A RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS 



I obtained my first realization of the rapidly grow- 

 ing importance of the Argentine cattle industry from 

 comments which Mr. Nelson and Mr. Armour made 

 after seeing a ship's cargo unloaded in England about 

 the time of the Paris exposition, and before England 

 put the ban on live cattle for immediate slaughter. 

 They were discussing it after their return, when Mr. 

 Armour turned to me and said, "We think we are 

 doing wonderful things on our ranges in the improve- 

 ment of cattle, but, mark my word, we have a real 

 competitor springing up in South America, and he is 

 pushing us close now." Mr. Nelson put In a cross- 

 cut as to the preponderance of Shorthorn which Ar- 

 gentina was using, and yet both spoke of the excellent 

 whiteface steers In the shipment. 



It was my thought In this sketch to review agricul- 

 tural writers, and while I could drift on for pages 

 concerning those near and dear, as well as brilliant 

 writers, with whom a casual association has occurred, 

 I have drifted as much perhaps as space will permit. 



As I come to the men who have lived in my real 

 world, I sit for a moment with the ink drying on 

 my pen, trying to decide how I shall attempt to write 

 of one to whose memory every lover of God's great 

 outdoors rises and stands at attention. There is a 

 little monument to that memory before which I want 

 to stand sometime before I die, and breathe a prayer 

 of gratitude to God who sends men of that sort to 

 work in the vineyard. 



[8i] 



