Improving on Nature 



to the arid west is the bison. Man- 

 made breeds of fine cattle have now 

 displaced the buffalo, but man has dis- 

 covered, at no small cost to himself 

 and his herds, that if he expects the 

 artificial successfully to withstand the 

 privations to which animals are sub- 

 jected in the Rocky Mountain region 

 he must, even in the case of the hardy 

 white-faced Hereford, provide at least 

 occasional support. Hence the hay 

 ranch. Hence the carloads of cotton- 

 seed meal. Hence the feed bills that 

 sometimes more than wipe out all the 

 ranchman's profits. 



However, in the entire field of human 

 activities there is no more creditable, 

 no more marvelous, demonstration of 

 man's cunning than in this same line 

 of work. Man cannot create some- 

 thing out of nothing, but give him but 

 one plant or one pair of animals to 

 work with, and there will be scarcely 

 a limit to what he will produce from 

 them in the course of time. You have 



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