains 152,000,000 acres. 



Where they live. — In the vast regions watered by the Rio Grande, Nueces, Gaudalupe, 

 San Antonio, Colorado, Leon, Brazos, Trinity, Sabine, and Red Rivers, these millions 

 of cattle graze upon almost tropical growths of vegetation. They are owned by the 

 ranchmen, who own from 1,000 to 75,000 head each. 



Great ranches. — I will describe one or two of these great ranches, which will repre- 

 sent to your readers the large ranches of this cattle hive. On the Santa Catrutos River 

 is the ranch of Colonel Richard King, known as the " Santa Catrutos Ranch." This 

 ranch consists of nineteen Spanish triggeus of land, or 84,132 acres. It is watered 

 plentifully by the Santa Catrutos River and its tributaries. On this ranch are the 

 immense number of 65,000 cattle, 10,000 horses, 7,000 sheep, and 8,000 goats. One 

 thousand saddle-horses and 300 Mexicans are constantly employed in heiding, gather- 

 ing, and driving this stock. 



Colonel King brands annually 12,000 calves and sells 10,000 beef cattle yearly, and 

 invests the proceeds in stock cattle, thereby adding to his vast herds, in addition to 

 their natural increase. 



O'Connor's ranch, twenty miles below Goliad, on the San Antonio River, is another 

 princely estate. He had 40,000 cattle in 1862, and branded 11,772 calves, and was sell- 

 ing from $75,000 to $80,000 worth of beef-cattle annually. The foundations for this 

 wealth were laid in 1852, when he commenced grazing with 1,500 cattle. 



The Robideaux ranch, on the Gulf, between the mouths of the Rio Grande and the 

 Nueces, owned by Mr. Kennedy, contains 142,840 acres. It is a fertile peninsula jut- 

 ting out into the Gulf, and is fenced on three sides by the waters of the Gulf. The other 

 side is fenced by thirty miles of plank fence ; every three miles of this fence has a 

 little ranch for Mexican herders. In this inclosure are 30,000 beef cattle alcne, besides 

 the other stock. These three are types of the men in the older cattle-growing region 

 near the Gulf. 



The frontier counties are all rich in stock. Jack Young, Throgmorton, Stevens, Cal- 

 lahan, Coleman, Brown, Torrent, Elrath, Comanche, Palo Pinto, Hitt, and Johnson are 



